Grow Your Leadership Skills

Leadership abilities are a critical skill for SH&E professionals. Because few of us have direct line responsibilities, we achieve our goals by convincing others to follow our lead willingly.
There are many leadership theories. The “great man” theory suggests that leadership skills are inherent—we are born with them. The “trait” theory posits that leaders inherit certain traits and qualities which give them the potential to be leaders. The “behavioral” theory suggests that great leaders are made, not born.

Whether you are a natural-born leader, have leadership traits or need behavioral training, you still must grow those skills. This can be achieved in several ways with varying degrees of success. For example, you can take classes at a local college; most degree programs offer leadership as an elective course. Hundreds of leadership courses are available online. Various organizations offer leadership symposia as well.

Books are another resource. Barnes & Noble alone offers 70,101 books on leadership. That’s a lot of reading. But Jeb Blount, keynote speaker at ASSE’s 2010 Future Safety Leaders Conference, provides a road map for absorbing the knowledge in books. He says most leadership and management books can be read in 1 week by devoting just 15 to 20 minutes per day to reading. That means you can read 52 books per year.

When it comes to hands-on opportunities, getting involved in your local ASSE chapter or section is a great way to build your leadership skills. Volunteering in your ASSE chapter/section provides an opportunity to learn and practice leadership skills in a safe environment—you don’t have to worry about getting fired or demoted. Many leadership roles are available within the chapter and section structure, so you can start small and build. I started as my chapter’s newsletter editor.

Many employers look for areas where job candidates have exhibited leadership skills outside the workplace. Your ASSE leadership experience can bolster your chances of landing a job or getting a promotion. Your chapter/section experience is especially valuable when you have a limited work history.

Another way to grow these critical skills is to attend ASSE’s annual Leadership Conference. Each fall, chapter, section and practice specialty leaders gather for this free conference. Over the years, the conference has transitioned from a focus on how to complete chapter officer duties to a focus on leadership skills that can be applied at work as well as at the chapter, section or practice specialty level.

When selecting who should attend the conference, I encourage you to send your future leaders—those rising through the ranks—to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary leadership skills before they become president-elect and president. Consider the great example set by the Midnight Sun Chapter. Several years ago, the chapter sent a student member to ASSE’s Leadership Conference. That student became a full member after graduation and eventually became the chapter’s president.

This year’s Leadership Conference will be held Oct. 13-15 in Lombard, IL (Chicago area). Registration will open this month. Who will your chapter, section or practice specialty send to the conference? (Remember, CSPs and CIHs earn CEUs for attending.)

ASSE also hosts the Future Safety Leaders Conference for student members each year. This year’s conference will be Nov. 3-4 in Rosemont, IL. During this free conference, student members receive guidance on preparing resumes, interviewing, career building and leadership.
Attendance is limited, so students who wish to attend must complete a selection essay sheet and worksheet, located at www.asse.org/membership/student_fslc.php. All essays and worksheets must be sent to chapterservices@asse.org by Sept. 12, 2011.

Our main role as SH&E professionals is to convince others to do what is needed to preserve life, property and the environment. You can’t drive them to it, but you can lead them to it.
As Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Make sure you have that skill.

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
Jack Welch

Our Values Remain Unchanged

We are standing on the brink of our next century of protecting people, property and the environment. We’ve come a long way from the small group of insurance inspectors who on Oct. 14, 1911, founded the United Society of Casualty Inspectors. We changed our name in 1914 to ASSE. Our first chapters were formed in New York and Boston in 1924. Today, we have 34,000 members in 75 countries. We have 151 chapters, 28 chapter sections and 58 student sections.

During our history, our mission and vision have changed focus, but our core values have remained the same. These values are the foundation of our Society. They are the foundation on which we work and conduct business. These values are so primary, so important, that throughout the changes in the global society, government regulations, politics and technology, they remain the values to which we abide. 

Service to humanity:
- We are dedicated to protecting people, property and the environment.
- We reach out globally, providing opportunities to collaborate with and engage anyone involved in SH&E.

Value of the profession:
- We believe a safe and healthy place to work is a fundamental right.
- We believe that sound SH&E practices are both socially responsible and good business.
- We value employers’ commitment to sound SH&E practices.
- We are committed to advancing the profession through innovation, thought leadership, and objective, unbiased, science-based approaches to SH&E practices.

