How to become a safe leader-manager?

Note — Extended recommendations for the development of safety leadership and the organisation of safe management of an organisation by managers with the help of employee-leaders
(a guide to the safe application of the principles and recommendations from the WANO PL 2019-01 publication)

Introduction

1. In general — about leadership, about leaders and administrators, and also about the problem "field" in the sphere of ensuring safety in the management of an organisation.

It is known that there are observable characteristics of leadership in the sphere of ensuring safety, which are implemented, as a rule, in productive and successful (effective) organisations. At the same time, statistics and important international studies show that all successful and highly competitive organisations are safe organisations; and a successful business is invariably a safe business. It is important to note that between 80% and 90% of cases of accidents and disasters in the world arise not because of a failure of operation or poor quality of equipment, but due to negative manifestations of the "human factor". In this regard, the majority of enterprises associated with hazardous production have recently been actively developing a safety culture and personnel leadership.

In accordance with the publications of the IAEA, in the field of the use of atomic energy, when defining safety leadership, on the one hand, and safe management, on the other hand, it is generally accepted that leadership is the use of personal abilities and competencies to manage individuals and groups of people and to exert influence on their commitment to achieving the fundamental safety objective and applying the fundamental safety principles on the basis of common tasks, values and rules, and norms of behaviour; whereas management is an officially approved function of ensuring the productive (and effective, profitable) work of an organisation and the implementation of activities in accordance with requirements, plans and available resources. Management is carried out at the level of organisational activity, whereas leadership is manifested at the level of both an individual worker and teams.

How exactly high results of leadership are achieved among managers and their subordinate personnel, and how this success depends on the efforts of the organisation in the interests of ensuring safety — is well presented in the publications of WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators). Moreover, the recommendations of WANO, which are compiled on the basis of many years of global practice in ensuring the safety of nuclear reactors, can also be used to improve safe activities and achieve the commercial success of organisations of various directions and areas of business — in all sectors of the economy. However, such use implies a "soft" adaptation of the principles and safety requirements of the nuclear industry, taking into account the limitation of the volume and strictness of their application by purpose and meaning, in relation to the specific activities of each enterprise and other stakeholders (such an adaptation is called a "graded approach").

It is important to note that the principles and requirements of a strong safety culture, formed and developed in organisations — can be adapted by safety leaders outside the organisation as well, for example, among the immediate circle of people, however, as stated above, taking into account the place of application, limiting the strictness and completeness of execution of the organisational safety requirements applied according to regulations and standards in full at work. Obviously, for today, it is extremely necessary to comprehensively change the dangerous thinking and behaviour of people not only at work, but also in everyday life, on the street, in the family, namely: safety is important everywhere and always, proceeding from a human-centric model of ensuring safety… Therefore, in this article we will consider the issues of leadership and safety regarding not only organisations, but the life activities of people outside work.

The definition of leadership from WANO implies that this is a behavioural pattern of an employee-leader who, regardless of the level of position, proactively inspires by personal example, carries out mentoring (coaching), influences the behavioural patterns of people and forms them with the goal of achieving the highest standards of safe and productive work of the enterprise. A manager-administrator ensures the achievement of the goals of the organisation on the basis of distributing functions among the personnel, reinforcing the necessity of completing the set tasks with orders, instructions, regulations, whereas a leader proactively motivates workers through critical thinking (questioning attitude) and personal example to fulfil requirements and prioritised application of safe values.

A manager is not always a leader.

It is important to note that in this case it is necessary to take into account the basic characteristics that we will consider in this publication, primarily — regarding the managers of the organisation, as well as the specific key tasks facing the organisation which they manage. We will consistently analyse the question: how does strong leadership, ensuring all organisational productivity and commercial effectiveness (profitability), depend on and connect with the model (system) of safe management of the entire organisation?

A short answer: safe organisational productivity is a function of competent and safety leadership, integrated into a well-functioning model of safe systemic management and a strong team of qualified professional employees, working in the zone of their responsibility and competencies on the basis of safe thinking and behaviour, formed during the development of a strong safety culture.

A safe management model includes such basic components as development programmes, processes, resources, management tools, control and supervision, etc. As a rule, the interrelation between these elements and their harmonised comprehensive application make it possible to achieve high indicators of productivity, where leadership is a manageable "human factor", having the effect of a multiple (synergistic) amplification of organisational productivity and effectiveness (profitability), built on ensuring the priority of safety in work. The IAEA indicates four fundamental elements that ensure the safety of a facility, namely: technological effectiveness (i.e. everything material and technologies); management systems (there may be several of them); qualified personnel (including leadership); and safety culture. All four elements are equally important for safety, but differ greatly in cost (resource consumption) and applicability.

When a decline is observed at enterprises or, conversely, prolonged periods of success are observed, the management model itself is rarely a stimulating factor for development and improvements. The quality of work here, as a rule, is influenced by the engagement and productivity of the activity of the group of managers, as well as the quality and high degree of implementation of the model of safe management of the entire organisation.

A comparison of the characteristics provided below with the current volume of your own competencies and the model of productivity on the path to an effective business composed of leader-managers and their subordinate team will, most likely, allow you to eliminate the discovered shortcomings. In addition, the specified characteristics can also be used: during self-assessments; as a basis for training on the topic of the development of leadership qualities; for the purposes of self-development and coaching; when selecting future safe managers; when assessing the leadership potential in employees; for other types of activities when determining the measures necessary to improve the effectiveness of work and the release of safe products (services).

