Part 7: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Safety & Health Leadership

This is installment seven in a twelve-part series on the future of the Safety and Health (S&H) profession, and the Safety and Health professional. Insights are based on one of the largest and most comprehensive ongoing qualitative research projects on leadership in the safety and health field. Review?part one here,?part two here part three here, part four here, part five here, part six here.

"If you become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will become the leader you want to be on the outside. As you combine what you know about the laws of leadership with the development of your character, you will realize effective and rewarding leadership that stands the test of time." ~ ?John Maxwell

Preface

Before you begin, it needs to be acknowledged that "laws," for the purpose of today's article refer to personal truths, foundational beliefs, guiding principles, and practical precepts the research participants leverage as a roadmap to guide the daily decisions on their decade’s long leadership journey. They lean on these when making strategic decisions, setting goals, engaging their teams, or discerning a potential idea from a powerful ideal.

Are they "irrefutable?" Unlikely. Are they helpful? Undoubtedly.

Thus, please do not get wrapped around the axle (and in turn miss the intent of the article) in distinguishing between laws, principles, values, and the like. For simplicity, they are used interchangeably today. If you’d like to read more on their distinctions, here is a wonderful article which does just that.?

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Safety and Health Leadership

It's estimated that the average adult makes?35,000 decisions?per day.? Assuming most people spend around seven hours each day?sleeping, and thus blissfully choice-free, that makes for ~2,000 decisions per hour, or one decision every two seconds. Many of these decisions are remotely unconscious behaviors, or fairly automatic reflexes such as scratching your nose, repositioning yourself in your chair, continuing to chomp that gum or sip that coffee. But what about our other, more conscious decisions and behaviors??

Many of these carry with them more significant outcomes – both positive and negative. What to eat. What we believe. How we vote. Who we choose to spend our time with. What we say and how we say it. As our responsibility increases, so does the quantity and complexity of our decisions, creating a ripple effect not only in our lives, but for those around us. Choices, just like consistency, compounds. For better or for worse.?

For safety and health professionals, our decisions over the last 20 months, along with our choices moving forward will prove as critical as ever. How do we respectfully and inclusively protect people from COVID-19? Ensuring those with beliefs unique to ours don’t become alienated. What's needed from you to keep your team engaged, ensuring people stay connected to purpose in a meaningful way, even and especially as 49% of workers prefer a hybrid approach to work. Unless you have a strategy, distance from the workplace will lead to disengagement amongst the workforce.?

Additionally, within our organizations, for your clients and customers, do we turn a blind eye as many companies continue to chase "zero" incidents and illnesses without the actions in place to support their ambitions? Or are we willing to lean into crucial conversations amidst high stakes, strong emotions, and differing views? Conversations that may be required to shift hearts, minds, and feet.

Will we choose to operate in a silo, creating even more work for ourselves and our teams, or evolve into a profession viewed by our colleagues not solely as a cost center to the company for compliance, but as a collaborative partner, a trusted advisor who adequately and accurately portrays safety and health as a competitive advantage?

Finally, will we acknowledge that compliance often isn’t the driver of performance, but the enemy of it? Will we lead with risk-based decisions to protect people, property, and the environment? Or choose to appease our regulators instead? Regulators who acknowledge their practices are outdated, their organizations severely under-resourced, their standard-setting process broken.

We've been handed a figurative pen and with it, an opportunity to write the literal future of safety and health. What decisions can you make today that will help author a brighter tomorrow for those who are to come?

Quality "States" Lead to Quality Decisions

Choices compound, and quality choices are often the result of quality emotional states. It's having the awareness and self-control to refrain from making critical decisions when hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (HALT). Or, as Scott Hagan writes, “it takes rest to run. It’s impossible for an exhausted leader to stay motivated.” Or, to make quality decisions on a consistent basis.?

It's having the discipline to keep enough "mental energy" in the tank that's often depleted by day’s end (or 20 months into a drawn-out pandemic). And, as we’re going to unpack today, quality choices also require "cognitively activated" principles, values, or personal truths that guide the decision-making process. In order to make effective decisions, we need to be honest with ourselves about what’s driving those decisions, and how our choices today will compound over time.?

Use What Hurt You to Help Others

I remember the day vividly, nearly 7 years ago. One my personal coaches said to me during a one-to-one:

"I know what your problem is. You don't have any principles."

