From Novice to Leader: A Successful Internship Story

From Novice to Leader: Why Manager Internships Change Safety Culture

In the context of a generational shift and the arrival of young professionals in management positions, the nuclear industry has faced a new challenge. University graduates possess deep technical knowledge but often lack practical skills in personnel management and building a culture of safe behavior. Liliya Kutergina, Head of the General Training Department at Novovoronezh NPP, shares a unique experience of solving this problem by implementing a mandatory internship for new managers at the workplace of the Head of the HSE Department.

Symptoms of a Safety Culture "Rollback"

The speaker analyzes a situation where, after a period of high engagement and zero injuries (LTIFR = 0 for 10 years), alarming signals began to appear. Quantitative indicators stopped improving, and qualitative ones revealed unfavorable trends in personnel behavior. Unsafe acts began to repeat, and new managers experienced difficulties with risk management and special assessment of working conditions (SAWC) procedures. This became the starting point for finding new leadership development tools.

A Five-Stage Manager Internship Model

The presentation details the internship mechanism, which includes five key stages:

• Familiarization with processes and procedures. Forming a basic understanding of tasks and implementation mechanisms in the HSE field.
• Practical walkarounds without management. Joint visits with experienced inspection personnel to develop the skill of identifying precursors to violations.
• Top management leadership school. Leadership walkarounds involving the director or chief engineer to demonstrate proper communication and evaluate the effectiveness of measures.
• Analysis and summarization of results. Building a functional task matrix and assessing the department's condition.
• Report and public presentation. Overcoming the fear of public speaking and defending one's conclusions before the plant's management.

Precursors as the Key to Prevention

The speaker pays special attention to the ability to see "precursors" — minor events or traces of habitual but unsafe actions (for example, trodden paths in unauthorized places or stretched warning tapes instead of rigid barriers). The manager's task is not just to record the violation, but to identify the cause and prevent the incident before it occurs.

Results: From Reducing Unsafe Acts to an Open Mic

The implementation of the internship program led to measurable results. The number of unsafe acts decreased by 14%, and incorrect personnel actions ceased to be recorded. Qualitative changes turned out to be even more significant: employee engagement increased, and the practice of an "open mic" at meetings with the director emerged, which reduced the power distance and increased trust within the team.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to organize an effective HSE internship for young managers?
• Why is it important to teach managers to see precursors to violations, and not just the facts themselves?
• How to overcome communication barriers between production managers and HSE specialists?
• What metrics to use to evaluate the effectiveness of leadership walkarounds?
• How does the "open mic" practice help identify hidden problems in the workplace?