The awkward conversation
It is a discussion I’ve had with many leadership groups. We sit around and talk about culture and leadership, and at some stage the GM or MD says something like, “We are really committed to building a safety culture in this business.” Everyone else of course nods and agrees, and then there is usually a bit of silence.

The silence happens when a great idea is put forward, bit no one is really sure how to make it happen, so no one wants to be the next person to talk. This is the time when I usually chime in with something like, “You know you already have a safety culture?” Then there is a bit more silence. Sometimes you can even hear crickets.

The confronting conversation
In this awkward silence is the beginning of the way forward, and it is vital (in my opinion) that leadership groups go through this process. It has to start with having the awkward, and then lead to the confronting conversation.

For me, the aim of this confronting conversation is to get a form of agreement or buy in, specifically in two areas as a carry over from the awkward conversation.

OK, I accept we have a safety culture now
There needs to be an acceptance that the organisation does have a safety culture, even if it is not what they want. This is important because the leadership group need to see a safety culture not as an end goal, but as a driver or motivator.

For example, if there are rules that are not being followed in the workplace, then that may be because there is a culture of non-compliance, of looking the other way, or of cutting corners when the production pressure is on.

Fine, I accept I made it
Once there is a level of acceptance that there is a safety culture, there then needs to be an acceptance within the current leadership group that created it. As you might imagine this can be a particularly confronting part of the conversation as it places the cause (OK, let’s call it blame) for the current unsatisfactory situation on the shoulders of the leadership group.

This process can take a while, and there will be objections raised. Blame may be placed on supervisors not enforcing rules, or inadequate resources, or production pressures, or any number of reasons. However all of them are just secondary. If a supervisor does not enforce a rule, it is because they are allowed to not enforce the rule, and if a middle manager is not ensuring supervisors are enforcing the rules, it is because their manager is tolerating it.

The constructive conversation
So once the hard (awkward and confronting) stuff is out of the way the group can then start looking forward. In reality, this process can take a while because it really means taking ownership of the current situation, and if the current situation is bad then often the last thing leaders want to do is own it. So ideally, what we need to see is the individuals, and group, asking, “OK, what do we need to do now?”

When people start asking this question it indicates a degree of acceptance of the current situation and a willingness to look forward. It is, in my opinion, a vital step.

The starting point
So just like any reality television show, every journey requires a starting point. Improving the safety culture of a business requires awareness of what the culture is like now, and as mentioned this can be quite a scary process for some leaders if it is not great. In some cases it can be a bit like a visit to the dentist that gets put off. You know you need to do it, but would rather not know because you are aware there are problems.

So some organisations actually seek to get some data on their culture. This may involve processes like conducting attitudinal or climate surveys, interviewing staff, or running focus groups. In essence, the company is seeking some basic data to know where they are now, to be able to measure change, and to potentially give some clues about where to start.

Looking at the leaders
When we run safety leadership workshops the one skill we never have to teach is how to lead by example, and of course, in many situations this is the exact problem. Leaders will automatically influence others in everything they do, and the more senior they are, the more influence they will have.

So above all else, the leadership group needs to look at themselves as being the source of change. This isn’t rocket science of course; it’s just that it is often hard, and I think it should be acknowledged. For example, a critical and positive safety leadership behaviour is having difficult conversations with people and confronting unsafe or unacceptable behavior at the time, in a meaningful way. Yet we rarely teach this as a skill. It is just assumed that leaders (and supervisors) will have the natural skill and confidence to do this.

Let the change begin
By acknowledging the challenges that come with trying to positively change and influence safety culture, you can begin to identify the strategies that are needed to prompt change. Do you need to improve the actual leadership (people) skills? Do you need to change the way leaders are rewarded for efforts (i.e. rewarding them for doing site inspections and not for having no incidents)? Do you need to make sure leaders wear the same PPE as the rest of the business? The most important thing however is that you start.