Sad to say, she was right. Life looked great from the outside, but I was floating through, making decisions based on what "felt good." There were no conscious principles, nor values guiding my decisions and behaviors. Looking back, I thought this approach to decision-making allowed for freedom, but it created a prison of indecision. Do I follow through on what I said I would? Or break my word and hope no one calls me on it? Should I attend church this week? If I’m feeling “spiritual” (whatever that means). Journal daily? When I have the margins. Exercise? If I feel like it. Do I share with those closest to me how much I appreciate them? If they go first.

What I thought provided autonomy, perpetuated instead into broken agreements, self-contradiction, superficial relationships lacking trust, and self-doubt. My actions weren’t aligned with my ambitions, so how could I trust myself? I was great at giving others advice, but too arrogant to take my own.

To this day, I'm still grateful my coach cared enough about me to be honest with me; extending an invitation to walk by foundational principles rather than feelings, giving me a roadmap to do so, and still encouraging me to this day to use what hurt me to help others.

As we dive in today, I pray these "laws" of safety and health leadership act as a roadmap to which you can refer when making critical decisions. I hope they help to bring clarity when the path forward is obscure. I trust they'll encourage each of us to reflect on what's driving the decisions we make each day, and how those decisions will either move us towards, or away from the person we know we're capable of becoming.

Finally, we mustn't overlook the exponential impact of tiny changes, compounded over time. As James Clear writes, “the difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding.?If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.?Conversely, if you get 1% worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero.?What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.”

Individually, we're aiming for one new principle-driven decision, that historically has been feelings-directed. One conscious choice that when compounded leads to abnormally positive results. One intentional behavior that when implemented with 1% better precision, leads to thirty-seven times better performance in a single year. In other words, #upandtotheright.

The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding; and if one tiny improvement can lead to astounding results individually, imagine the impact collectively. Choices, just like consistency, compounds.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws | The Inspo

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership combines insights from Dr. John C. Maxwell’s 40-plus years of leadership with observations from the worlds of business, politics, sports, religion, and the military. It includes John’s timeless, expert advice on leadership, along with fresh, relevant stories, and practical application. As John says, “If you follow these laws, people will follow you.”

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Safety and Health (S&H) Leadership combines insights from more than 160 interviews conducted over the past 20 months with some of the top thought leaders and practitioners in our space, along with more than a decade of immersive, qualitative research within and outside our field. These "laws" of safety and health leadership have been generated through immersive study, first-hand observation, and direct partnerships with some of the most respected leaders across a variety of professions. Are they "irrefutable?" Unlikely. Are they helpful? Absolutely.

"Laws," for the purpose of today's article refers to personal truths, foundational beliefs, guiding principles, philosophical ideas, and practical precepts these leaders leverage as a roadmap to guide the daily decisions on their decade’s long leadership journey. They lean on these when making strategic decisions, setting goals, engaging their teams, or discerning a potential idea from a powerful ideal.?

My invitation to you today is to lean in, to combine what you know with what these "titans" of safety and health know To examine your guiding principles and in turn, enhance both the input and output of your decisions. Or, for the sake of consistency, to continue cultivating your personal "laws" of leadership that will prove to stand the test of time. Aim for 1% - attain much more.?

The 21 "Irrefutable Laws" of Safety and Health Leadership

1) Nobody disagrees with their own idea

One of the many reasons the majority of the research participants are so effective in their ethical influence is the fact they understand asking is far more empowering than telling. They recognize that it's not about putting more in, it's pulling out what's already there; about coming from the InsideOut versus OutsideIn. They've come to a realization that many people won't align with your ideas, but "nobody disagrees with their own idea."?

This is a powerful principle, but what does it look like in practice? The next time you’re engaged in conversation with a colleague, blue collar worker, friend or family member who is sharing a frustration or concern, instead of asking a version of: “Have you tried this,” and then inserting your solution-oriented ideas. Instead, ask, “What have you tried to this point?” Then leverage open-ended questions to learn more, while directing them to find a solution within themselves.

The most effective coaches, communicators, and connectors really ask, and then really listen. They don’t try to pile their ideas on, they commit to generously listening, then prising out what’s already there.?

