7 Habits - Day 1

Yesterday I began The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People training. Leadership is just as much about learning as it is about the act of actually leading. The training is being facilitated by the Deputy Chief of our police department and is by invite only. I wasn't sure what I would get out of the training, except I know 7 Habits is a classic and would be another step in my leadership journey.

We began with Foundation:

Sow a thought, reap an action;

Sow an action, reap a habit;

Sow a habit, reap a character;

Sow a character, reap a destiny.

-Samuel Smiles

One of the DC's favorite quotes is, "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." This is very reminiscent of one of the fundamental concepts of 7 Habits, See-Do-Get.

We continued with Habit 1, Be Proactive:

When we can no longer change

a situation, we are challenged to

change ourselves.

-Viktor Frankl

The key concept of Habit 1 is the concept of increasing your circle of influence by always looking for the possibilities. Being proactive versus reactive is one of the four goals my safety committee voted to obtain a Positive Safety Culture. The third step in the 7 Habits contract is Teach to Learn. I now know I must teach my safety committee not to waste time and energy on things which they cannot control, but to concentrate their efforts on what they can control.

We finished day 1 with Habit 2, Begin With the End in Mind:

"Would you tell me please

which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal

on where you want to get to,"

said the Cat.

"I don't much care where..."

said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which

way you go," said the Cat.

-From Alice's Adventures

in Wonderland

This habit helped me put my safety committee's four goals in perspective. I determined they are goals, part of our mission statement. Goals can never be achieved if they are not known and understood by those expected to reach them. I will need to ensure these four goals are visible in each and every safety committee meeting. If the committee members understand our goals (the End in Mind) and never lose focus, we will greatly increase our chances of actually getting there.

Positive Safety Culture

For my first journey in leadership entry, let me describe one task ahead of me. I chair a safety committee composed of maintenance workers who did not have real leadership in the past. I am tasked with rejuvenating their committee and providing focus.

In the safety world there is a lot of talk about developing a Positive Safety Culture. So, there's a goal. But what does it mean? And how do we get there?

First things first, I asked the committee to define what a Positive Safety Culture means to them and what they think it would look like. The result was a very long list. So, as suggested by one committee member, we decided to prioritize the list as a group. Here are our top four:

1. Take ownership
2. Lead by example
3. Employees work together
4. Be proactive versus reactive

Now, the next step is to come up with ideas of how we can eliminate any barriers to achieving these goals... and a Positive Safety Culture!