The Difference Between a Safety Professional and a Cultural Transformation Leader

Being labelled a "safety professional" often feels like an inaccurate description that doesn’t fully capture my true calling or philosophy. This label fails to encompass the breadth and depth of my aspiration to be a catalyst for complete workforce cultural transformations. This realisation drives me to differentiate the simple adherence to safety protocols from the journey of initiating profound holistic workforce cultural metamorphosis (if you can get your tongue around that).

For some, the term safety professional might evoke the image of a corporate saviour, dispatched to rescue a floundering organisation with swift, rigid interventions. While these actions may provide temporary relief, they only skirt around deeper systemic issues such as cultural misalignment or leadership’s failure to engage the workforce’s hearts and minds. Safety compliance offers only fleeting solutions that fail to tackle the root causes of an organisation's inability to link the company's mission with a fulfilling vision for the workforce. From my perspective, this approach is akin to leaving a ship and its crew adrift without the means to navigate future challenges.

Superficial behaviour-based fixes that rely on observation and compliance create a misleading sense of organisational health, ultimately rendering the organisation comatose in terms of engagement. It becomes incapable of innovation, effective decision-making, or satisfying innate basic human needs—to feel appreciated.

In stark contrast, my philosophy as a cultural transformation coach emphasises the need for deep, systemic change rather than quick fixes. My focus is on rejuvenating the foundational elements of an organisation to ensure not just survival but thriving relationships and continuous enjoyment, not only continuous improvement. Does your organisation confuse performance with perfection?

Cultural transformation involves a comprehensive examination of the organisation’s pulse, addressing fundamental issues, fostering innovation, and instilling a resilient, committed mindset among the workforce and its leadership. I have a formula that has proven to create rapid and long-lasting change:

• Vision: Meaning is at the heart of all change. I encourage leaders and work teams alike to find significance in their work, going beyond superficial company statements and policies to connect with the core mission of "the people" of the organisation. They know what inspires them!
• Voice: Openness and disclosure encourages people to speak up and allows individuals to express ideas, concerns, and solutions, creating a culture where dialogue is valued and encouraged. Leaders who listen to a workforce eliminate the fear of recrimination or shame when the workforce speaks out. Just as important as voice—is "ears".
• Choice: Reflects my belief in autonomy, where employees are trusted to make decisions aligning with organisational goals, thereby fostering a sense of ownership over their work. It’s about the agreements we make and uphold, that places "consequence above convenience."
• Team: Collaboration highlights the importance of respect, unity, and fairness, recognising that collective efforts are vital for achieving personal fulfilment and job satisfaction. It’s the repetitive confirmation of accepted agreements that builds trust and a state of voluntary operational discipline. No team; no production or safety.

Embarking on this transformative journey undeniably demands a commitment to more empowering psycho-methodologies than using behaviour-controlling techniques. Which is a misnomer anyway—you can’t control behaviour; you encourage teamwork towards a common goal and provide an environment of trust. Yes, of course, it requires patience, unwavering dedication, and a commitment to the long-term prosperity and well-being of the organisation and its people. But how else are you going to build a legacy of empowerment, resilience, autonomy, and long-lasting morale? Is what you currently do working?

Therefore, I urge those who might hastily categorise themselves within the narrow "safety guy/gal" label to adopt a broader, more encompassing viewpoint. The true measure of safety leadership and its effectiveness is not found in the fleeting victories of temporary fixes but in the enduring legacy of cultural transformation.

Move beyond the simplistic allure of compliance and the superficial effects of observation and metrics procurement. Embrace the depth, complexity, and rewarding journey of genuine organisational and cultural revolution. Become an architect of culture, and champion the rich, challenging, and ultimately rewarding path of true transformation. Think beyond behaviour, and you’ll understand the meaning of "team."

Ken Roberts is the author of "Convenience Kills: The Mystery Cause Of All Workplace Accidents Revealed! and Cultural Transformation Leader and Founder at Transfoorm?