In conclusion, after considering the characteristics, features and indicators of leadership, to assist organisations beginning to develop safety leadership "from scratch", to implement the first steps — a "Roadmap of measures on the path to strong leadership" will be presented in a simplified form.

2. How are the described leadership characteristics decomposed and cascaded to all managerial levels of the organisation or team management? How is leadership applied to ensure the safety and success of a family?

The evolution of the biosphere has brought all living things on earth to a natural state where the strongest (most viable) representatives of all species always take the lead of their group, pack, team, or society, ensuring the survival and successful continuation of their lineage. Dominance is a natural manifestation of genetically determined qualities of more active behaviour not only in animals but also in humans. Dominance is partially determined by an active metabolism and the release of specific "leadership" neurotransmitters, hormones, and biologically active substances in the body, supporting the manifestations of activity inherent to a greater or lesser extent in all leaders.

It should be noted that leadership qualities are not inherent in all people, since they are encoded differently in human genes and, mainly, are inherited by us from our parents (however, without taking into account the influence of new mutations on the gene pool). Therefore, the manifestation of leadership is biologically determined both by the quantity and quality of the natural "release" in the human body of regulatory hormones, neurotransmitters and other biologically active substances that affect their activity (in leaders — to a greater extent, in followers — to a lesser extent), and by the strength (effectiveness) of the impact of these substances in cells on sensitive receptors ("targets") complementary to these molecules and triggering the activity mechanisms accompanying leadership. A major role in maintaining "leadership biochemistry" is played by good human health and the normal state of his central nervous system, capable of generating a sufficient electrochemical potential in nerve cells to conduct strong "leadership nerve impulses" that determine the effective and long-term execution of actions necessary for safety, success and survival in general. It must be taken into account that some people are genetically initially inclined to submit and follow a leader, which, however, contributes to the social unification of people into teams (tribes, packs, communities), as well as general cohesion — in the interests of ensuring even greater safety and survival. This quality is very important, for example, during severe stresses (distresses), when confused "weak" people follow a safe strong leader. A safe leader who skillfully manages a team will always dominate and, based on the support of the subordinate team, will always have an advantage both in ordinary life and in competition or confrontation, for example, in business (compared to "loners", hermits).

However, a person who does not inherently possess leadership qualities can nevertheless learn to demonstrate and develop leadership, which will help him raise his personal status of significance and respect in the team, and, finally, dominate his environment as a leader.

For this, it is necessary not only to learn how to apply in a timely and intended manner the technologies, best practices and tools of leadership (which will be presented below), but also to acquire the skills of safe critical thinking (questioning attitude) and automatic thinking (based on the principles and requirements of safety culture). Through these skills, a person who does not inherently possess leadership qualities will be able to compete with untrained "natural leaders", for example, when building his career path or determining his leading place in the team. It should be noted that under equal conditions, when a "natural leader" and a person who does not inherently possess leadership qualities are equally trained in leadership, the "natural leader" will dominate in all cases. Managers need to take this into account both in their personnel policy and in personnel management.

A person who does not inherently possess leadership qualities, for example, a melancholic or phlegmatic by temperament, is emotionally "weak", and will in most cases be only "partially effective". For example, a melancholic will not be able to effectively manage and safely lead while in a state of frequent doubts or during stresses, for example, due to conflicts or "black" criticism, or due to insubordination by any of the employees in the organisation (or family members)... The "energy" of a leader is felt by people both during joint work and in everyday communication. The application of the skills of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, self-motivation, social skills) enhances the leadership features of a person, increasing the quality and strength of the impact of his managerial abilities on the subordinate personnel or team. Mastery of the techniques for applying the skills of emotional intelligence will be useful not only for developing leadership qualities and ensuring safe management (as well as vital activity in general), but also for achieving career success or psychological well-being, including dominating and surviving in stressful situations.

For the unconditional promotion of safety principles and requirements, it is important that the described leadership qualities are demonstrated (visually shown) by the top managers of the organisation or teams, even including family members (at home and in everyday life). At the same time, most of these qualities, if not all, are usually demonstrated by successful managers at all levels of the organisation. In the family, the role of the leader is assumed by the most active and reasonable family member, but of course taking into account age characteristics, mental state and health. Therefore, when developing leadership characteristics in an organisation or in a family, it is always necessary to take into account not only the natural biological features of the presence and possibility of manifesting leadership, but also the desire and ability to learn effective leadership based on safe experience accumulated in society. These leadership possibilities are partially considered in posts in the form of "Characteristics" (in addition, on this topic, also see Lifehacks 1, 2 and 4, and others in the VKontakte Articles section — https://vk.ru/jackson_petrov).

When considering each characteristic in the interests of safety and success, it may turn out that the observed behavioural patterns at different organisational levels and in teams (including the family) will be different. Further considering the characteristics, attributes and indicators of leadership in the organisation, we will mentally adapt them to our vital activity in the family, everyday life, and on the street, following the principle that safety is important everywhere and always, based on a human-centric model of ensuring safety.

