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3 Ways To Positively Motivate In Safety
Instead of focusing on negative outcomes, re-frame communications to be more positive in safety.
Safety, like any other message or idea, needs to be marketed to employees. Safety needs reminding. The more a safety message is repeated, the more employees become comfortable with the message.
The overwhelming focus of safety marketing in past has been wrong. Scare tactics, sad stories and data charts do not provide inspiration or motivation to buy-in to safety. They create fear and accident avoidance. That's a short-term result that needs to be constantly fed and reinforced.
Safety is focused on achieving compliance instead of developing an affinity with personal values. A cop at the side of the highway causes short-term compliance. Values alignment creates safety buy-in so that cops become unnecessary.
Instead of focusing on negative outcomes, re-frame communications to be more positive in safety. Here are three ways you can begin to re-frame how you communicate your safety message:
1 Shift away from behavior-avoidance. Negative-based safety messages of “don’t do this” focus on behavior-avoidance. People want to know what they should do - not what they shouldn’t do. “Don’t do this” is not a complete set of instructions.
You don’t go to the grocery store with a list of things not to buy. You don't buy-in to a financial plan because of what you might lose. You don't buy-in to a healthy lifestyle because of what you might lose. You do those things because of what you will gain. But safety is focused on reminding workers of what they might lose if they don't comply.
Broke people don’t get invited to speak at financial planner conferences. Fat people don’t get to offer their “don’t do what I did” advice to fitness trainers. People don’t want to know what NOT to do. They want a plan and strategy for success - one that builds on strengths and teamwork - not negativity and fear. Show your people how safety makes life better.
What exactly would you like your people to do better? Be specific about what you want them to do. Point all of your energies at accomplishing that.
2 Remove irrelevant messages. At a safety meeting, the safety manager ended with a gut-wrenching video of injury. After the video, one employee stood up and asked why they shown the video?
The employee pointed out its irrelevance. The story happened twenty years ago. The events depicted in the video could not happen at this company because there are too many checks and balances. The safety manager was embarrassed.
Employees know what makes them respond positively. They know when they're being manipulated. You don’t build a solid safety culture by appealing to a fear of failure. So remove the negatively-reinforced and irrelevant messages from your workplace. Especially from your PowerPoint slide deck. Be relevant.
Lay out your specific plan of what you want your people to do. Then sell only that message. Do not try to add shock-value or scare tactics. It confuses what you’re trying to do.
3 Ask them to take ownership of the safety program. In sales, the person who doesn’t ask the customer for the sale rarely gets it.
Safety is the one thing that everyone can agree on. No one wants to see someone else get hurt. Your people are on the same page as you in that regard. So, you assume that you shouldn’t have to ask them to “buy” in to safety, right? But, because they’ve never been asked, they treat safety as rules they are forced to follow.
So ask. Show them how safety makes their lives better. Your people may have plans for when they retire but how many have a plan to make it safely to retirement age? I mean, a real plan that they execute each day? The safety plan, when worked properly, will get your people successfully to retirement age.
If your people want to enjoy their golden years healthy and happy, then they are going to need a plan to safely get there. Ask them to buy-in to the safety plan.
7 Nuts n Bolts Strategies for Safety Communications:
- Inspire your people and value them.
- Trust them, involve them and engage them in all aspects of safety.
- Allow them to buy-in to safety for the long-term.
- Don’t forget to ask them though.
- Show them that safety is enjoyable.
- Keep it positive.
- Once you get buy-in, it lasts a lifetime.
- Kevin Burns is a management consultant, safety speaker and author. He believes that the best place to work is always the safest place to work. Kevin helps organizations integrate caring for and valuing employees through their safety programs. For more info and to reach Kevin, www.KevBurns.com. -reprinted with permission.
The Law of Futurity - Don't outsmart yourself
The Law of Futurity says: The purpose of a negotiation is to enter into an agreement such that both parties have their needs satisfied and are motivated to fulfill their agreements and enter into further negotiations with the same party in the future.
Let’s break this law down into its parts. First, “The purpose of a negotiation is to enter into an agreement….” It is assumed that both parties want to do business together. If one does not and is negotiating for some other purpose, the other party can be at a considerable disadvantage.
The second part says, “…such that both parties have their needs satisfied.” An agreement where one party feels that he or she has lost is not a successful negotiation. Both must feel that they have come out ahead.