2) People will only listen, if they know they're being listened to

We listen on average ~35-45% of the time, or approximately seven hours each day. That's around 2,555 hours, or 106 full days of listening each year. 96% of global professionals consider themselves to be good listeners, yet research reveals we listen with only ~25% efficiency. That's more than 79 days each year of inefficient listening. Yet, listening is the most critical aspect of effective communication. When was the last time you solicited feedback on how well you listen? Or participated in a development opportunity solely focused on listening? People will only listen, if they know they're being listened to. Or, as Scott Hagan so eloquently writes:?

“Discovering your ear is more important than discovering your voice. Influence begins and ends with listening.”

To ensure the people around you feel seen, heard, and respected review the following?study by psychologist Richard Wiseman?on two groups of waiters, which concluded that?the average tip of the waiters who mirrored (an approach to active listening) their patrons was?70% more than of those who used positive reinforcement.

3) Compliance as the enemy of performance

‘‘Businesses are in the stranglehold of health and safety red tape...We are waging war against this excessive health and safety culture that has become an albatross around the neck of businesses’’. ~David Cameron Former UK Prime Minister

Where in your organization, through the decisions made by you or your operational leadership have you unintentionally made compliance the enemy of performance? What needs to shift?

For more on this topic, I suggest Paper Safe by Gregory Smith who poses the following:

"At some point health and safety management seems to have lost its way. Rather than being concerned about protecting workers and others from the hazards associated with business, health and safety management has devolved into a self-perpetuating industry which seems to have driven a wedge between management and the workforce. Health and safety management has become synonymous with seemingly trivial rules and burdensome, never ending paperwork…if you do take the time to read the book, I would ask you to use the ideas in it to critically analyze health and safety in your organization and challenge whether safety and health is more about demonstrating process (i.e. bureaucracy) than achieving the purpose (i.e. creating safe workplaces)."

4) Leadership Creates Culture ?| Culture Drives Behavior ?

Recently, I was overseas delivering a workshop focused on organizational culture and the site director opened with comments I'll never forget:

"What determines our safety and health performance is the culture of the organization. We (site leadership) are responsible for that culture, thus we are responsible for every incident. The well-being of our people begins and ends with us."

This particular site director understands that organizational transformation begins with leadership, and thus "walks their talk". In turn, resulting in a deep level of ownership, a climate of psychological safety, and world-class performance across the site.?

Hands down, the best resource I’ve come across on this topic is from Dr. Tom Krause, the 7 Insights into Safety Leadership and as stated by Thomas J. Raslear, PhD, Institute for Behavioral Resources, “should be required reading for CEO's (and I would add all safety and health professionals and operational leaders) who lead organizations where employee safety is a concern.”

Consider, what if your only job as a safety and health professional is to help your senior leaders understand this truth? Creating a safety and health engine of cultural transformation that ripples across and throughout your organization. Leadership creates culture – culture drives behavior.

*A small gift for our EMEA operational and safety and health leaders during a recent visit.

5) Our vision dictates how we show up, along with our actions

The safety and health professional of the future must be adept at creating a compelling vision of what's to come.?They will be future storytellers, working within a diversity of perspectives, they'll describe ideal state in an intriguing manner, then define the actions and activities that will move the organization in that direction.

For more on creating and communicating a compelling vision of the future, see the following brief article, Ten Steps to Creating a Compelling Vision.

"If you are working on something exciting that you truly care about, you don't have to be pushed. The vision pulls you." ~Steve Jobs

6) There are people in every organization that get counted, and then there are people who get counted on

“There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. Now there's a third team, the linchpins. These people figure out what to do when there's no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art."?

Have you ever found a shortcut that others missed? Seen a new way to resolve a conflict? Made a connection with someone others couldn't reach? Then you have what it takes to become indispensable, by overcoming the resistance that holds people back. Linchpin will show you how to become someone who is “counted on.”?

As Godin writes, "Every day I meet people who have so much to give but have been bullied enough or frightened enough to hold it back. It's time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map. You have brilliance in you, your contribution is essential, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do it, and you must."

Become a linchpin - a person that gets counted on. For more, see article #6 in this series, or click on the image below.

7) Frequency does not breed severity

The data is clear (see graph below), recordable injuries are declining steadily, but serious and fatal injuries (SIFs) are level, even increasing across certain industries. Why is this so?

