As the previous blog introduced, a sense of urgency is important when creating a powerful safety culture. However, that sense of urgency must be real, not made up. People need to feel motivated to act safely. It begins with a feeling; motivation comes from the heart.
So why not begin by sharing your safety vision. Share what motivates you. Who are the important people in your life? Why are they important? Why is it so important for everyone to be safe and to go home to their families?
Share heartbreaking stories and your own personal experiences that show the devastating effects of not being safe. Let people know that you don’t ever want them to have similar experience. Make sure that they understand how important this is for you and for them.
People are not an emotional robot. They are not Vulcans from Star Trek who suppress all emotion. People are emotional; we can tap that emotion to inspire them to practice safety. So, when you talk, talk with your feelings, even if you aren’t the touchy feely type.
Have you ever observed somebody watching boxing? As they become absorbed in the competition, they will often rise from their seat and begin punching into the air as if they were in the ring with the boxers themselves. Have you ever watched a group of guys during the Super Bowl, the same thing happens? When an important play begins to occur, everybody hops out of their seat. You could see the tenseness in them, as they imagine themselves running down the field as they are reach their goal towards a touchdown. Have you ever watched America’s Funniest Home videos, when a guy is poor trying to pull off trick and gets smacked right in his nuts? All the men watching are gasping as if they themselves were in pain.
People have the extraordinary ability to live vicariously and feel emotions that they hear feel in see through others. So, when you plead with your people in a heartfelt way, you share your anxiety, frustrations, or even your delight over something positive that happened, your listeners will feel those emotions that you share with them. Your emotions will be transferred over to them. However, they must be real. People can perceive fake emotion and it has the opposite effect you desire; it is repulsive.
When I talk to a group of people about safety, I do like to share statistics and data. I think it is important to do so in order to help them understand the bigger picture. However, once they hear the statistics and the data, I know that what will really motivate them is a good story about one person who suffered a traumatic experience. Those stories begin to create mental images inside the person, and perhaps memories of other similar experiences. There is more power in motivating a person to safety by sharing a visual story then there is in 1000 statistics.
Along those lines, impart accounts of colleagues who have been injured on the job. Or, if they’re willing, ask people who have been injured to share their own history. This has a huge impact because employees begin to realize that these injuries could truly happen to them.
In conclusion if you want to create a real sense of urgency around safety. If you want to develop a strong safety culture, focus touching their hearts. Please stay tuned for the next safety blog as we continue with other suggestions for creating a sense of urgency around safety.
