A friend in a new role asked me to engage in a recent discussion with his leadership team regarding goals and objectives. Next to leadership discussions, this is one of my favorite topics! The conversation prompted a reflection on how well they performed in prior years. They were quick to cite the decrease of NOV’s, “C “ft print, TRIR, DART and even the increase in the number of EHS observations conducted…one large international facility had even achieved zero injuries! While these are all admirable and absolutely worth celebrating, a single one-word question truly perplexed the team… How?
Oh, they had some theories conceived from the long list of initiatives and activities they had turned on and off throughout the year, but no concrete evidence to support any one or even multiple initiatives’ effect on performance. This led them down the path that all those “things” contributed… and finally to “well, we really don’t know what worked”.
Not a bad place to be… likely more mature than others in their industry. Now you need some focus, measurements, and to think about what can be sustained.
So, can you clearly articulate how /what you did to achieve your Safety, Health, Environmental, and Sustainability performance? If not, it could be luck!
Tell me three (3) initiatives that impacted performance and how (supporting data). Understanding “How” is a worthwhile objective!
As always, questions, challenges, and requests for help are welcomed!
