Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/932759
SPECIAL REPORT 8 AGGREGATES MANAGER / February 2018 Editor's Note: This article is the second in a series on safety leadership. I n the fi rst article, we acknowledged that safety incidents are the result of organizational culture, and culture is heavily infl uenced by leadership behavior. So to create a strong safety culture, we must address leadership behavior. In 2012, Caterpillar Safety Services launched a comprehen- sive research effort to determine the most important character- istics of effective safety leadership. With collaboration from behavioral assessment experts at Development Dimensions International (DDI), the team dis- cerned four basic skills a leader must demonstrate with a high degree of competence that lead to safety excellence. DDI Chief Scientist Dr. Evan Sinar statistically validated these fi ndings through rigorous data analysis. To produce a safer workplace, leaders must drive account- ability, create connectivity, demonstrate credible conscious- ness, and build trust. This article will address the most import- ant domain — accountability, which provides the strongest link to leading indicator performance among the four domains. Domain #1: Drive accountability Accountability is perhaps one of the most talked about concepts in business today, yet one of the least understood. Leaders typically view it as something they must hold others to, while employees see it primarily as discipline for some- thing they did wrong. While these widely held perceptions re- veal limited aspects of a strong accountability system, there's much more leaders must understand to build voluntary and accurate execution of work. Accountability is accepting responsibility for and provid- ing satisfactory explanations of one's own actions and deeds. It is the opposite of blaming others for things that go wrong. Leaders can either hold their subordinates accountable for the expected work, or they can create an environment in which others take accountability for their work. When employees take accountability for their work, they do what's expected of them with a high degree of accuracy while requiring very little intervention from the leader. It requires a one-on-one relationship between leader and subordinate. We call it accountability 5-3-3: fi ve elements of account- ability, three moments of truth during which the leader must demonstrate strong ability, and three types of performers in every team requiring the leader to adapt their style depending on the type. ConExpo-Con/Agg exhibitors met producer optimism with a broad array of new equipment, as well as a glimpse into the future. by C. David Crouch When it comes to producing a safer workplace, accountability is the fi rst, and perhaps most important, domain. The First Domain of Safety Leadership: Drive Accountability