3. Safe managerial skills and leadership qualities.

Managerial skills or leadership qualities can be demonstrated "poorly" or "well" by any employee of the organisation (based on their abilities), however, the responsibility for implementing the specified characteristics lies with the officially appointed members of the management group (i.e., with the "managers") – from the line manager to the general (executive) director. These persons are vested with official authority and bear legal and financial responsibility for the work of the enterprise and the personnel subordinate to them. They are obliged to ensure both effective management (administration) and inspiring safety leadership. A poor result of management or dangerous leadership can lead both to insignificant negative manifestations of the human factor, and to dangerous incidents and even accidents and disasters. Below we will consider the definitions and differences between management and leadership.

Thus, leadership is a behavioural pattern of a worker who, regardless of position level (or status in the family), proactively inspires surrounding people by their own example towards safe improvements and success. Leaders proactively educate and inform all stakeholders on issues important for the safe flow of processes or life activity (they carry out mentoring (coaching), training), influence the behavioural patterns of people, contributing to the formation of safe thinking and behaviour. Leaders consciously form conditions in teams for the application of the highest standards of safe and effective work, contributing both to the success of the enterprise and to the well-being of the team and the people surrounding them. Positive leaders are creators, they are people who are always ready to help surrounding people or nature, as a rule, in most cases — even selflessly (the need for social interaction and mutual assistance is also encoded in our genes during the long-term evolution of human communities for the purpose of survival). Leaders subjectively feel themselves to be "stronger" than people from their environment and by their behaviour attract those who require their support and/or attention.

On the other hand, unlike leadership, management (administration) is the responsibility of an officially appointed person for managing, directing, planning, organising, coordinating the activities of a company (subdivision, team) and staffing it with personnel to carry out safe, reliable work on the way to a set goal or expected result. A manager exercises control over the effectiveness of processes and the efficiency (profitability) of the organisation's activities, as well as, if necessary, the adjustment of programmes and processes — with the aim of achieving the highest quality of processes and work results, as well as the satisfaction of consumers of the organisation's goods and services. At the same time, a manager may not always possess natural leadership qualities that determine their unconditional dominance over subordinates, and therefore such a manager should either enlist the support of already existing leaders in the team or "grow" them to help themselves, or learn to lead using the best practices, technologies/methodologies and leadership tools. However, in this case — the presence of a genetically determined natural predisposition to leadership will synergistically increase the effectiveness and safety of management.

Therefore, any person who is appointed to control others or manage a process is by definition only a manager and occupies a position the title of which reflects their activity: work supervisor, foreman, lower-level manager, group manager, chief engineer, director, appointed manager, etc. (without considering leadership). To be a safety leader is the manifestation in society of the natural dominant qualities of safe thinking and behaviour, as well as a person's conscious choice to take upon themselves increased responsibility both for the result and for the well-being and safety of surrounding people, which requires high intellectual and emotional mastery, and great physical effort.

Leaders and managers are not different positions; rather, they are different functions often performed by the same person (if one can conditionally call leadership a function).

Leadership and management (administration) are two sides of the same "coin", which are especially important when ensuring safety during the implementation of any activity both of organisations and the ordinary life activity of people outside of work.

Main characteristics of the effectiveness of leader-managers

1. Implementation of the concept of "high standards" of activity, which establishes the priority of safety over commercial and organisational goals.
2. Engagement of personnel in the unconditional assurance of the priority of safety. Both a manager and simultaneously a leader must explain the importance, reasons and goals of their assignments, specifying tasks and processes, which increases the loyalty and engagement of subordinate workers into a single team that will act to help the leader.
3. Creation of an external environment and conditions for teamwork, trust and cooperation. A leader must be honest and admit their mistakes, show openness, which reduces the "power distance" and contributes to an honest dialogue directly with any worker on important issues of safety or survival. A leader must be trusted. A leader must not forcibly compel or thoughtlessly insist on the execution of their erroneous decisions that are dangerous to the business or to the participants of joint activity.
4. Striving for stable results. A leader must maintain universal intolerance to violations and disregard for the fulfillment of safety requirements.
5. Building leadership potential.

Features of characteristic No. 1 of an effective leader-manager

In any activity in an organisation (in a team or in a family), the mandatory application is necessary, among other things, of the behavioural concept of "high standards" of activity management, establishing the assurance of the priority of safety over other interests or tasks of the organisation (or teams). All the leadership indicators for organisations specified below can be reasonably adapted when interacting with family members and in teams, in everyday life.

The conceptual "frameworks", features and indicators of characteristic No. 1, which a leader-manager should strive for to increase both their effectiveness and overall safety, are "tied" to a strictly regulated approach and the fulfillment of mandatory requirements. Namely, the leadership indicators of characteristic No. 1:

