The Quiet Ripple

Not long after making the decision to stop drinking completely, Ron (who I now reported directly to in my 5S implementation role) decided to step away from the behavior-based safety facilitator role and return to a manufacturing supervisor position. I don’t remember why but I distinctly remember being incredibly excited about the opportunity to throw my name in the hat again. This time, though, I was far more prepared for every aspect of the interview and had significant experience in nearly everything that job would require. Choosing to support Ron when he was offered the position, rather than stepping away from the process completely, provided me with the opportunity to gain experience that I would have never had otherwise.

I have no recollection of anyone else involved in the interview process. This time, there wasn’t a close second to the qualifications I had stacked up. I realize that sounds arrogant, that’s not my intent at all. I worked my butt off to build those qualifications. I was offered the position and I eagerly accepted! Not only had I grown to enjoy so much of the behavior-based safety ideology, it had become painfully evident that most of the management team would never embrace the 5S initiative in a way that the fifth S could ever happen; the SUSTAIN part… While portions of the rollout were still visible throughout the facility for years to come, it was rapidly fading away and becoming just another flavor of the month.

Once I was in the behavior-based safety facilitator role full time, I quickly learned how much I still had to learn. Although I had delivered short segments of the observer training for a couple of years leading up to that, my segments were usually never more than 45 minutes long. In this new spot, I held complete responsibility for all aspects of what had, since it was launched within our facility in May ‘98, sixteen full hours of training. There were a few others in the mix, Terry being one of them, but it was on me to schedule the time and resources, identify the participants and get approval from the supervisors or managers, and ensure the content was delivered in a way they could actually have a chance of retaining it. I had also delivered a fair amount of training in the 5S role, but still nothing close to this.

Learning the importance of earning influence rather than attempting to rely on the authority I did not have while rolling out 5S was even more relevant here. At least the changes we were suggesting with 5S were visible and immediately measurable to anyone walking through the areas involved. While behavior is very visible, the reason the organization dedicated two full days to training behavior-based safety observers was that few seldom understand what to look for or take the time to do it. Not only does that require using a specific lens, it’s kind of awkward - and that’s not even considering the feedback portion of the process.

I quickly learned that my responsibility was not only to deliver sixteen hours worth of content, but to do it in a way that the folks struggling to sit through it could develop a skill set that was entirely different from what they were expected to do all day, every day. Thankfully, being very in tune with how tough it was to stay awake, let alone engaged, through two full days of classroom-style training when you’re used to a high speed manufacturing process helped me relate. I made headway gradually. I was slowly earning influence without a title; with my peers I’d need support from at first, and with our local management team over time. No big, immediate splash. Just a slow, quiet ripple.

The decision to stop drinking didn’t have a direct correlation to my work, but how I filled that time certainly helped me build more confidence and self-control. Pivoting through that decision, and the bad situations that could have easily come from continuing down my previous path, helped me build authentic trust - which earned more of the influence I’d need to grow in my new role. My consistent growth focus, albeit relatively quiet at that point, began inspiring others I’d need support from more than a title ever would have. For me at the time, that decision was one of the most pivotal things I could have done. But even small pivots can turn stumbles into strategic growth. We’ll dig into that next. Before we do, think about one of the most pivotal decisions you’ve made in your journey to this point. Share it with a colleague, and describe the positive ripples you’ve seen since.