Safety Leadership Model rings

The Safety Leadership Model (Figure 4-1) is made up of four rings ... 

The research literature has classified leadership style (the second ring in the Safety Leadership Model) in a number of ways. In recent years, the various dimensions and models have coalesced into two basic styles transformational leadership and transactional leadership. (A third type, laissez-faire leadership, is also mentioned, but it amounts to an abdication of leadership responsibility and is thus not desirable to safety leadership.) There is increasing evidence that transformational and transactional leadership are not mutually exclusive, but that different situations call for different styles. Great leaders are adept at using the mix that is appropriate to a given situation. ... 

Jn the previous chapter we addressed the two inner rings of the Safety Leadership Model (see Figure 4-1) the leader s personal safety ethic (a r I l to combination of his or her personality,... 

The model can be read two ways from the inside out, with the individual leader s personal safety ethic, leadership style, and practices emanating outward to the culture or from the outside in, with the culture of the organization affecting the individual leader. Since our interest is primarily in how leaders influence culture, we will approach the model from the inside out. From the inside, each ring leads to the next and ultimately to business results. Who the leader is (her personality and values) sets the foundation for how she influences (her style), and what she does (her practices). Leadership practices shape the organization s culture, which, in turn, shapes safety results. 

The third ring from the center of the model addresses what the leader does—his behavior, or practices. The model positions practices next to style. For a leader to become a great safety leader, he must translate his core values, personality, and leadership style into safety-critical practices. 

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