I have been guilty of getting excited about something, preaching it and standing on it for ... well not as long as I should. Does this resonate with you? If not, congratulations!
I work with a guy who many years ago picked his stance as a manager and has been standing on it ever since. Jerry Bradley has a passion for keeping his team safe on the job. He understands that Leadership is a Stewardship of Human Life. Jerry does many things well as a manager, but most of all Safety is his postage stamp! He makes safety sticky and has sent it all over the place.
Jerry was responsible for a facility for many years that is carrying an 8+ year accident free record. Mind you, this is an amazing accomplishment in a place that often has wet floors, every day use of heavy equipment and scary small workspace and it happens to be of frigid temps on the inside all day.
I have known people to manage what I would consider a country club in comparison and their safety record cannot compare.
Why - first of all he has a passion for his people. They are people first and associates second. He shows them this and lives it. His creation of the right mood state inspires positivity and all studies will show you that positive attitudes are less susceptible to accidents in life.
However, Jerry take a stands on his safety stance and does not waver from it. In reading some leadership connection reports from him I noticed that anytime he talked about the safety focus he started his paragraph with the following: "Safety First and Always."
You might think this looks like "the same old thing I see on banners at every construction site, warehouse, etc." The difference here is that Jerry's belief is not a slogan on the wall, but a value in his leadership soul that really does get communicated first and always. His results are quantified and people are protected because of this stance.
If you have a stance that is worthy of standing on...do not waver if it lines up with the growth and protection of the human/business potential. Be like Jerry Bradley and make your postage stamp sticky. Err on the side of saying it too much. What gets on one persons nerves might just save them from the next mishap.
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