Celebrating Growth to Build Trust

As we worked through the process of investing in mentorship for exponential returns, I made a brief reference to how long-time supervisor, Kevin Arnold (no, not from The Wonder Years; he heard that shit all the time…) was always so quick to me praise for successes he and I achieved together - even when he was responsible for providing all the knowledge involved. By actively listening to how I responded to each question he asked me from the first day I reported to him - be that about my personal and professional goals, my hobbies, or any other topic that came up - he learned what made me tick. He used all that I shared with him to do everything he could to help me reach my potential, and he demonstrated early on that his support wasn’t limited to me being successful just as long as I was working for him. Just in case you forgot, this is the same person who suggested that I interview for a position outside the company annually so I’d be prepared for my next opportunity…

I could detail dozens of times where Kevin used what he knew about me to make sure he was providing me with fulfillment from the work we were doing together. As I wrapped up Leading With A Clear Purpose, I was very transparent in sharing that my initial move into behavior-based safety was far less about reducing workplace injuries than about how I could gain experience for future opportunities. It wasn’t that I didn’t care for the people involved, I was just more driven by the tasks I completed. Helping people keep all their fingers attached was a nice side benefit…

Regardless of how much I deserved it on any given day, Kevin never called me out on focusing more on the tasks at hand than the people we were serving. He did, however, look for every opportunity to celebrate our wins, typically passing almost all the credit on to me. He didn’t do that to feed my ego, he realized individual recognition didn’t get me going. He did it to praise the work I had done because he knew how much effort I was willing to put in to achieve those results. On July 22, 2008, our facility was approved to be recognized as an OSHA Voluntary Protection Program Star Worksite, one of less than 50 in Virginia - out of nearly 10,000 that were eligible. I remember the specific date because it was also the day my first grandson was born. I also remember how much praise Kevin gave me in front of our local management team and the corporate executives in the room at the time. One of the hats I wore at the time was that of site “VPP Coordinator” but it was more of a box to check; I was still primarily in the behavior-based safety role and worked closely with Kevin on each step of the process.

I realize this is just one example, and I’m very aware that you likely don’t understand most of what was involved; neither matters. What I want you to take away from this is how his active listening helped him unlock potential I didn’t know I had and how celebrating my growth (by way of results) earned a level of trust that allowed me to receive every mentorship conversation better than I would have otherwise. Celebrating wins fosters a culture of growth and trust. That said, Kevin was incredibly patient with me too. But before we look at how that patience helped navigate the many times I pushed back on even the best guidance, I’ll challenge you to look for ways you can acknowledge (and celebrate) a team member’s achievement.