There is a "growing realization that techniques that have worked well over the years to reduce overall OSHA injury and illness rates have not had a similar impact on the injuries and illnesses that cause the greatest loss and human suffering. Fatalities, life-threatening events, and severe injuries and illnesses that are life altering continue at unacceptable levels. The ongoing loss is attributed to the insufficiency of current approaches and to several concepts that have underpinned our profession for decades that may actually be barriers to serious injury and illness prevention." ~?ORC HSE

For more on this topic, along with tangible, actionable content you can deploy, see article #4 in this series, The Zero Safety Paradox, as well as the December 2008, Fred Manuele authored paper in?Professional Safety?titled, Serious Injuries and Fatalities. A call for a new focus on their prevention.

8) You don't need the audience to believe what it is you're saying. You need the audience to believe that you believe what it is you are saying

What would be the impact if you stopped trying to convince people to believe exactly what you believe, and instead doubled down on sharing passionately just what it is you believe? "Selling", in any field depends on our ability to transfer belief.?How effective are you at conveying or transferring your beliefs? What tiny change in your approach could lead to tremendous results? You need the audience to believe that you believe what it is you're saying. With that, being bold only works if what you're saying is true.

Or, as leadership expert, change agent and keynote speaker Ryan Estis writes:?

“Beliefs are generally formed in two ways: by our own experiences, inferences and deductions, or by accepting what others tell us to be true. Oftentimes, our beliefs are formed unconsciously and go both unconsidered and unchallenged. By taking the time to reflect on what you believe (and why), you can actively assign meaning to your life experiences and bring new direction to yourself, your team, and your customers alike. I invite you to examine your own belief systems, particularly in the way they influence your work and your relationship to your audience."

• What are you really trying to persuade your audience to do, and why?
• What do you believe about how you can impact them?
• How effective are you at conveying or transferring that belief?

The answers to the questions will allow you to be more intentional about what you believe and more certain in transferring that belief to your audience.

9) Facts tell. Stories sell

As Jonathan Klane so eloquently states: "Never story without science, nor science without story." In order to expand and deepen our influence, we must learn to communicate in a specific sequence, with a specified blend of science and stories. Why is this critical? Following a presentation, 54% of attendees remember stories, whereas only 6% remember statistics. If we want our communication to be “sticky,” and to achieve desirable results we must learn to leverage the power of story.

Here is a wonderful example of science and story in action from Rachel Hutter, SVP Worldwide Safety, Health, Engineering & Sourcing (WSHES) at Walt Disney Parks.???

10) Become a "break your pencil" safety and health professional

"Slow down, stop, break your pencil and go talk to some people. You’ve already scared people off when you’re walking around and writing stuff down. People are already thinking and asking, "what is this guy or gal doing?" Take some time to walk around and engage. Grip and grin! You can observe and listen while you’re walking. You don’t have to write everything down. Choose to have a great memory. Let’s connect human to human first."?~ Carl Heinlein

11) If you don't ask the question, you probably won't get the answer

Effective communicators are proficient at asking insightful, open-ended questions. They dive deeper in conversation to seek better understanding. They don't stop at F.O.R.D,? they are willing to both bring in and extract candor from their conversation in order to create connection – they talk like TED - Tell me more, Explain to me, Describe to me. They are genuinely curious why it is you believe what you believe. They spend much more time being interested, than attempting to be interesting. They really ask, and then really listen.?

12) Incidents are an opportunity to learn and improve, not blame and punish

Failure is feedback. But, this type of misleading data, falsely stating that "one critical and tragic fact is that 94%?of serious vehicle crashes are due to human error" is driving (clearly no pun intended) non-ideal behaviors. Behaviors that aren't serving the American driver in this case, but in a broader sense are negatively impacting the global worker; forcing far too many organizations to fixate on the person, instead of fixing the process - a recipe for incident recurrence. Here is a thoughtfully written, well-articulated article on the topic, The Deadly Myth That Human Error Causes Most Car Crashes.??