This law then says, “…and are motivated to fulfill their agreements and enter into further negotiations with the same party in the future.” It’s your job in every negotiation to assure that the other party will want to continue doing business with you in the future.
- "THE 100 ABSOLUTELY UNBREAKABLE LAWS OF BUSINESS SUCCESS" – Brian Tracy
How to Test Market Your Product or Service the Smart Way
How do you test market a product or service? How do you find out if people are actually going to buy it? Try these strategies.
First, make or get a prototype. Create or get a sample so that you can show it, demonstrate it, photograph it.
Determine the Correct Prices. Get prices and delivery dates from your suppliers so you have accurate answers when asked.
Ask a Buyer. Get a buyer's personal opinion. Go to somebody who you will want to buy the product or service and get their personal opinion.
Compare Your Product to Others on the Market. Be sure to ask this question, "Why would someone buy from you instead of from someone else?"
Try a 1-store test. Go and see if you can find a store that will carry the product on a limited basis. If it's a product or service, try to find one customer who will use the product or service.
Take It to a Trade Show. There are 15,000 trade shows each year. Sophisticated buyers there will tell you if you have a winner.
Why Not Have an Employee Benefits Program That Delivers a Positive ROI?
Hiring and retaining top performers is never easy and requires a company do many things right, including offering the right employee benefit plan. This is true whether you are in Canada or the United States.
Aside from basic compensation, most companies offer some form of employee benefits, such as top-up health and dental insurance. However, few employers have a strategic approach to this.
Do you need to attract and retain talent in a specific field? If so, does your benefits package support this? Think of it as making a marketing strategy: Create a “persona” and use it to create a benefits package that attracts this kind of talent. It may include benefits such as:
- Flexible schedules, job sharing or telecommuting,
- Non-job related education and training,
- Sabbaticals,
- Paternity leave for new dads, and
- Paid gym memberships or other sports activities.
Canada doesn’t have the same number of employee benefit providers as the U.S. but some that may have packages available to businesses as small as just three employees include: Manulife Financial, Sun Life, Great West, Equitable Life and The Cooperators.
Need Investment Financing? Here’s What You Need to Know!
Growing a successful business takes money. Business owners seeking growth financing need policies and management processes to be in tip-top shape to convince investors that they are worth taking a chance on. Here’s how to do that.
Know Where You’re Going. It’s not just about having a sound, long-term strategic plan in place (although you need that, too) – it’s also about being comfortable with the idea of growth.
Find the Right Type of Investor. Identify the type of investors you need, and make sure your company fits the profile they prefer.
Be Ready for Investment. Investors typically look for opportunities that are in the commercialization stage, rather than the concept stage.
Have Your Policies and Procedures in Place. Few investors are likely to fund a company with haphazard accounting processes, inadequate governance and poorly maintained operations.
Structure Correctly. Planning for business growth requires your company structure to be streamlined and efficient if you’re to optimize your profit margins and deliver effective results.
If you’d like to discuss how we can assist you in getting ready for funding, let’s talk. We are experts at structuring businesses that investors love.
Apple’s Success Started with Passion and a Sale!
Even though it was filmed many years ago, you can still feel and see Steve Job's passion in this rare 1980 YouTube video speaking to a group about his ideas. As you listen, feel the transference of his enthusiasm.
It is very interesting to hear Steve talk about his plans and ideas concerning technology in the future. What started with an idea grew into truly revolutionary products and services along the way. We all know there were challenges – some camps really loved him and while others could not stand him – but in the end, enthusiasm carried the day.
There are many other examples of people in business, medicine, politics and the non-profit world who serve as models to grow ourselves, our businesses, and our communities.
What would be interesting is to know your success stories. What obstacles did you face and what did you do to overcome them that has allowed you to grow and become what you are now?
- By Coach Phil Gilkes
Migrate Facebook Followers Now to Opt-in Email Lists
If you use Facebook for marketing, there are new concerns about user engagement. Fewer people are posting updates about their lives and instead have moved on to sharing news, videos and stuff having little to do with themselves.
Why is this bad? Because sharing life events is the allure of Facebook that keeps users coming back. Facebook users may engage less frequently or move on to other platforms.
Because of this, consider migrating your Facebook followers to your email list. Here are some actions you can take:
- Embed a link within Facebook to opt-in to your email list, integrating with an email marketing system, such as MailChimp or others.