1. Leaders shape and facilitate the implementation of a clear and inspiring vision of high quality and safety of work, which takes into account the special and unique nature of the industry's activities.
2. Leaders are personally committed to ensuring safety as the highest priority. The maximum degree and the widest area of responsibility are at the same time assigned to the leader.
3. Leaders are an example of engagement and personal responsibility for safety for all workers in the organisation. Leaders support the reasonable extension of applicable safety requirements by colleagues outside of work (in the family, in everyday life), wherever this is necessary (safety in the family is the guarantee of a normal psychophysiological state of the worker and, as a consequence, of safe, good, stress-free and comfortable work when they come to the enterprise).
4. Leaders set clear and ambitious tasks that are consistent with the best industry performance indicators and practices based on safety principles and requirements.
5. Leaders actively involve personnel at all levels in their organisation in the process of developing the vision of high standards of safe activity. The leader necessarily delegates part of their duties and authority "top-down" along the hierarchical "chain" (structure) of subordination to executors who have the required qualification, experience and necessary competencies, who, in turn, delegate (cascade or decompose) part of their duties and authority further "down" to other participants of the activity, and also apply this approach in the family and outside of work, wherever this is necessary.
6. Leaders clearly explain the vision of safe activity and the strategy on the path to the organisation's goals to all employees, including contractors, partners and other stakeholders. Leaders explain to their family members and colleagues the conditions and characteristics of the activity that ensure the safety of their work, and contribute both to preserving health and occupational safety and health, and to the formation of their peace of mind, confidence in the guaranteed assurance of the safety of themselves and their fellow workers, as well as a normal psychological atmosphere outside of work (in the family, on the street, in everyday life).
7. Leaders at all levels work with groups of employees to transform the concept of uncertainty (risks) in the course of activity into specific goals and actions, risk management, based on safety principles and requirements. Outside of work, leaders participate in useful public activity, including educating or informing all stakeholders on issues important for their safety, for example, people in their immediate environment and/or the public living near the organisation where the leader works.
8. Leaders demonstrate their full commitment to the vision and strategy of safe activity in word and deed (safety declarations must always correspond to the facts of safety management and a strong safety culture, both at work and in the family, everyday life).
9. Leaders on an ongoing basis compare the results of the safe work of their organisation with the results of ensuring safety in the course of work of other organisations: they periodically analyse and update the vision of safety and high quality of work in order to reflect the progress and successes achieved by successful organisations. Outside of work, leaders proactively participate in useful public activity, educating or informing all stakeholders on issues important for their safety.

Features of characteristic No. 2 of an effective leader-manager

Engagement of personnel and stakeholders (including family members) in the unconditional assurance of the priority of safety and the sustainable development of the organisation. Both leader-managers and, at the same time, leaders who are not managers (at work and/or outside it, in the family) must explain the importance, reasons and goals of their assignments (intentions), specifying tasks and processes, which increases the loyalty and engagement of subordinate workers (and others) into a single team that will act in aid of the leader. Namely, the leadership indicators of characteristic No. 2:

1. Leaders build and maintain trusting relationships with personnel and stakeholders, listening to their opinions, acting and communicating honestly and consistently. They involve people in the process of forming a harmonious sustainable collective, the members of which strive for the highest quality of work and a high level of safety, and consciously support it.
2. Leaders create a positive and favourable working and surrounding environment, and inspire people to work with maximum effectiveness and the unleashing of creative potential, with the desire to improve the activity of the organisation.
3. Leaders set a personal example, modelling desirable behavioural patterns both in the person of an industry professional of high class and competencies, and as an example of safe thinking and behaviour at work and outside it.
4. Leaders communicate openly, honestly and act consistently, fulfilling their promises.
5. Leaders are open to various ideas, problems, questions and opinions, listen to them, are receptive to them and respond to them. Leaders must listen and give a balanced assessment in response to any safety questions; a leader must not ignore these questions.
6. Leaders demonstrate psychological resilience and commitment to safety when difficulties arise at work, as well as in stressful situations. Leaders motivate people towards ensuring the priority of safety in both their own and their colleagues' work, as well as among stakeholders, including the family and immediate environment of people (especially during periods that are difficult for the enterprise or during a long recovery).
7. Leaders welcome, support and celebrate personal and collective achievements, and facilitate the encouragement and rewarding of the involved persons for these achievements.
8. Leaders possess the technique of proactive communication and explain the reasons for their own actions and decisions, especially in periods of change, for example, positively interacting with people based on the application of loyal emotional intelligence skills and/or systemic people management – in accordance with the principles and requirements of safety management.
9. Leaders visit workplaces in departments, reinforce positive safe behavioural patterns and identify not only shortcomings (errors) in work, but also opportunities and improvements for the development of both individual workers and collectives. Similar behaviour of leaders is translated to their own home, the immediate environment of people and other stakeholders striving to ensure the priority of safety.
10. Leaders create an environment of openness and trust, a culture of truth, which stimulates workers at all levels to search for shortcomings and implement improvements in terms of activity, processes and working conditions. The leader consistently translates the conditions of a safe and favourable environment to their own home and for stakeholders striving to ensure safety. The leader initiates the creation of an "atmosphere" of intolerance to violations in the organisation, collective, as well as in the family and the immediate environment of people.
11. Leaders understand the nature and causes of personnel errors, they do not jump to hasty and unfounded conclusions, and do not blame workers without understanding the situation. The leader does not betray their safety principles not only at work, but also in their own home, as well as when interacting with all stakeholders striving to ensure safety.