For more on how to institute and support organizational learning, while driving continuous improvement following incidents, see the articles below:

The Learning Review: Adding to the accident investigation toolbox

The Learning Review – A New Approach to Incident Investigation with Dr. Ivan Pupulidy

13) Everyone is responsible for everything that happens to them and everything that happens to everyone else as well. That's an insane statement - but it's true! There's a lot more resting on you than you think, and deep down you know that. ~ ?Jordan B. Peterson

Responsibility is a structure of interpretations, where some people declare they are fully the cause of everything that happens. That includes their thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions, results, even other people’s actions. This is a choice some choose to make of how they interpret the world, a context to live out of. 100% responsible, 100% of the time. "Insane", and beyond challenging. But empowering.

How specifically does this relate to the safety and health profession? I’ve been told far too many times some version of, “My senior leaders just aren’t engaged in safety and health.” Professionals who choose to align with the 100% responsible, 100% of the time principle would reframe this statement from a position of ownership. Thus, providing the power to choose a new approach and relentlessly continue to do so until your senior leaders are engaged. How would you reframe this perspective from a place of responsibility? What would be the impact?

14) The only way to understand how work is performed, versus planned; done versus designed; implemented in real-life, versus how we imagine it to be, is to get out and see. You can’t understand what you're not close to.

The smartest people in your organization when it comes to reducing risk don't sit at the corporate headquarters, nor are they in a cushy home office. They're on the frontlines, at the sharp end of the stick.

How are you and your organization getting closer to the worker? What are you doing to recognize the differences between work as done versus work as designed? The highest performing safety and health professionals walk with, work with, and wander with the worker. They understand the only way to truly comprehend how work is done is to get out and see. They acknowledge that you cannot understand what you're not close to, but you can leverage the power of proximity to appreciate how work is performed. The future of safety and health will happen on the frontline. Not in the front office.

See Safety Differently for more.

15) "Don’t try to make a name for yourself, instead practice servant leadership, work hard, network, do your best to make a name for others, and a name will be made for you. Poor leaders seek attention.?Great leaders pay attention." ~ Shaun Carvalho

16) The cause of my irritation is not this person, but in me

Recently I was on a safety and health audit and became increasingly frustrated with the external consultants “lack of interest” in what I had to say as the lead auditor, consistently looking to their laptops instead of paying attention how I expected them to. Reflecting on that audit, being honest with myself, my irritation had nothing to do with their lack of interest, and everything to do with my lackluster communication.

Putting our expectations on others, wishing they would be or behave in a certain way is a recipe for certain disappointment. Instead of expecting others to be different, commit to being better.?

17) Be 100% where your feet are ~ ?Nicole Atchison | CEO | PURIS Holdings

Personally, I don't believe in "balance." I believe in presence. Wherever you are, be there, at 100%. This Christmas and holiday season, when with your family choose to really be with your family. When you get called away for an important work-related obligation, be with your colleague(s). Balance is a myth, and presence is a mystery to many of us. But it doesn’t have to be. Be 100% where your feet are.?Give the gift of presence.

18) Narrow the Focus. Up the Quality. Increase the Speed

As Seth Godin writes:??

“There's nothing wrong with being a wandering generality instead of a meaningful specific, but don't expect to make the change you [hope] to make if that's what you do.”

Once you've aligned on the critical few, do them in excellence. Only once you've narrowed the focus and done them in excellence can you turn the velocity dial up. What are the critical few? Ask yourself on a consistent basis: "What am I doing that's not bringing any value?" Improve it. Eliminate it. Or Delegate it. If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. Sometimes, the quickest way to complete a project is to drop it. Narrow the focus. Up the quality. Increase the speed.?

19) It's not "either", it's "both"

When I first entered the profession, I remember my manager at the time,?Dr. Perry Logan?sharing that technical competence is the foundation of nearly every high-performing safety and health (S&H) professional - any S&H operation worth their salt has team members with a strong technical foundation.?In addition to technical competence however, the S&H professionals that consistently standout have developed the ability to engage, to influence thoughts and behaviors, seamlessly integrate their work into operations, and communicate complex principles and practices in a way that is easily understood, touches hearts and minds, but more importantly moves feet.

These competencies continue to be?the most critical skillsets?to success in our profession, possibly any profession. Research carried out by the Carnegie Institute of Technology shows that?85 percent of your financial success is due to skills in “human engineering,”?your personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. Shockingly, only 15 percent is due to technical knowledge.?It's not either technical ability or skills in "human engineering," it's both.?What skills in "human engineering" do you need to develop going into 2022? New year, new opportunity.?

