Safety Leadership:
Challenges and Solutions
(ASSE Professional Development Conference
Orlando Florida
June, 2000)

Analysis

Terry E. McSween

In reflecting on the implications of this research, we think that many organizations are good at training their leaders how to provide feedback. Training in how to deliver both positive and corrective feedback is certainly addressed in great detail by most leadership development programs, and has been a key element of observer training in the context of behavioral safety programs.

On the other hand, most leadership development programs do not address the concept of how to monitor performance effectively. Some leadership training does include communication skills such as active listening skills that are likely to be relevant, but these skills are not in the context of their crucial application in monitoring the performance of followers. In fact, some leadership workshops actually steer potential leaders in the wrong direction, suggesting that they make “small talk” before discussing performance, which is clearly contrary to the research which suggest that exemplary leaders begin talking about performance very early in their dialogue with followers. In addition, very few courses train leaders to simply provide neutral feedback.

The types of monitoring would seem to vary depending on the level of the leader within the organization. Figure 1 graphically portrays the shift that is likely to occur as a leader moves up within the organization. For front line supervisors, monitoring is likely to be primarily through direct observation, while executives are likely to rely primarily on verbal and written reports.

Figure 1. Time spent in different types of monitoring
as a leader progresses through different levels of the organization.

Table 1 summarizes our review of research and interpretations of the research findings based on our experience. By asking monitoring and questions, effective leaders built involvement and developed their followers, while less effective leaders tend to tell their follower what to do. We have seen several instances where a manager has mandated a change a safety team's plans even though their plans are aligned with their purpose and within the boundaries established when the team was chartered. Such mandates are particularly destructive when a team of employees has been working on an issue and the manager does not take the time to review the planning activities that lead to the teams recommendations.

Paper presented at the American Society of Safety Engineers annual Professional Development Conference in Orlando, in June, 2000. Included in the conference Proceedings.