Safety Incentive Programs: Follow the Leader!

Michelle Chappell’s most recent post, Leading from the Front: Developing a Safety Culture, emphasizes the importance of the company leader also complying with the company safety incentive program.  Employees tend to “follow the leader”, so if they see their leader’s actions correlating with the company culture, they will surely follow. To lead means “to guide on a way especially by going in advance” and that is exactly what a leader should do.

John C. Maxwell once said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”  These words are truly insightful and inspiring!

Leading – becoming a true leader – of your company’s safety incentive program is crucial to sustaining a successful and engaging program. For the visual learners out there (like myself), I found the image accompanying this post (shared by Abdullah A. Alfardosi via LinkedIn) to be especially relevant.  Leaders should exemplify at least half, if not all, of these qualities. However, when looking at this graphic, three qualities really stand out to me in regards to a leader implementing safety incentive programs: Clear goals, good example, and clear communication.

Now, let’s break down John C. Maxwell’s quote, “a leader knows the way”. It is important that employees have clear and obtainable goals, but it is equally important that they know the goals of their leader and their company.

“A leader goes the way”; a leader should be a good example. They should be able to ‘set the bar’ and then raise it. A leader should be a good example in every aspect of safety, sales, or recognition.

Lastly, “a leader shows the way”; they should be able to communicate clearly and efficiently with their colleagues. A good leader understands that you don’t just want your employees to work for you, but to work with you. They recognize, encourage, and inspire their team by setting clear goals, communicating those goals, and then obtaining the goals themselves.

Contact us to find out more about safety incentive programs, channel sales incentives, or employee recognition programs.

by Alison Newman

Alison provides program sponsors and administrators with relevant program data, analysis and insight at QIC. She is also involved in developing program marketing methods and materials. In addition to her account support functions, Alison is involved with QIC’s social media initiatives and external marketing efforts. Alison earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Mississippi College, where she was a member of the equestrian team.