Members:
- We believe our Society is driven by our members.
- We strive to meet member needs for training and development, networking and community.
- We believe in the strength of diversity and reach out to include all members.
- We believe students and new professionals provide a pipeline to the future.
- We believe that mentoring and growing our member base is critical for the continuity of our profession.

Professional development:
- We believe growth of our body of knowledge and the professional development of SH&E practitioners advance the profession.
- We believe that continuous learning is critical for the development of the safety professional.

Ethical behavior:
- We aspire to the highest degree of professional conduct, ethical practice and integrity.
- We resolve to provide prudent stewardship of Society resources.

These values underlie our mission, our vision, our work, how we interact with each other and the strategies we employ to fulfill our mission. They are the ideals we use in everything we do each day.

As we move into our next century of service to humanity, we will focus on the future of the SH&E profession and the competency of the SH&E professional.

In Race for Relevance, Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers discuss the limited discretionary time available to today’s workers. They reference The State of Working America 2008-2009, which reported that Americans worked 568 more hours in 2006 than 1979. More households are two-income. Technology allows work to follow us home and on vacation. This shift is not isolated to the U.S. With the time demands of jobs and family, finding time to improve professional skills is increasingly difficult. Yet, failure to do so threatens our vision of the future.

As we move into the next century of safety, we will utilize technology to service members in ways that are respectful of their valuable time. For example, we will launch our electronic body of knowledge, our “safety-pedia” during the coming year. This collection of SH&E resources and information will save our members valuable research time. We will continue to offer educational opportunities in the form of webinars that members can view from their offices, saving time and travel expenses. We will use technology to improve the way we conduct Society business, engaging our governing body via websites and other technological tools to increase our ability to act nimbly in the advancement our mission.

The needs of ASSE members are changing. The ways in which we conduct business are changing. And that change is occurring at an ever-increasing pace. In the whirlwind of change, it’s good to know that our values remain unchanged.

The Future Is Bright

It has been a long journey since Dr. John (Jack) Beno at Iowa State University advised me about a safety career as well as since my first Greater Detroit Chapter meeting in May 1988 when Frank Cleary, P.E., CSP, outgoing chapter president, mentioned that the chapter needed help with its newsletter. But, as I complete my 23rd year of ASSE service, I reflect on this past year as ASSE President and know that the future is bright. Let me share a few highlights:

• Center for Safety and Health in Sustainability. To raise awareness of the importance of workplace safety and health in the business community, add recognition to the SH&E profession and add value to SH&E professionals, ASSE established the Center for Safety and Health in Sustainability. The center will provide a strong voice and comprehensive leadership for safety and health in shaping sustainability policies; educate the business community on the importance of safety as part of good corporate governance and corporate social responsibility/sustainability; and recognition as a thought leader for sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

• Body of Knowledge. The Body of Knowledge (BOK) goal is to be the premier resource for practicing professionals. The BOK is a single point of entry to access SH&E information and will be a knowledge exchange platform that uses the latest technology to bring SH&E professionals together on a global stage and improve value. The project is progressing and we are building content for select areas.

• Professional competencies. A short-term action is publishing the Employer’s Guide to Hiring a Safety Professional to help a company hire a competent professional to manage its safety and health risks. A long-term action item is to collaborate with professional associations to define our practice and develop core competencies for the SH&E professional.

• Professional organization and membership. Membership is the largest in ASSE history with 34,000 members. The member profile includes: 87% having college education; 46% having an SH&E certification, with the CSP designation being held by 25%; 42% having a job title of safety engineer/specialist or director/manager/department head/chief, safety; and 33% being professional members.

• Global presence. The Society continues to expand its international influence. The delegation to China was very successful and a similar delegation to Brazil is scheduled for November 2011. The Board of Directors approved the charter of the Philippines Chapter and memorandums of understanding were approved between ASSE and the Nigerian Institute of Safety Professionals and the Abu Dhabi EHS Center. Furthermore, ASSE will collaborate with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Canadian Society of Safety Engineering and Safety Institute of Australia to pursue projects of mutual interest that will advance the SH&E profession.

