Sinchuwr Visiting

Years ago, I coined a term when I was hired by a client to help them improve their existing behavior-based Safety process (BBS). Sinchuwr BBS was born. Afterward, I saw it often. Being from Texas, the southern part of the United States, we tend to speak with a drawl. "Since you were," becomes sinchuwr.

This plant once had a practical, focused process to identify organizational influences on behavior and develop or propose action plans to address the influences, but scope creep showed its ugly face. Knowing there was a process where employees were observing work to determine the influence on risk, other leaders began piling on. Well, since you were... I'd like you to also look for these ten things, and these additional things, and these additional things. Over the years, more was added to this BBS observation strategy. The original focused list of items to observe became two pages, front and back.?

While teaching a class attended by enterprise-level safety professionals, I recently heard another piling-on example. When leaders are sent out to locations with a particular objective in mind, more gets added. "Well, sinchuwr, visiting the area, go ahead and perform some observations. Go ahead and conduct some Gemba walks. Go ahead."

Many well-intended leaders seem to have a propensity to try to do everything at once. Safety needs to be strategic. Strategy is about value creation. It is strategic to decide what not to do or what to stop doing. Take a hard look at what you are asking of others on your journey to excellence. Is it the most important thing or the best use of time? Is it necessary? Does it add value? Is it what the customers and consumers of your improvement efforts need? If you keep coming up with an answer of no, perhaps less is more.?

Sinchuwr BBS reminds us that clarity and focus are the cornerstones of any effective safety process. Though often well-intentioned, the tendency to pile on additional tasks dilutes the impact and can lead to a labyrinth of inefficiencies.

When we streamline our efforts, we allow for sharper focus, greater precision, and, ultimately, a more profound impact on the safety and well-being of our employees. It’s about creating value through strategic elimination, not accumulation.

So, as you embark on your journey, resist the urge to add more to the plate. Instead, refine and distill your processes to their most potent form. Ask yourself, "Is this essential? Does it add value? Is this what truly matters?" Doing so will foster an environment where safety is not just a checklist but a deeply ingrained cultural core value.

?"I have a theory about the human mind. A brain is a lot like a computer. It will only take so many facts, and then it will go on overload and blow up." - Erma Bombeck

"The difference between the greats and the legends is their ability to focus for longer periods of time." - Jordan Burroughs

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Shawn M. Galloway is the CEO of the global consultancy ProAct Safety. With over twenty years of experience in safety systems, strategy, culture, leadership, and employee engagement, he serves as a trusted advisor, keynote speaker, and expert witness. He is the author of eight books and has multiple regular columns in leading magazines, with over 400 articles and 100 videos to his credit. He also created the first safety podcast, Safety Culture Excellence, which has over 800 episodes.

Shawn's passion, dedication, influence, and significant contributions to the field of safety have been recognized with numerous awards and accolades from prestigious organizations such as the American Society of Safety Professionals, National Safety Council, EHS Today Magazine, and ISHN Magazine. He is also an esteemed Avetta Distinguished Fellow.