Safety Watch

Leadership and Safety

Leadership can be defined as influencing others to accomplish a common goal or mission. Safety is a common goal in all organizations. How do we link leadership and safety? We can look at the U.S. Army’s Be-Know-Do-Leadership model to help us guide our way through safety management. A good leader must know work related concepts, interpersonal skills, and the technical aspects of the work. A good leader has to learn about safety management and must then set vision, communicate and motivate. A good leader must have a strong sense of integrity and ethics to make decisions that will promote good risk management.

Leadership in public and private organizations has never been more important, nor has the demand for quality leadership ever been higher than it is today. The CEO of a company is ultimately responsible for the safety program of the company and must communicate the safety philosophy and be consistent with this philosophy.

Leadership assumes many forms and reflects on the individuals who find themselves in that role, either officially or by circumstance. As leaders you must ensure you use informal leaders to your advantage when promoting a safety culture. Leaders show vision, motivate, initiate and align. They ensure that a safety culture is promoted throughout a company.

As a leader you have the ethical obligation to understand your company’s vision and communicate your vision to your team. Vision involves defining a mission, setting goals, objectives and strategies that support the safety mission.

Leadership involves communication and promoting safety from the top down and bottom up. Leaders must keep their employees informed. They must get feedback from their subordinates. They must ensure that their subordinates know the tasks, conditions and standards.

Leaders must motivate by leading from the front. They must be visible to their employees. They must be honest, even tempered and have a strong work ethic. They must establish clear goals and objectives. They must obtain recommendations from ever leader in the chain of command. They must empower their employees and grant the appropriate authority to accomplish the company’s safety mission.

Leaders must have credibility with others in an organization. They must be willing to make mistakes and support subordinates. They promote cooperation and collaborations in safety management. They must be proactive. They work to eliminate unsafe behavior such as human error, negligent conduct, reckless conduct and "willful" violations.

Leaders set and enforce standards. They ensure proper company training is conducted and they hold aviators accountable for substandard performance or behavior.

Effective training, consistent discipline and adherence to standards can keep problems from becoming serious and causing accidents.

Most importantly, leaders at every level must set a personal example of meeting the standard not just talking about it or its importance. Pilots must be trained to the standard established by the company so they can perform their mission safely. Once pilots are trained, the standard must be enforced and we must hold each other accountable to the standard, regardless of position. Positive peer pressure can be a significant by-product of good unit morale and pride in the company’s standards.

Substandard behavior must be changed and handled at the lowest level. Doing so will build cohesion. Leaders must remember that if their employees become complacent in the performance of our duties, then mediocrity becomes the standard. Mediocrity in aviation is not an option.

Leadership is an essential part of safe operations. It reduces the potential for error, minimizes its consequences. Leaders can make a huge difference in their company’s safety performance by being actively involved in mission planning, preparation and execution.

The company safety program is your program. The success of the program requires every member to think safety all the time. Integrate safety into all aspect of your everyday mission. Make it routine. Safety and risk management must be practiced at all levels. A proactive approach to safety ensures the effectiveness of the company. Efficient customer service will long go away after a severe mishap occurs. Leaders are the key to any good safety program. Employers have the responsibility to keep their employees safe. Show your employees you care.