In addition to the Society highlights, the profession continues to build momentum. Money Magazine (Nov. 2010) identified the environmental health and safety specialist and risk management manager as two of the top 18 jobs in terms of 10-year growth. Also, the SH&E profession was among a “dozen hot careers for college graduates” (University of California San Diego Extension, 2009).

The volunteer leaders, members and professional staff have made our 100th anniversary a memorable year. The contributions and commitment of many people are the reason ASSE accomplished much during 2010-11 and will continue to be relevant for many years.

I want to express special thanks for the support, hard work and accomplishments of the 2011 President’s Award recipients: Wayne Jones, James Ramsay, Kathy Seabrook, F.E.K. (Felix) Nakpodia, Abdullah Ghamdi, Anil Mathur, Enrique Santacana, Terry Wigfall, Tom Cecich, Pam Walaski and Chris Patton. I am also appreciative of ABB’s support over the years and the understanding of my family, Kimberly, Oneka and Desmond.

The Board of Directors will continue to identify benefits and services that provide value to the membership. The strength of ASSE during the past 100 years is its focus to be a member-driven professional organization. I encourage each of you to begin or grow your ASSE involvement and support Terrie, Rick and Kathy during the upcoming year. ASSE’s future is bright.

Looking to the Future: ASSE 2020

It’s fun to think about the future isn’t it? As kids, we imagine what life will be like when we “grow up,” as we dream of futuristic cars and similar flights of fancy, or ponder what career we will pursue. As adults, we wonder about things such as where we will be in 5 years, what our kids will do and the next great breakthrough in technology.

As president during ASSE’s 100th anniversary year, I have thought often about what the future holds for ASSE. What issues and topics will SH&E professionals and our Society face during the next 5, 10 or even 20 years? How does our work today ensure ASSE’s continued growth and prosperity?

Scenarios about the future are many, but one thing is certain. To advance ASSE’s mission and vision, we need your active participation. Whether it’s volunteering at the chapter, region or Society level, contributing articles to Professional Safety and the practice specialty publications, participating in projects such as the Body of Knowledge, or engaging in dialogue with colleagues at conferences, webinars and through social media, you drive ASSE.

Last year, I posted this question on ASSE’s LinkedIn site: If you had to choose a single area of focus for ASSE in the next 10 years, what would it be? The question was intentionally open-ended to allow for diverse responses. I wanted to encourage idea exchange and critical thinking that would generate feedback about future strategic directions for ASSE.

You exceeded those hopes through more than 110 responses that exhibited tremendous breadth and depth of thought. ASSE members clearly have a passion for the SH&E profession.
Let me share just a few examples:

•Mario Varela, M.S., M.B.A., CSP, stated, “There is a need to lure new membership from active SH&E professionals, as well as from engineering, SH&E, science and related disciplines. Also, it is important to generate more interest [among] high-school students to pursue the SH&E profession.”

•Todd Loushine, Ph.D., P.E., CSP, CIH, agreed with the need to attract high-school students to SH&E degree programs. He added, “I would like to see more support for faculty/researchers at universities.”

•Similarly, Jim Leemann, Ph.D., said, “There is a need to figure out how to encourage undergraduates to pursue curricula that will prepare them to become safety professionals.”

Many comments addressed certification and licensure. Currently, states do not require safety professionals to be licensed, but through BCSP, the profession has established its own process to provide a means of professional competency.

In his response to my question, Barry Spurlock, CSP, outlined a case for moving beyond the certification/qualification mentality toward licensure. But David Anspaugh cautioned, “Business over the next 10 to 20 years [will] change so drastically and rapidly that the need for safety professionals will become a luxury as opposed to an essential element unless we totally rethink what our contribution is going to be to the enterprise. The more we concentrate on certifications and licenses, the greater the luxury we become.”

Other popular topics included corporate social responsibility, sustainability, promoting risk assessment as a value-added activity, business of safety and continuing/improving marketing of the SH&E profession.

ASSE also will continue to pursue strategic alliances, partnerships and delegations to support its vision and mission. For example, ASSE’s Human Resources Branch reached out to the Society for Human Resource Management to propose a partnership between the two organizations. On the international front, a People to People delegation is planned for Brazil during November 2011, following our successful delegation to China in November 2010.

