In the past safety was all about don’t do this or don’t do that. Many of our interactions were more about individuals being scolded for something they’d done wrong rather than praised for something they’d got right.
But words matter….
Is simply saying what we don’t want ever enough? Surely telling people what we do want gives them a better vision of what we can achieve together.
Dave Alred a legendary British sports psychologist knew this all too well. While working with one professional rugby team he would frequently hear the coach before a game say “No missed tackles, no missed passes, no regrets.” Sending his team out to compete with lingering mental images of dropped passes and missed tackles fresh in their mind. Inadvertently making them more likely to fail than succeed.
The solution? Working alongside the open minded coach to share a clear vision of the game plan. Through positive language creating impactful, effective mental images and cues. Accentuating the good rather than focusing on the bad to rise to the challenge of a high pressure situation.
Similarly if a professional golfer is told, “Whatever you do make sure you don’t hit that bunker on the 16th green” he could almost guarantee that they would do exactly that. It was almost as though all they heard was “Hit that bunker”.
So he adapted the instructions to be more specific, “Target the right side of the fairway with your first shot on the 16th green”. Positive, precise and pragmatic.
Similarly, safety cultures thrive when we choose both our words and actions wisely. Accentuating the positive rather than accumulating blame. More helping out than catching out.
At Lattitude everything we do is designed to bring the best side of humanity to workplace safety cultures through our Compliance To Care ™ approach.
Click here for an example of Compliance To Care in action.