Features of characteristic No. 3 of an effective leader-manager

Creating an external environment and conditions for teamwork, trust and cooperation. Leaders encourage team and cross-functional cooperation, using the collective competencies of multidisciplinary groups, experts and individual experienced specialists — to improve safety (in accordance with a graded approach), improve the decision-making process, timeliness of actions and optimize the safe operation of the enterprise (including similar activities outside of work and in the family). A leader is obliged to be honest in actions and admit their mistakes, and draw safe conclusions about preventing them in the future. A leader should show openness, which reduces the "power distance" and promotes trust and an honest dialogue directly with any employee, first of all, on important issues of organizational safety or safe life activity, survival in difficult life situations. A leader cares about the health and well-being of the people involved in their "orbit"; as a consequence — a safe leader must be trusted and followed, both at work and in everyday life, if they claim leadership. A leader must not forcefully compel or mindlessly insist on the execution of their erroneous decisions that are dangerous to the business or participants of the activity. A leader translates their safe behaviour outside of work, in the family, however, taking into account a graded approach and limitations on the strictness and scope of application of safety principles and requirements. Namely, the leadership indicators of characteristic No. 3:

1. Both a manager and simultaneously a leader in the organization — must not only promote the professional development of personnel, but also morally support their positive professional objective self-assessment according to the criteria (indicators) of both performance in work and safety. If necessary, leaders promote the creation of conditions to increase the engagement of employees in a single team, taking into account the assurance of safety of both processes and during the release of products and provision of services (performance of works). Leaders interact (together with the team) in the interests of safety with all stakeholders both at work and outside of work (including family members and people from their close circle).
2. Leader-managers are obliged not only to work with maximum dedication as individual employees, but also to ensure their own higher performance and competence as responsible persons from among the management. A leader in the family must take upon themselves the safe management of life activities (within the area of their abilities and skills, proficiencies) and the resolution of the most difficult issues, engaging members of their family and their immediate circle (relatives, friends, neighbours) into the correct implementation of processes related to the safety of life activities.
3. In the interests of ensuring safe, productive and efficient teamwork — leaders improve teamwork not only by encouraging the achievement of high results (through motivation), but also by using tools of stimulation and non-aggressive communications, friendly interaction and cross-functional cooperation (at all levels of the organization). Leaders make every effort to unleash the safe creative potential of each person, which contributes to the safe sustainable development of the organization, increasing competitiveness and its commercial success. Similar algorithms for stimulating engagement and team building are applicable, also, outside of work, in the family.
4. Leaders create a safe and favourable environment in which employees consider themselves and each other responsible both for the results of work and general success, and for ensuring the priority of safety in their own and collective activities, including outside of work, in the family. A leader, whenever possible, promotes the expansion of the area of safe life activity of both the surrounding population, and/or the work of other organizations with which they interact.
5. Leaders, in accordance with their qualifications, knowledge and competencies, interact with groups of employees with the aim of developing clear, motivating and large-scale functional goals in support of the concept of safe organizational activity and obtaining safe results. Leaders pursue a similar position of interaction and policy outside of work and in the family.
6. Leaders get involved in the work process in a timely manner if: the distribution of responsibility among groups of employees is blurred or assistance is required on any issues of safety, improving the quality of goods and services; or if there are conflicts between groups of employees and/or managers; or if the results of work are unsatisfactory and the products (services) are unsafe. Leaders make, whenever possible, sufficient efforts to prevent negative manifestations of the human factor both at work and outside of work, in the family; leaders participate in the search and determination of root causes of such negative manifestations, as well as contribute to their elimination and prevention of similar manifestations in the future.
7. Leaders maintain a benevolent, healthy working environment focused on a conscious attitude to the issues of ensuring the priority of safety and increasing the effectiveness of processes, encouraging employees to proactively search for and resolve problems, difficult issues and shortcomings in the field of safety, including the quality of products and services (works), as well as the satisfaction of consumers of the enterprise's products and services. Leaders implement similar behaviour and efforts outside of work and in the family.
8. Leaders ensure the full commitment of employees to safe team goals and action plans emanating from top management and/or established in accordance with the requirements of national legislation. Using the principles and requirements of systemic safety management, as well as the regulated procedure for their execution — leaders form an "atmosphere" of intolerance to nonconformities and apply a systemic approach when managing identified nonconformities. Leaders implement similar behaviour outside of work and in the family.
9. Leaders look for and correct all existing isolationist behavioural patterns, preventing complacency, overconfidence, and refusal of independent assessment. Leaders promote manifestations of objective criticism and/or recommendations, and/or the application of safe improvements: both at work and outside of work, in the family, including the application of skills of safe risk management and use of opportunities.
10. When considering alternative points of view, in order to avoid the problems of dangerous "group thinking" or "dangerous confrontation", leaders in the interests of safety support and encourage employees both morally and materially (if there are possibilities for this) — on the way to finding optimal and safe solutions both at work and outside of work, in the family.

Features of characteristic No. 4 of an effective leader-manager

Striving for stable safe results. A leader is obliged to constantly maintain general intolerance to violations and neglect of the execution of safety requirements. Leaders ensure the stability of results, forming safe organizational behavioural patterns and tirelessly consolidating high standards of activity, with the aim of forming engagement and responsibility both for the result of work and for a safe result in any spheres of life outside of work. They critically evaluate themselves, their environment and the organization in order to identify and prevent complacency and overconfidence, which can reduce the effectiveness of processes and hinder both safe sustainable development and achievement of success, and the preservation of a favourable and safe environment, including environmental safety and assurance of occupational safety and health. Namely, the leadership indicators of characteristic No. 4:

1. Leaders demonstrate responsibility for organisational decisions, fulfil all mandatory requirements and strive for successful results of activities, exhibiting safe critical thinking (questioning attitude), as well as a regulated approach and communicativeness — on all issues related to leadership and safe management, including quality management of both processes and products (services), in accordance with consumer expectations and the requirements of national legislation. Similarly, leaders manifest themselves in their actions and decisions outside of work, in the family.
2. Leaders demonstrate a commitment to prompt and complementary response measures (compensating actions), executing them in the event of signs of even a minor deviation from the principles and requirements of safety both in the organisation, as well as in everyday life, and in the family.
3. Leaders have the courage to criticise the existing state of affairs, make difficult decisions and timely measures to eliminate organisational or cultural problems — as necessary, making balanced decisions in the interests of ensuring the priority of safety and improving the performance of activities, the quality of both processes and products (services), as well as the satisfaction of consumers of the organisation's goods and services.
4. Leaders provide open, truthful and timely feedback to their counterparties and stakeholders — with the aim of eliminating shortcomings and fostering, developing and maintaining a sense of engagement and team spirit, creating a safety culture and responsible approach necessary to ensure the priority of safety and improve the quality of work, including the safety of vital activity outside of work, in the family.
5. If leaders are aware of nonconformities of processes and/or quality of products (services) with the accepted requirements of standards (for example, regarding behavioural patterns or work performance), they reasonably criticise the existing state of affairs in a respectful manner (without distress for the involved persons), which ensures people's critical understanding of existing nonconformities or problems, and facilitates both their elimination and the prevention of their occurrence in the future. The management of nonconformities by the efforts of leaders and involved persons must be based on the principles and requirements of systemic safety management, including their correct and timely execution. Similarly, leaders manifest themselves in their actions and decisions when ensuring the effective and safe vital activity of people in their close circle (outside of work, in the family).
6. Leaders ensure the making of safe decisions at the appropriate organisational level, provided that both risks and opportunities are taken into account — based on their assessment, understanding and safe effective management of them, proceeding from available resources and capabilities.
7. Leaders steadily encourage an organisational culture based on the principles and requirements of a strong safety culture, which stimulates the processes of identifying problem areas, hazards and risks, timely informing about them, including the safe elimination of nonconformities, as well as safe risk management. Similarly, leaders manifest themselves outside of work, in the family.
8. Upon the discovery of nonconformities and/or the appearance of high risks, leaders ensure the implementation of such corrective actions and timely risk management that consider the deep essence of the root causes of the occurrence of these nonconformities and/or risks, as well as — any hidden or silenced organisational problems, and/or behavioural and cultural problems, at the same time, ensuring the participation of all involved persons in the corrective actions. The identified nonconformities must be eliminated and not repeated in the future.
9. Leaders actively promote the use of the most effective tools for preventing personnel errors, complementarily suitable for the timely prevention of violations and the occurrence of nonconformities, and/or problems that are dangerous both for the organisation and for people outside of work, family members.
10. Leaders develop and maintain the exchange of best practices, tools and methods (benchmarking) of systemic activity, taking into account ensuring the priority of safety, improving performance, and quality of work. Leaders participate in internal self-assessments and engage experts for independent assessment. Leaders develop mentoring (coaching) and support the transfer of safe experience, the use of an up-to-date knowledge base, prevent the loss of unique competencies, and also participate in the preparation and/or conduct of external and internal training and informing of personnel — with the aim of continuous professional and/or personal improvement, ensuring the priority of safety and forming stable skills of safe thinking and behaviour both at work and outside of work, in the family.

Features of characteristic No. 5 of an effective leader-manager

Building safe leadership potential. Leaders develop themselves both professionally and culturally, and also engage in the development of not only their colleagues, but also other people from their close circle — taking into account the principles and requirements of safety culture. Leaders study publications and guidance materials on leadership, and apply new leadership information as necessary. Leaders safely form both an effective and efficient and successful (profitable) organisation, consisting of highly qualified, competent and experienced specialists of various profiles and areas of activity, who are capable of ensuring not only high efficiency of work and profitability of the organisation in the long term, but also constantly support sustainable development based on ensuring the priority of safety (including quality) of both processes and products (services). Similarly, leaders manifest themselves in their actions and decisions outside of work, in the family, however taking into account a graded approach. Namely, the leadership indicators of characteristic No. 5:

