Author: Jacob de Coning, Senior Consultant at JvR Safety
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of safety in the workplace? If you work in an industrial environment you probably thought of signs, rules and paperwork…lots of paperwork. In the service sector, you may have thought of the dangers of incorrect posture, staring at a screen for too many hours or sitting at your desk. Sitting is the new smoking you know. Regardless of the industry, this is not a topic that typically gets people excited. Considering the recent listeriosis outbreak in South Africa, workplace safety is a topic that can become very important, very quickly. Admittedly, many companies do take safety seriously and this focus has indeed paid off. From mining to manufacturing, fatalities have mostly been dropping since 1994(1). However, many companies lament the fact that they are seeing a diminishing return from their safety efforts. This leaves us with a fundamental question. If companies are investing so heavily in this area, why are incidents still happening? This is a surely a question worth answering and most of us can agree that companies should be able to pursue their goal without harming people. Yet the curious case remains that people are often disengaged and, quite frankly, annoyed with the topic… Somewhere, through all the efforts to improve safety, we have forgotten about the very thing we are trying to protect…the person. We attempt to engineer and regulate every possible interaction a person may have with risks in their environment. While important, this approach has had an unintended consequence in that people have become so used to risks they are lulled into a false sense of security. Reducing the need to think Through our over-emphasis on engineering and regulatory approaches to safety, we have reduced the need for a person to think about what they are doing. More frightening still, some companies seem to prefer it this way. We have heard from employees across different industries, that they are not involved in planning their work or making work-related decisions. As some employees may put it, “We get paid to work, not to think”. However, once an incident happens you are almost guaranteed to hear the ubiquitous “Why didn’t you think?!!” response. Possibly… because that is exactly what we are training people to do. It makes sense to control and remove risks where possible - hence the critical role of safety engineering. It also makes sense to learn from best practice and entrench these as guidelines that different companies can follow. On top of this, it REALLY makes sense not to disregard a tool, that has been refined over several million years to efficiently handle input, adjust to its surroundings and which conveniently has a self-preservation drive built right in. Hint: It’s the brain… It is quite ironic that at the time when we are placing ever more sensors and learning algorithms into machines to better enable them to deal with their environments, we are suppressing those same qualities in human beings. Granted, humans are not always the easiest things to work with, but the same goes for microwaves and we have learnt to work effectively with them. Here are a few simple ways to promote safe behaviour among your team: 1. Allow people to think and make decisions. We have found that employees understand that they cannot be involved in every minute part of the business, however, they do want to have an input into the work they are doing. This notion is backed up by research supporting the idea that employees are more engaged when they have a sense of autonomy and agency, which contributes to a sense of ownership(2)(3). 2. Involve individuals in planning their tasks. Individuals like to know that what they are doing contributes to a larger whole. Involving a team in planning their work greatly improves the odds of them being committed to the goal(4). On a practical note, proper planning can assist workers to complete their tasks in a more efficient manner 3. Use questions more than “telling”. Most safety conversations involve telling adults how to do their work, or what not to do. Moving from a “telling” mindset to using questions not only involves the person more, but ties into the structure of their brain to keep their attention. Through using questions employees are immediately more engaged and it improves the chances of them thinking through their tasks, rather than just listening passively. People want to do great work, to perform well on difficult challenges(5). Perhaps it is time to involve them in one of the most difficult challenges faced by the industrial world. Reaching our goals, continuing the march of progress. Without losing people along the way. References: 1. Mckay, D. SA mining laments rise in number of employee fatalities in 2017. Miningmx.com. [Online] 2017. 2. Freaks, D. Motivating Employees Has Everything To Do With Giving Them Feelings Of Ownership. Forbes.com. [Online] 2014. 3. Schawbel, D. How Companies Can Benefit From Inclusion. Forbes.com. [Online] 2012. 4. Newport, C. Professor. How to love your Job. s.l. : Tiny Leaps, 1 March 2018. 5. Whitehurst, J. Decisions Are More Effective when More People Are Involved from the Start. Harvard Business Review. [Online] 2016. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group
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The recent behaviour of leaders in the private and public sectors greatly harmed the already unsteady foundation of trust that South African citizens have in those who claim to have their best interests at heart. Suddenly it is not only government that can be blamed for the state of affairs.
In fact, several corporate entities have also gained first-hand experience of the devastating impact of what Warren Buffet positioned as: "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.". South Africans feel betrayed, deceived and manipulated like never before by those walking in front. When one analyses this more closely, it is clear that some of these leaders displayed narcissistic characteristics by being self-promoting, having a sense of entitlement and not owning up to and taking responsibility for their role in authorising poor or unethical decisions. The Tarzan leaders Renate Scherrer‚ MD of JvR Consulting Psychologists, says many narcissists are charming and seem visionary, but they also have a false sense of importance and are self-serving and entitled. It does not take long before the trust people have in a leader, who is overly preoccupied with him- or herself and their own interests, disappears. “They never own up to mistakes, never apologise, are quick to blame others and to praise themselves. In fact, such a person does not shy away from taking the credit even though it is not due.” When things are running smoothly their language is lavishly sprinkled with “Me” and “I”, but when problems arise the conversation becomes a finger-pointing exercise of “You” and “Them”. This Tarzan-like behaviour (declaring himself the king of the jungle) is however often a mask or persona to compensate for a deep sense of insecurity. The Humble leaders Scherrer says mature leaders have a large dose of humility. They do not put themselves above what needs to be done. President Cyril Ramaphosa eloquently demonstrated some of this when he referred to the words of the Hugh Masekela song, Thuma Mina (Send Me). “A humble leader takes responsibility for his actions, admits when he has made a mistake, and does not only focus on his own interests,” says Scherrer. In fact, a humble leader looks to himself first when trying to understand when things go wrong, but reflects on the actions of others when credit is due. Humble leaders do not abuse authority and are willing to serve others first. Their language has phrases such as “We” and “Us” and they insist on honest and direct conversations with clear commitments to a shared vision. Former president Nelson Mandela remains an impeccable example of a humble leader. He is quoted as saying that “there is nothing to popularize a person. Only humility, which is the ability to remain in the background and to put others in the front light”. The Complex leaders South Africa requires “complex” leaders who are Competent; innOvative; Mature; emPathetic; ethicaL; connEcted and fleXible. True complex leaders have an acute awareness of their limitations and do not try to disguise it for the benefit of the audience. They realise that ignoring their own weaknesses will lead to inevitable failure. In the VUCA-world we live in, the complex leader will ensure organisations and state entities answer volatility with vision; uncertainty with understanding; complexity with clarity; and ambiguity with agility. Getting it right According to Scherrer it is difficult to rebuild trust in an organisation or state entity if the leader displays narcissistic tendencies. Trust is based on integrity and strengthened when leaders admit and take ownership of mistakes, something narcissists do not even contemplate doing. Therefore, it is necessary to get it right from the start. “When appointing people, make sure the charisma is not narcissism in disguise. It is essential to implement a scientific selection process and validate references,” says Scherrer. Listen for clues in the examples used in interviews, and to what extent organisational achievements and success are attributed to the self. She adds that when people are promoted from within the ranks it is critical to continuously evaluate performance in an objective manner and not fall into the trap of ignoring the “red flags” that are inevitably already visible, even if perhaps well managed. Having more power will expose true character, so if someone is already entitled, self-centred and arrogant when they are supposed to follow, don’t be fooled to think it will become less when they lead. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group |
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