Safety Culture & Virtue 9: Mentors

We have a lot of rules to live by – things that were learned the hard way by some and are now obvious to the modestly observant. Everything from basic hygiene, relationship tips, to geopolitical maneuvers have a known list of wise sayings. And if someone decides to act contrary to common knowledge, they are seen as either insane or brilliant depending on the outcome. 

Needless to say, we’ve all saved ourselves a lot of trouble and pain by listening to wisdom like “don’t touch the stove when it’s hot” and “never start a land war in Asia.”

Some people, like young children, seem to learn from making mistakes themselves. They hear the warnings, but they don’t heed them. They just don’t give them credence until it’s too late. Others can read a story about how a mistake played out and they learn from it. Experience – even if it is not your own – can improve your outcomes.

People with experience have seen lots of mistakes. They’ve witnessed the best and worst in the industry and when they have a piece of advice, it’s golden. That’s one of the reasons they are so valuable in the workplace. They have seen an unexpected death. They have witnessed a casual oversight that went south and got someone fired. They’ve testified before the board about their work. They not only know the regulations, but they know why the regulations exist. 

By listening to that experience, you can learn from other’s mistakes rather than repeat them yourself. In fact, if you listen, you might even find out why all of those crazy rules exist. It’s amazing what a little bit of history and practical wisdom can do for the workforce.

On the flip side, I have seen organizations rid themselves of the people who know the work best. In healthcare, a large swath of organizations were purchased by hedge funds that quickly replaced their clinical leaders with investment gurus who believed in their knowledge of numbers even if when they could not explain what the numbers meant. It takes experience to understand the business need, the customer’s interests, and the value of the SMEs who know the frontline job. 

Are you currently being mentored by a leader? 

Can you think of any other sources where you could have gleaned the knowledge you received from that mentor? 

When I look back, the information my mentors gave me was unavailable from any other source. There were no books on the subject, no organizations to guide me, no resources to help me get my footing in some of the most challenging areas of the job. But it was amazing what a short conversation at the desk of my mentor could do to improve the situation. 

The great thing about mentorship is that it will also make you pause and think about your decisions and choices and why you do what you do. Isn’t that the heart of safety culture after all?