- Encourage followers to click on posts that lead to your website, and when they do, encourage them to opt-in to your email list.
- Use strong headlines to earn clicks. Build trust with credible content.
- Your posts are going to sink down the news feed quickly. You have a couple of options: Post multiple times daily or pay to play with sponsored posts.
- Consider creating a custom audience using Facebook remarketing ads.
- Reprinted with permission of Gary Hennerberg. Contact him at his consulting practice (http://hennerberg.com/) and have a look at his new book also: (http://www.customermindcode.com/).
Simple ways to de-hassle your organization
Author Verne Harnish says, “Recurrent customer and employee hassles cost your employees 40 percent of their time, not to mention what it’s costing your company in lost revenue and customers.”
Your employees’ hassles and your customers’ hassles are usually the same. Addressing them can be a huge opportunity for you and your business. There are five key actions you need to take to begin De-Hassling your Business:
1. Gather the Data: Be Encouraging, Be Responsive. Ask your employees a three-part question: “What should we start doing, what should we stop doing, and what should we continue doing?”
2. Handle the feedback. When you have the feedback, be responsive. If employees feel their feedback goes into a “black hole,” the feedback will dry up!
3. Report the Progress. Let your people know the issues are being addressed by providing them a status report.
4. Follow De-Hassling Etiquette 101. Be relevant. Be specific. Address the root problems. Focus on what, not who. Involve all affected, and never backstab.
5. Find Management Development Opportunities. Don’t do everything yourself. Use this as a way to help others grow in your organization.
You need to challenge, guide and provide meaningful tasks to people who are hungry for growth. This is an excellent opportunity for you to start a process that will allow you to work on your business rather than in your business.
This will provide you with employees who are assets, not liabilities.
- By: Mark R Steinke – Elite Business Coach/Area Representative
Focal Point Business Coaching of Pennsylvania
www.coachmarksteinke.com
The Law of Win/Win or No Deal
The Law of Win/Win or No Deal says: In a successful negotiation both parties are fully satisfied with the result and feel that they have each “won” or no deal should be made at all.
Consistent with your determination to enter only into agreements that preserve long-term good relations, you should always seek an outcome that satisfies both. Any settlement that leaves one party dissatisfied will come back to hurt you later.
When you are determined to achieve a “win/win” solution to a negotiation, and you are open, receptive and flexible in your discussions, you will often discover a third alternative that neither party had considered initially but which is superior to what either of you might have thought of on your own.
Although you’ve decided that you are only going to agree to a settlement that is satisfactory to both parties, you don’t have to accept any arrangement that you consider second best. With your values and your intentions clear, you are in a position to utilize every tactic available to you to get the best deal for both of you, one that assures that you both end up happy with the arrangement.
- from "THE 100 ABSOLUTELY UNBREAKABLE LAWS OF BUSINESS SUCCESS" – Brian Tracy
Safety Your Responsibility? Find out what you can learn from a Disk Jockey
What do safety supervisors have in common with radio disc-jockeys? More than is obvious. Turn on the radio any time and listen to the radio announcers. Really study what they do.
Every time an announcer turns on the microphone, everything that announcer says is recorded. Once per week, the supervisor works with the announcer in a coaching session. These weekly meetings are meant to improve performance, not condemn. Supervisors keep their announcers improving and don't allow any bad habits to form.
So why are safety personnel only talking to workers when they want to address a specific performance issue? Why aren’t managers and supervisors willing to talk about performance otherwise? Why does it seem like feedback only comes occasionally - unless employees are doing something wrong?
When you tweak performance in small chunks, little by little, performance improves. It works the same way in safety too. There is no need to overhaul the entire corporate safety culture to get a positive change in safety performance. Concentrate on the individual pieces that make up the jigsaw puzzle. Adjust the small, incremental performances first. Big-picture culture shifts will result.
- Kevin Burns is a management consultant, safety speaker and author. He believes that the best place to work is always the safest place to work. Kevin helps organizations integrate caring for and valuing employees through their safety programs. For more info and to reach Kevin, www.KevBurns.com. -reprinted with permission
As your business coach, this and other articles I send each month give you new points of view and deliver actionable advice and strategies for your business. If you are interested in discovering how new ways of looking and thinking about your business can make huge changes in sales, profitability and productivity, give me a call or email me, never any obligation. It could be the smartest call you make this year.