The year 2020 is less than 9 years away. ASSE is committed to providing products and services to support you and help advance your careers, which, in turn, will advance the SH&E profession. We also will keep an eye on the future to ensure that we add value to our stakeholders and position ASSE and the SH&E profession for growth and prosperity into 2020 and beyond.

To advance ASSE’s mission and vision, we need your active participation. You drive ASSE.

Celebrating Safety & Our Profession

ASSE was formed in October 1911, just a few months after the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire claimed the lives of 146 garment workers in New York City. These workers perished due in large part to unsafe working conditions, locked exit doors and inadequate fire escapes—all of which could have been prevented.

Much has changed for the better in occupational safety and health in the past century, including the continued growth of the SH&E profession. Yet, despite our progress, more than 3 million U.S. workers suffered workplace injuries or illnesses and more than 4,000 lost their lives in 2009. That’s 12 people each day. Clearly there’s more work to be done.

As ASSE celebrates its 100th anniversary and we reflect on a century of protecting people, property and the environment, I urge you to participate in North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 1-7, and Occupational Safety and Health Professional (OSHP) Day, May 4. NAOSH Week and OSHP Day are just two of the many ways that ASSE, its members and partners have raised awareness of the importance of being safe on the job. These observances also are a great opportunity for each of us to help others understand the SH&E profession and the important role we play in keeping people safe at work.

Your efforts over the past few years in supporting NAOSH Week, OSHP Day and the annual Safety-on-the-Job kids’ poster contest have made a major difference in many lives. This year, we received 2,000 entries in the kids’ poster contest. The winning entries are featured on the NAOSH Week poster and participants will be honored at NAOSH Week kick-off events in Washington, DC, in a few weeks.

With your help, we can make NAOSH Week better than ever. No effort is too small or too big. You can distribute the NAOSH Week poster in your community, hold safety days, or use the ASSE Safety Suitcase to teach children about working safely and the SH&E profession. Whether it’s through community outreach, hosting events or providing information to stakeholders worldwide, you can help prevent tragedies by proactively spreading the word about the importance of working safely.

NAOSH Week is approaching fast. Be sure to visit www.asse.org/naosh11, where you will find many resources, including a draft proclamation, statistics, idea starters and suggestions for planning activities in your community or workplace. Here are just a few quick ideas: Host a safety meeting or SH&E breakfast at work; create safety tables or bulletin boards in your work­place or local library; or sponsor a food drive in honor of NAOSH Week and OSHP Day. You can also work with state and local government officials to obtain proclamations in honor of NAOSH Week.

These are just a few ways that you can participate in NAOSH Week. Through your dedicated involvement, we will continue to reach millions of people with our important workplace safety messages. The more members who participate, the more employees, managers, CEOs, regulators and legislators we will reach. Join us!

Spreading the Word About ASSE & SH&E

Consider that there are about 6.8 billion people in the world, including 312 million in the U.S. How many know about the SH&E profession and ASSE? It is hard to tell, but we know it’s many more than knew in 1911 or even in 1991. Through various public, media and community relations programs, the SH&E profession and ASSE have been in the news often in the past 20 years.

One key way that ASSE reaches the public and key decision makers is through print, electronic and social media, as well as through various partnerships and programs. The goal of these efforts is to provide factual information about our profession and Society. These efforts are successful thanks to you. We tap into your expertise to develop key messages and provide the facts on many SH&E issues.

Our profession is extremely diverse as are ASSE’s messages and targeted communications. ASSE continues to develop communications not only to meet the needs of the members, but also to target the right medium for the right message and to look ahead to provide new stories to the media. ASSE and the SH&E profession have been featured in a wide range of outlets, from the New York Times and Forbes, to CBS News and CNN.

Thanks to our proactive strategy, we are able to connect reporters with our expert members on a wide range of SH&E topics. Such representation leads to greater recognition and respect for our profession and ASSE. We also work with ASSE chapters to link local experts with their local media, and provide tips and guidance to members on how to communicate most effectively with the media and other interested parties.

But public relations is much more than working with the media. It involves developing and building relationships with communities, businesses and decision makers to reach new audiences and advance the positive image of ASSE and our profession around the world.

