Caring for Each Other: How to Hold Those Meaningful Conversations!

In my June 29th presentation at the American Society of Safety Engineers 2016 Professional Development Conference, I discussed the fact that one of the best ways for the safety professional attending the talk to help to improve the safety performance in their workplaces was to show the people that they cared about them and to enable them to make decisions about their specific work. I want to elaborate on these ideas in this newsletter. This is not just for the safety professional. This is for every team leader, supervisor, and workgroup leader. Going into your workplaces and opening up the conversations is a journey; each time you do this it gets easier and more effective. (Caring, Understanding and Openness!)

Meaningful caring to me means that we treat each other with respect as adults.

• As managers and supervisors we get out of our offices and go into the workplace.
• Help people to see that it is okay to talk together and be open with each other.
• We sit down together in their work place and have a cup of coffee together. We are not in a hurry just trying to make some specified number of contacts.
• We share the truth together as best we can knowing that today’s truth may be different than the truth for tomorrow because the world keeps changing, and reminding them that you’ll be back tomorrow if things have changed.
• We ask about how we each are doing. How is the day going? What good things are happening? What have we learned today or over the last few days? We listen to what we each are saying.
• We try to build on each other’s good ideas.
• We talk about how the business is doing? We talk about the contributions we are making to the success of the business.
• We discuss problems together sharing our viewpoints and seeking possible solutions. If people ask you questions which you can’t answer, tell them you do not know and will get back to them…then do it. We pay attention to the dynamics and do not over stay our visit.

As we get to know each other better we begin to explore what is really going on around here.

• Are we really doing what we say we want to be doing?
• How can our communications get clearer and better?
• What is the rumor mill saying? Talk together about the rumors and clear them up.
• Do you see better ways to go after the problems around here than we are doing? What are we missing?
• Are there hidden elephants we need to be addressing?
• When we have made a mistake, we own up to it and say we are sorry. We ask for their help.
• Are there better ways that you see to get your job done well?
• What information do you need to get your work done more effectively? Let’s talk some more about your good ideas and see if you can make some improvements.
• What is going on over and over that is really bugging you?

As you get to know the people even better, there will be opportunities to inquire about how the family is doing. You can ask…how the kids are doing in their sports and schoolwork, ask if there are things that you can be doing to help them, ask how everyone’s health is, etc. You need to use good judgment as you get into these personal conversations and not push things too far into their privacy, by accident.

These are the kinds of conversations that most of us would like to have with our own managers. How many times have you wanted to talk together with them to share an idea or problem and have not had a chance to do it? How often do you get to talk with your boss’s boss? What is important and good for you in talking with your boss is about the same as for you talking with the people in your organization about the things that are important to them.

We are all partners in making our workplaces to become healthier, physically and mentally, and helping the people in them to be the best they can be. This is a key element of Partner-Centered Safety!