“What do Executives Want, Need and Look for in
Professional Safety Support?”
Thomas Butts, P.E.Vice President Operations
2 Presentation Title
Safety Moment
• How prepared are you / love ones who drive to deal with being visible if they have to evacuate the vehicle on a busy highway / road? =
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1) Ability to Communicate• At all levels
• Don’t assume executives understand safety
• Understand how to connect safety with the bottom line
• Manage expectations
• Share the message throughout the organization
• Be the eyes and ears of senior management
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2) Positive Attitude • Avoid negativity and over reactive behavior
even during adversity
• Think positive and smile when attacking challenges
• Maintain a “this too shall pass” mentality
• Best learning comes from difficult challenges
• Laugh often and interject appropriate humor
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3) Stay close to the Action
• Understand the details
• Stay informed
• Build relationships with those closest to the sharp end of the stick
• Analyze the data and look for trends
• Avoid managing by email
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4) Candor
• Promote an environment of complete safety candor
• Able to have the difficult conversations with executives
• Never soft-shoe around difficult issues
• Point out those who refuse to comply
• Understand the rules and hold people accountable
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5) Tenacity • Never give up mentality
• Understand and accept that repetition is good
• Adapt, persevere and overcome
• Be flexible, and do what it takes
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6) Passionate and Humility• Put your heart into your work
• Understand that once relationships are destroyed, they are difficult to rebuild
• Be able to provide and accept constructive feedback
• Ability to consider the “perspective” of others
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7) Courageous
• Have the guts to stop the work
• Ability to confront a senior manager who does not get it
• A willingness to elevate issues to the next level of management to achieve the desired result
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help
It is More Challenging for Work Family Members to Influence of Whom They Do Not Have Authority
“Stop Work Authority”
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8) Champion
• Celebrate the small and large successes
• Recognize those who contribute
• Be a relentless safety promoter, a little evangelical
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9) Visionary
• Keep things in perspective
• Have a clear vision and be able to articulate it
• Understand instant results do not equal systemic improvements
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10) Strong work / personal life balance
• Take time for yourself
• Practice a healthy lifestyle
• Spend time with those you care for the most
• Practice what you preach
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Thank You