The Power of Leading by Example By: Matt Wireman, BS, CHST, CRIS

It is not very difficult as a professional to develop policies or procedures. It may even be easier to put rules onto paper and tell everyone to follow them. The real challenge comes when you desire to have everyone follow these policies by understanding and becoming fully brought into the idea of safety and safe work practices. This is where leaders come into play. The leader is the one who makes changes happen for the better and keeps the positive working environment in existence. A leader is one that has the desire and passion to explain, mentor and listen. A leader is striving for everyone to become better at what they do, not just themselves. You are not simply born a leader, nor can you just choose to be a leader. Someone can’t just give you the title of Vice President, Supervisor or Manager and that makes you a leader. A leader develops into existence by their words and their actions. The leader is the person that everyone is looking to for direction despite their given job title.

Many times, a person is put into a leadership position because they are very experienced in a field of work. It is great that they have this great talent that relates to the work being done but are they also a great leader? A hard worker and a great leader are two very different things. A person may be a great worker and a people person but when it comes to leading are they willing to be serious and tell their buddy that they have been working with for the past ten years they can’t do something because it is unsafe? Is this person willing to step up when things are not right and not allow shortcuts to happen that may cause serious consequences? You see a leader needs to be both strong willed and strong minded. A leader does not just give orders but also must be willing to listen and allow others to voice their opinions.

Leading by example is a crucial part of an organization's safety culture. It is the part that will make or break safety. A leader is not someone that will quickly tell others what to do but does not follow the rules themselves. This type of leadership will bring everyone down and create much confusion. There will be no consistency or understanding of what is expected and why. A leader is not taken seriously nor respected when they do not “practice what they preach”. You see leadership and the qualities that it carries is not only seen within the person at work but is also carried out into the non- work environment and is noticed by people outside of work. When you are a good leader you are being watched and noticed by many people simply because your character and attributes are of the leading qualities. It takes great passion and natural desire to become a leader but also can be lost if people do not see you leading by example.