Reducing Complacency
By Craig Price
One of the great things about negative thinking is it fosters
innovation. Finding improvements to already useful items is a sure
sign of someone who is not satisfied. For example, why would anyone
build a better mouse trap? An entirely positive person would be happy
simply because they have a mouse trap! If it didn't work it would be
called the "Rat Buffet". However, no one person is blindly
positive. As humans, we always find things that need improvements.
Positive thinking can breed complacency. A positive thinking worker
looks around and says "I love this place! Don't change a
thing!" Whereas a negative thinker says "I love this place!
It would be even better if..." Does that mean you want to stock
your office with negative thinking people? Not unless you want to be
miserable. Although a few scattered around the workplace can really
improve things.
When it comes to safety, complacency is deadly. If you come to work
in an environment that has dangers, you can't relax. You can't get
comfortable. In hazardous areas, lax attitudes get people hurt. Or
worse, it gets you killed. We can fall into the mindset "I went to
work and nothing happened, nothing happened last week and nothing
dangerous happened last month." This allows you to let your guard
down. Negative thinking reminds us that we're working in a dangerous
environment and we need to be alert. Do we need to worry so much that
we're scared? Of course not! But a little fear, a little doubt reminds
us to be more careful.
Fight complacency by following these rules:
Never forget where you are. If you work in a dangerous
workplace, remember that! I'm not asking you to live your life
dreading every moment at work. However, you must be aware of the
dangers. Follow proper procedures in place. Think of your surroundings
and identify the dangerous things.
Look at the history. Ask about prior incidents. Let your
staff know of accidents when they happen. There is a myth that you
have to learn from your own experience. When it comes to safety, I
want to learn from someone else's mistakes. I would prefer to learn
how I could lose fingers in training, not from the paramedic on the
ride to the hospital. A good, safe, company lets everyone know about
all incidents so the rest of the employees can learn from that
mistake. Also, so they know which ER to send flowers to...but that's
another story.
Ask for help. Every manager who is responsible for the lives
of others should always be asking, "How can I make it safer for
you?" "What are you seeing out there that could be a
problem?" "What are we doing wrong?" Go to the front
line personnel and get to the heart of the matter. Have an open door
policy where anyone can come in and express concern. Have a weekly (or
at least monthly) meeting where everyone can give ideas on how to
improve safety. It never hurts to ask. It can hurt if no one does.
Being a little uncomfortable out in the field or in an area that is
dangerous is a good thing. That's why fear exists. It's our brain
telling us "Don't put your tongue on the sander!" Yes, some
people have to be told. Be comfortable enough to do your job well, but
never forget an accident is one comfortable moment away from being
very uncomfortable.
©Craig Price 2009
For more information on professional speaker Craig
Price's keynotes and training
call 877-572-7890 today or email craig@speakercraigprice.com
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