20) Success is more environmental than mental

Research from Harvard?indicates that 95% of our success or failure is determined by the people we habitually associate with. You've likely heard a version of this, but are you?acting?on it? Have you created your Personal Board of Directors? When was the last time you audited your circle? Do you have a coach? Does your coach have a coach? Who could you reach out to today with the intent to expand and supercharge your network? It's nearly impossible to think yourself into a new way of thinking, but highly probable you can act your way into a new way of thinking. Who do you need to bring into your environment, or to get into theirs today? As Walt Disney once said, "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

21) Emphasize people before programs and policies

Although safety and health programs and policies are critical to the success and sustainability of every company, no program or policy has ever?transformed any company -?only people and relationships transform companies.?We have an opportunity to double down on developing our people and their potential, rather than developing the perfect policy or program. The same way (the way we've practiced safety and health for decades), is the safe way, but the same way is not serving the worker. The safety and health professional of the future will emphasize people, while developing and deploying programs to support their whole health. Instead of passively predicting the future of our profession, we have the opportunity to actively create it. Are you up for the challenge? Emphasize people over programs and policies.

Conquering the Pacific

Recently, my wife and I attended a celebration of life for a close friend - a humble, gentle giant of a man who was taken far too soon. He was a father, husband, warrior (literally and figuratively), and a contribution in every space he occupied. He originated from the tiny Kingdom of Tonga in the southern Pacific ocean and after making the trek to the states as an early teenager, proceeded to become a world-class athlete, professional NFL football player, family man, philanthropist, and successful businessman. As we can all relate, his life was narrated by many peaks, and nearly as many valleys. Along his journey however, there was one thing that never faltered - his faith in believing the pain was never without purpose and his struggles would inevitably lead to success.?

During the opening eulogy, a military man (also from Tonga), with the poise, presence (and uniform) of a four-star general began describing life in the southern Pacific and how the man we were there to honor was guided by four values. The same values Tongan society is guided by. Fefaka’apa’apa’aki (mutual respect), Feveitokai’aki (sharing, cooperating and fulfilment of mutual obligations), Lototoo (humility and generosity), and Tauhi vaha’a (loyalty and commitment).?These values are a way of life within the Tongan society, as Tongan Royal Family, Queen Salote demonstrated for the world in 1953 with a single decision that aligned with these values, choosing to show respect by sitting in an uncovered carriage in pouring rain at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

There are some moments, for whatever reason that move and remain with us. The following line from the military man will be one of those moments for many in the room that day.

"We (the people of Tonga) conquered the Pacific with four values...and a canoe."

Just as warriors from the tiny Kingdom of Tonga "conquered the Pacific with four values and a canoe," our friend captained his life with the same guiding lights - leveraging these four values as a lamp for?his feet, a light on his path. Helping to bring clarity when the path forward was obscure.

Which of these "laws" of safety and health leadership will shine as a light at your feet as we enter yet another season of uncertainty? With the path forward as obscure as ever.

My invitation to you leaving here today is to combine what you know with these "laws" of safety and health leadership. To examine your own principles and establish those that will set you and those closest to you up to win - regardless of the season you find yourself in, or the circumstances surrounding you.?

Aim for one new principle-driven decision or conscious choice each day that further serves in enhancing your life and the life of those around you. In turn, realizing effective, rewarding leadership (and impact) that stands the test of time. Life is a series of choices, and when we're clear what's driving them, we give ourselves the opportunity for those choices to compound. Whether it's conquering the day, or the Pacific Ocean. #upandtotheright

With over a decade of experience with the 3M company in a variety of technical and leadership roles, Jason Kunz demonstrates his passion for the safety and health profession across multiple platforms. A forward-thinker, with the objective to elevate the health and well-being of all workers, Jason uses his voice to amplify the profession and the professional. His life journey, blessings, and struggles have inspired a commitment to building professional communities that ensure an empowerment of their people. Jason is a husband, co-founder, speaker, coach, and community advocate. He's a CIH and CSP, but mostly grateful to have a J-O-B and work with some of the most passionate and compassionate people on the planet.?Married since 2019, Jason and his wife Malia call Minneapolis home.