It also involves working with other organizations to educate the public, including children. One great example of our public outreach efforts is the Safety Suitcase, which members use to teach young people about workplace safety and the SH&E profession. Other examples include North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, the annual NAOSH Week Safety-on-the-Job kids’ poster contest and Occupational Safety and Health Professional Day. You can learn more about these activities at www.asse.org/naosh11.

Our public relations efforts have also led to a wide range of informational brochures covering topics such as roadway safety, young worker safety and eye safety, and an online teen safety educational game (www.dontbeazombieatwork.org). We also issue nearly 500 news releases each year, covering the full spectrum of occupational safety and health issues and concerns. You can learn more about all of these efforts at www.asse.org/newsroom.

Our latest endeavor is the new Celebrating 100 Years of Safety video. The video traces the evolution of the modern occupational safety and health movement, highlighting some of the most pivotal times in American history as well as key events in ASSE’s history. I encourage each of you to view the video at www.asse.org/ASSECenturyofSafety.

As a result of our multidimensional approach to public relations, we are promoting workplace safety, gaining recognition, and educating stakeholders about what SH&E professionals do to help ensure that people return home from work safely each day. Get involved today and help us spread the word about ASSE and our great profession.

Our public relations efforts are successful thanks to you. We tap into your expertise to develop key messages and provide the facts.

Safety 2011 - An Event for the Ages

Building skills and knowledge, and making connections. That's what is most important to ASSE members, according to a recent independent survey. How can you best achieve these goals? By taking advantage of ASSE's professional development offerings. Under the guidance of the Council on Professional Development, ASSE's education events address trends and utilize technology to meet member needs. Our goal is to get you the right information at the right time. For example, at the fall symposium, attendees learned new perspectives on human error and its critical role in workplace safety and health. Recent virtual symposia have taken a look at healthcare worker safety, safety in the petroleum industry and transportation safety best practices.

Through such events, ASSE delivers expertise to help you stimulate your thinking and build your knowledge. In addition, the Society offers seminars in the Certificate in Safety Management and the Executive programs, as well as exam preparation workshops and topical webinars.

The crown jewel of ASSE's continuing education efforts is our annual professional development conference and exposition. You've probably seen the ads urging you to "make no small plans" when it comes to Safety 2011. That's because this year's conference will be our largest ever.

Safety 2011 will be held in Chicago, June 12-15, and it will be the centerpiece event of ASSE's 100th anniversary year. Safety 2011 will offer far more than any other ASSE conference.

You can expect more of everything—from expanded educational sessions and networking opportunities, to seminar programs and technical tours—as well as events to cele­brate the Society's anniversary. The special 100th Anniversary Gala at Chicago's Navy Pier promises to be a night of excitement, camaraderie and entertainment.

What else can you expect at Safety 2011? On Monday, June 13, you'll hear the 100th anniversary State of the Society speech. Keynote speaker Daniel Pink will share innovative ideas about changing the world of work. There will also be recognition luncheons for practice specialties, chapters and regions, as well as a special plenary panel session with leaders from OSHA and NIOSH.

On Tuesday, you will learn about ASSE's vision for the next 100 years. Nancy Goodman Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Kommen Foundation, will share her inspiring story about how one person can make a difference. Also back for Safety 2011 is the Executive Summit, which is a great opportunity to learn how corporate executives view safety and the SH&E profession. Throughout the conference, you will be able to choose from expanded educational tracks, including special tracks for executives, presentations on business skills, and sessions covering various technical and managerial topics. New to Safety 2011 is a track on corporate social responsibility, as well as a special track highlighting the history of safety and the SH&E profession.

And let's not forget the technical tours, put together by local ASSE chapters. During the tours, you are able to observe different workplaces and gain new ideas to apply to your safety management challenges. You can select from more than a dozen tours, including the Deep Tunnel Facility, Museum of Science and Industry, Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy, Soldier Field, U.S. Cellular Field and Willis Tower. New this year are two youth technical tours at Soldier Field and U.S. Cellular Field for those age 15 to 18.

These are just a few highlights of our profession's premier education­al and networking event. Safety 2011 is an event you simply can't miss. Make plans to attend. I look forward to seeing you in Chicago this June!

"We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself." Lloyd Alexander