Clear Words, Ambiguous Understanding

How many times have you provided one of your team members with directions for completing a task you needed their help getting wrapped up by a certain time, only to get something far different from what you had hoped or miss the mark entirely? I’m sure we’ve all been on both ends of...

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Defining Exactly How It’s Done

In March, April, and May of 1996, I received a tremendous amount of one-on-one training on how to operate the various pieces of equipment I was assigned to. Initially, someone else was responsible for swapping out the tooling and dies after each order I completed so the next part could be made....

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What Message Are We Consistently Sharing?

For us to come to terms with why some many organizations miss the mark on providing a clear and consistent picture of the values listed in their policy manual or on their website, I think we need to take a look at what we do emphasize clearly and consistently with our teams. In the nearly two...

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Why Do So Many Miss the Mark on Values?

I’ve never seen any organization’s executive team intentionally neglect living out their values, especially if they had a clear understanding of how much doing so could cost them! Whether it’s intentional or not, it happens more often than any of us likely realize. But how can...

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No One Chooses to Fall Flat

I can point to dozens of powerful lessons I learned in the decade and a half I had direct involvement in behavior-based safety. While the initiative was focused on identifying and decreasing the risks the workforce was exposed to, it provided a hands-on look at why people do what they do....

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Strong Values & Clear Definitions that Fell Flat

As an organization, Enron had indeed identified their values:

Respect: We treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. We do not tolerate abusive or disrespectful treatment. Ruthlessness, callousness and arrogance don't belong here.

Integrity: We work with customers and prospects...

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Without Living Our Values, It Can Go REALLY Wrong

In early December of 2001, I was just getting my feet under me in the behavior-based safety role I had accepted in the spring of that year, doing all I could to take care of our young family, and still reeling a bit from our freedom being attacked just a few months prior. I remember seeing the...

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