1. Leaders practically hone and develop safe sustainable skills of critical thinking and automatic (reflex) behaviour necessary to strengthen their own leadership potential and maintain leadership positions — in the interests of safety and overall success of both their organisation and stakeholders, including family members and people in their close circle.
2. Leaders facilitate the organisation's intentions in attracting and staffing the organisation with highly qualified specialists: having the necessary special and/or expert knowledge and experience; capable of independent work; and also possessing safe skills of critical and automatic thinking and behaviour sufficient to perform job duties. Leaders create safe and favourable conditions for work and life, which are necessary not only to improve the effectiveness of the organisation's processes, but also for the successful manifestation of the leadership qualities of subordinate or involved personnel — both in the processes of system management and for the formation, development and maintenance of a strong safety culture and leadership, which is strictly necessary for making correct safe decisions during the organisation's activities, for example, in the event of severe accidents and dangerous critical situations. Similarly, leaders manifest themselves in their actions and decisions outside the organisation, on the street, in the family, however taking into account the graded approach.
3. Leaders support diversification (diversity), which is an important factor in managing the talent pool and developing leadership, which is necessary both to reduce the impact of risks, for example, associated with changes in operating conditions and/or new challenges in the future, and to increase the organisation's resilience to dangerous incidents and negative manifestations of the human factor — on the path to safe sustainable development and commercial success, including for the creation of favourable conditions for future generations in accordance with the national ESG agenda, according to the UN ESG goals.
4. Leaders are actively engaged in the processes of professional and cultural development of employees and mentoring, transferring their own knowledge about the industry, the specifics of the organisation's activities, professional and leadership experience of effective management — taking into account ensuring the priority of safety and improving effectiveness not only during the activities of their organisation and stakeholders, but also the life activity of people's close circle and the population living near the organisation, who are not directly involved in the organisation's activities.
5. Leaders are personally engaged in succession planning activities and take into account organisational risks associated with personnel changes. Leaders, in the interests of maintaining the necessary level of safety: oppose intentions to reduce personnel for the sake of momentary interests of obtaining maximum profit; justify the need and make every effort to preserve functions and competencies important for safety in the organisation; act as mentors in areas of activity accompanied by high risks and/or where dangerous problems are brewing; openly declare all nonconformities and hazards to management and involved persons. Similarly, leaders manifest themselves in their actions and decisions outside the organisation, on the street, in the family.
6. Leaders proactively identify employees with leadership potential (also, see additionally above the natural features of leaders – Introduction, p. 2), support them and provide them with opportunities both for personal development and for professional development, and the level of safe knowledge, in relation to their professional activities and area of responsibility. Similarly, leaders manifest themselves in their actions and decisions outside the organisation, among the close circle of people, in the family — safety is important everywhere and always, based on the human-centric model of ensuring global security.
7. Leaders observe and regularly evaluate the work of individual employees and the team, and also make personnel adjustments and proposals for improvements necessary to achieve the goals and fulfill the current tasks of the organisation — taking into account ensuring the priority of safety. In this case, leaders demonstrate activity not only during the activities of their organisation and stakeholders, but also strive to ensure the safe life activity of people in the close circle and the population living near the organisation. Ensuring the safety of people who are not directly involved in the organisation's activities, but depend on the effectiveness of ensuring the safety and quality of the organisation's processes and/or products (services), is also an important task and object of attention of strong and socially responsible leaders.
8. Leaders form a sustainable and safe organisational culture, within the framework of which safe communication and interaction are ensured, aimed at supporting new managers by other, experienced managers, and their support is also ensured by experts and more experienced leader-employees of the organisation, acting as a team together with the engaged (by the efforts of these leaders) fellow workers. Each of the leaders (in their area of responsibility and existing competencies) forms a safe leadership professionalism among the personnel and, as a result — each of the leaders makes their personal contribution to strong leadership and high competence of the entire organisation, and not only in the industry, but also in other markets for the sale of their goods and services, demonstrating them as safe, high-quality, meeting the expectations of consumers and the spirit of the times. Similarly, leaders manifest themselves in their actions and decisions outside the organisation, among the close circle of people, in the family, however taking into account the place of application, strictness and completeness of execution of the organisational safety requirements applied at work.
9. Leaders fulfill all legislative, regulatory and other mandatory requirements established for application in the field of the organisation's activities. When identifying nonconformities (due to failure to fulfill requirements), as indicated above — leaders (to build up leadership potential) also use the system approach of safety management for managing nonconformities and risks, and also, additionally — for managing requirements, changes and configuration — in order to ensure safety, including quality, both of the processes and of the results of the organisation's activities (products and services). The number, content and "strictness" of the requirements of management control systems is determined by safety requirements established by national or international legal acts, in accordance with the graded approach — provided that full guarantees of safety are ensured. Similarly, leaders act outside the organisation, among the close circle of people, in the family, however taking into account the place of application, strictness and completeness of execution of the requirements (which at work are applied by the organisation in full, without exceptions).

Roadmap of measures on the path to strong leadership

1. Key features of leaders in ensuring safety:

• Readiness to take responsibility and lead people.
• Proactive approach during any activity.
• Mentoring (coaching) as a mechanism of influence.

2. Behavioural signs determining the readiness to take responsibility and lead:

• High demands on oneself.
• Caring attitude towards employees.
• Constant self-development.
• Honesty and openness in communication (culture of truth).

3. Features of a proactive approach to ensuring the safety of leadership and management:

• Identifying hazardous factors that have not yet manifested but could cause safety violations (risk and nonconformity management, as well as corrective actions or actions preventing the occurrence of nonconformities).
• The active, constructive role of a leader and a united team (initiating the discussion of safety issues, stimulating the generation of ideas in the team, brainstorming, supporting initiative).

4. Safety "messages":

• Capturing attention with an emphasis on ensuring the priority of safety.
• Defining safety goals in connection with strategic commercial goals and the main objectives for safe sustainable development.
• Emphasis on the importance of each worker for ensuring safe work; communication and interaction with them.
• A wish for engagement and persistent intentions regarding the development and maintenance of a strong safety culture.

5. Leader's strategy at meetings:

• A justified agenda.
• Organised communication and partner interaction, direct communication and feedback.
• Division of responsibility when making a decision in accordance with competencies.
• The opportunity for each participant to express themselves in the interests of the safety and effectiveness of any activity, and the success of the organisation.

6. Nominal group technique:

• Setting the task;
• Personal generation of ideas;
• Listing and recording ideas;
• Ranking of ideas and selecting the priority one, based on the degree of impact on safety on the way to the success of the organisation.

7. Overcoming distortions in information transfer:

• Clear structuring and sufficiency of information.
• Clarity of terminology, relevant examples from practice.
• Conciseness, average speed of presentation, pauses and intonations, emotional intelligence.
• Feedback and monitoring the effectiveness of informing.

