Leading People Safely: How to Win on the Business Battlefield Hardcover – October 25, 2016

This is not a text book full of management jargon or analysis to the point of boredom. Its a book based on practice The book is "a bridge" from the philosophical world of "values" and " engagement of staff " to the world of harsh realities of being in business. Its about finding the courage to define your leadership of your people in your business -to make a change in your own life but also the lives of others that you engage with and influence on a daily basis. The book is about recognising that as a leader Safety is one of the major key stones of business success .I own an insurance broking house in New Zealand. If my clients read this then it would assist me in my endeavours to help them be more resilient and successful John Barley CEO Rite Track NZ Limited [...]

I loved the book and will pass it on to a family member. I actually teared up in two places because the book brought workplace safety down to the level of family members (coming home safely). I am proud to say I worked with Jim Schultz and I'll embarrass him one last time by calling him my "hero." He always walks the talk and is the best example in all areas of his life. He cares deeply for people. The book is a great read not just for business leaders but also for general interpersonal development.

Outstanding and pragmatic guide on creating a positive safety culture at work, the best piece on this topic I've read. This is not about "compliance" it's about eliminating injuries and accidents by making safety a core value, leveraging leadership, engaging employees and insisting on accountability at all levels. Very well done and an easy read.

A lot of good information

Brian and Jim doing a fantastic job. This is a must read for everyone in an organization that cares about safety. For those folks that are really trying to move the needle in safety, this should be required reading if you want to move the needle and keep it moving in the right direction towards zero and keeping it there! Lots of dog eared pages after reading it twice!

Exceptional. Absolutely exceptional. Important lessons about culture, optimism, and will. #lifeisridiculouslyawesome

If you are a leader who wants to do things right, this book will help you become a better leader. Better yet, if you are a safety consultant, safety manager, work in loss control or risk management, this book will give you a practical framework or model to use to help setup a cutting-edge safety program.Fielkow and Schultz's central thesis is that an organization needs a strong "culture of prevention" to operate safely. "'Safety' is not a department." And it should be not the function of the safety department to assume the responsibilities of management.Fielkow and Schultz point out that management generally scores itself high on safety leadership—but the front-line workforce would often beg to differ. "Leading People Safely" presents a number of practical tools to help align perception and reality.Leading People SafelyThe quickest way to clear a room is to mention the words 'safety' or 'leadership.' The most common excuse is, "Really great ideas, but they won't work here." Fielkow and Schultz might retort, "Then try building a safety culture, not a cost culture." (Chap. 1 & 2) We learn in Chap. 3 there are some things money can't buy: Culture drives happiness. Culture is based on the 3 Ts: Treatment, Transparency and Trust to ensure employee engagement. To know safety, one must know accountability (Chap. 4), in all its flavors, on an individual level, organizational level, and peer-to-peer level. We're not talking about compliance (Chap. 5), but overcoming at least 12 common safety challenges under the rubric of 'Dysfunctional Creep.' (Chap. 6) That ends Part I of the book. Then it gets better . . .Part II: How to Build a World-Class Safety Culture.Fielkow and Schultz jump right in with a Case Study (Chap. 7) of a real mess that needed to be cleaned up. Safety, we find, is not a department, but, rather, the responsibility of management. Safety is leader driven (Chap. 8), requires Good Leadership Habits (Chap. 9), execution of your plan (Chap. 10), and a 'Just Culture' (Chap. 11) to sustain it. In these days of "Nuclear Verdicts" and over-zealous regulators, learn how to protect yourself and your organization (Chap. 12) while implementing change. Like management, employees, too, must own safety (Chap. 13). Vet and mentor your workforce (Chap. 14) while developing your managers (Chap. 15) It's all about engagement (Chap. 16-17), even engaging the family. (Chap 18)We find small safety events and incidents can be a precursor to something major. "Severity is a matter of luck." (Chap. 19) Always do a Root-Cause Analysis. (Chap. 20). Learn how to build a safety "brand" inside your organization. (Chap. 21) Let employees write their own handbook. (Chap. 22), to help against "Normalization of Deviance," (Chap. 23) On day one, have them sign a "Culture Contract" (Chap 24), specific to how your culture operates. Take advantage of new safety technologies (Chap. 25)But any organization can start to wander off course, and when it does, sometimes a "Shock and Awe" move can put it back on track. (Chap. 26). Finally, help your workforce to develop a list of your organization's Life-Critical Rules (Chap. 27).ImprovementsFielkow and Schultz are big on the need to continuously improve. With that in mind, I always like to see an index at the back of these type of books. And a glossary of key terms and concepts could be helpful. I enjoyed the case study (Chap 7), which could make for a book in of itself, and perhaps would have made a lead-in to this topic as Chapter One.Disclaimer: I was provided a review copy, at no charge, by one of the authors.Thank you for reading this.

There are many self-declared thought leaders in the safety world and I am universally skeptical when picking up new safety reads. After researching Brian's and James background I decided to go out on a limb and get my hands on an early copy, and I was thrilled I did. I can very confidently say this book will give you actionable advice to implement into your organization tomorrow. I have posted the 15 daily leadership principles in plain view and have shared out the "being the CEO for a day" exercise with my community. This book was built for ear-marking and referencing on a weekly basis. I do not review books often however, I felt the need to let you know that this is a must read for any safety professional. Buy the book, you will be glad you did.

Every line made it clearer each day for me. Having 24+ years of experience in Safety, I always felt that something was missing in implementation of Safety at work. I always made perfect documents 'exclusively' keeping safety in mind but I would feel that the link to operations never was complete. I thank James and Brian for this book. It has brought renewed energy and a clarity in my outlook and performance now. One can easily relate to their experiences and it puts us on track as a leader. Thanks once again James and Brian.