Magic Moments - personal stories create an EHS mindset

When I joined Corporate Environmental Protection, Health Management, and Safety at Siemens some years ago, I was tasked to increase visibility of EHS.

Initial ideas focused on an image brochure with artsy images and pushy slogans. But can a glitzy brochure increase visibility for a department which operates in the background? I had my doubts whether this approach would work. My discussions showed the department community would not identify with such a brochure – most EHS people are no catwalk personalities. Embracement by those colleagues, however, was required because they were supposed to distribute the materials. We needed an alternative to communicate the achievements of EHS! What might be suitable options? My mind went blank.

That following weekend, I started out on a long slow-paced run. I enjoyed nature and let thoughts and impressions pass through my mind. And it was then that the idea popped up in my mind effortlessly: have the people do the talking! Magic moment.

Now, for the next step: how publish their stories? I had noticed people in meetings with analog notepads – among them Moleskine notebooks symbolizing high personal standards, self-reflection, and understatement. What about integrating personal stories into a Moleskine?

My team started out requesting EHS success stories based on a ppt template. The only feedback was a single document – but still! Based on a captivating layout of that first case, we started out on another request – this time with a different approach which was more geared towards the personal experiences of employees, managers, and customers. This time it worked!

We edited the input, gathered images, crafted the definitive layout, and integrated this input for printing Moleskines. Six week later, I held the first book in my hands, tore the sleeve open, and looked at the result: twelve great personal stories around EHS. There was one question remaining: how would the EHS storybook be received? To put it in a nutshell: Everbody simply loved it!

We are all part of the social media age today, for sure; however, a high-value notepad still carries its appeal ... in particular when it is packed with great stories.

You want to read more? Here you will find one of my favourite stories: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/health-without-borders-gerda-marie-adenau/

https://www.siemens.com/global/en/home.html