8. Leader's actions in case of unsafe behaviour of a worker:

• Pay attention to and discuss the dangerous action (consequences, causes, methods of correction, impact on others).
• Conclude a psychological contract (obtain consent to work safely in the future and help the surroundings, provide methodological support).
• Discuss any other safety issues (potential hazards and methods of overcoming them, proposals, concerns).

9. Leader's actions in case of safe behaviour of a worker:

• Comment on the safe behaviour of workers, note their efforts and positive traits, their importance for overall safety.
• Discuss other safety issues, talk through potential hazards, risks and methods for identifying, warning about, and preventing them.
• Find out the workers' proposals on the safe performance of work, thank them for their engagement and commitment to safety; discuss opportunities and strengths that should be used.

10. Leaders' responsibility:

• Alignment with the strategy of the organisation, taking into account ensuring the priority of safety.
• Safe behaviour of leaders.
• Engagement of workers in improving the effectiveness of processes and ensuring the priority of safety.
• Resources necessary to fulfill both safety and customer requirements.
• Presence at locations important for safety.
• Rewards and sanctions in connection with compliance with safety principles and requirements.
• Requirements, change, and configuration management, taking into account ensuring the priority of safety.
• Authority, roles, and responsibility — in the interests of ensuring the priority of safety.

11. Practice. The leader's task is being worked out – to ensure the priority of safety in their area of activity, for example, before implementing a new solution, namely — to implement by the leader's own efforts:

• Decisions that one way or another affect safety must be systemic, justified, balanced, and take into account the long-term impact on safety.
• An assessment of the impact of subjects, objects, and conditions on safety is carried out.
• The necessary resources for the effective and safe implementation of the solution are determined (in accordance with the graded approach and permissible commercial interests).
• Verification of the first results of the solution implementation is performed.
• The process that yielded a positive result is consistently implemented.
• Both the effectiveness and efficiency of the solution implementation are assessed, taking into account ensuring the priority of safety (including based on the results of the analysis of information through direct communication and feedback channels).

Conclusion

Thus, safety leadership is exercised by: actively supporting the application of fundamental safety principles and requirements — along with establishing expected norms and sustainable skills of safe thinking and behaviour that form a strong safety culture; developing and integrating into the organisation's activities the vision, goals, strategies, plans and objectives of the organisation — taking into account ensuring the priority of safety on the path of sustainable development and the safe existence of the organisation in the future; encouraging individual commitment to the protection of people's life and health, ensuring occupational safety and health and environmental protection, as well as protecting and preserving infrastructure and material assets from harmful anthropogenic impact and/or negative manifestations of the human factor, and/or dangerous organisational activity.

The role of safety leadership consists in using personal abilities (readiness to take responsibility and lead) and competencies (coaching and a proactive approach) — to influence workers' commitment to the strategy and goals of the organisation, as well as the principles of safe thinking and behaviour, including in the interests of sustainable development and the success of the organisation.

The criteria of leadership in matters of forming a safety culture manifest themselves in the practical activities of the personnel and are determined by the formation of common goals, values, and a sustainable behavioural pattern of safe thinking and behaviour, as well as by a high level of development of motivation and competencies of workers, consideration of risks when making a decision, and ensuring stable safe results in achieving goals and maintaining safe priorities common to all in the organisational and managerial activities of the enterprise.

Safety management includes the creation and application of a necessary number of effective management systems (for example, such as management systems for: quality, occupational safety and health, information security, environmental and other types of management), sufficient both for the systemic and safe management of processes in the main areas of the organisation's activities, and for the safe management of business performance — taking into account ensuring the priority of safety relative to the pursuit of commercial success and/or the rapid achievement of other performance results (for example, scientific, organisational, or other activities). Safety management systems must include all control elements so that safety requirements are established and applied consistently with other requirements accompanying the financial and economic activities of the organisation, including requirements regarding personnel actions, quality assurance, occupational safety and health, environmental and physical security, and so that the need to fulfill other requirements or tasks does not have a negative impact on safety. For example, the comprehensive safety management system applied by organisations during the construction of nuclear power plants in the European Union can integrate up to 31 independent management systems into this complex, depending on the scope and purpose of each of these systems, as well as the specific nature of the organisation's activities, and the degree of impact of this organisation and/or its products (services) on safety.

Safety assurance measures across all areas must be developed and implemented using an integrated approach to systemic management, where the principles and requirements of different management systems synergistically complement each other, contributing to the commercial success of the organisation, however without prejudice either to general safety or without deterioration of the state of safety culture within the organisation. Therefore, all integrated safety management systems of the organisation must also additionally include the principles and requirements of safety culture, including an effective procedure for their execution, which will be able to ensure the formation of a strong safety culture in practice.

A strong safety culture is the key to success in preventing negative manifestations of the "human factor", which are dangerous not only for the organisation, but also for the public, infrastructure and the environment.

In order to enhance safety performance and, among other things, to minimise the number of risks and problems associated with safety, the effectiveness of safety management systems must be measured, evaluated and improved. The functioning of safety management systems must be accompanied by control and the conduct of regular assessments of the current state of safety performance (based on criteria, characteristics, indicators and/or other metrics), as well as by the use of lessons of accumulated experience, taking into account not only problems and risks, but also the opportunities and strengths of the organisation. Safety management also provides support for the development of proactive and reactive systemic management, typically applied by personnel in rapid response conditions, as well as in the implementation of supporting or routine day-to-day activities.