• Who We Serve
    image description
    We Serve

    JMJ offers a range of services designed to meet the needs of clients in all sectors with extensive experience.

    Explore the industries most relevant to you

    Major Capital Projects

    Together with owners and contractors we have successfully delivered some of the world’s most complex and iconic projects that have reached above industry benchmarks.
    Learn More

    Construction and Infrastructure

    We work alongside the world’s leading construction and engineering firms to create high-performance safety cultures that have produced strong productivity and financial performance.
    Learn More

    Manufacturing

    We partner with the top fortune 500 manufacturing organisations to mobilise their organisations to safely operate at full production capacity while improving the quality of their products and overall profitability.
    Learn More
  • Services
    image description
    Our Services

    We have partnered with some of the world’s most well-known companies in the energy, construction, manufacturing, logistics and mining sectors solve their most complex challenges.

    Learn More

    Our Services

    Incident and Injury-FreeTM (IIFTM)

    High Integrity TurnaroundsTM

    Leadership and Organizational Performance

    The School of Coaching

    High Performance ProjectsTM

  • Impact
    The CLEAR DSR Project Video
    A Culture of Safety Where People Take Care of Each Other Every Day

    Daewoo Engineering and Construction DSR-4 Project celebrates one year of being Incident and Injury-Free ™ (IIF ™)

    Learn More

    What Clients Say

    Daewoo E&C Achieves Project Success by Creating a Strong Safety Culture on a Major Infrastructure Project

    American Infrastructure

    Qatar Shell Safety leadership Coach Describes the Special Contributions JMJ Brings to Drive Change

    COO Shares his Safety Leadership, Culture and Performance Journey at Seaway Heavy Lifting

    Client Results

    Japanese Engineering & Construction Corporation Achieves Breakthrough Improvement in Safety Performance

    Russian Petroleum Operations Company Achieves a Shift in its Health and Safety Culture in 9 Months

    DS LNG Major Capital Project Works 34 Million Worker-hours Without a LTI

    Monadelphous Achieves Triple Figures for Days Without Injury

  • Insights

    Articles & Blogs

    Safety Talks Podcast

    Press Releases

    From the Web

    Events

    News

  • People
    image description
    Meet Our Team

    There are over 150 JMJ employees around the world. Together, they speak more than 50 languages.

    Learn More

    Meet Our Team

    Senior Partners

    Partners

    Managing Consultants

    Executive Leadership

    Board of Directors

    Founders

  • About Us
    image description
    About Us

    30 Years in Transformational Management Consulting

    Learn More

    Our History

    Over the last 30+ years, we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world live safer, more productive, and above all, more rewarding lives.

    Our Vision

    In partnership with our clients around the globe, we make the impossible possible, and the possible real by creating an environment where people are motivated, inspired, and rewarded – every day.

    Our Perspective

    JMJ is focused on transformational leadership. We help companies build a belief system from the ground up; it’s based on respect for every single employee.
  • Careers
    • Address IconCorporate Headquarters
      8310-1 N. Capital of Texas
      Highway, Suite 440,
      Austin, TX 78731
    • Phone Icon +1 (512) 795 0795
    • Mail IconEmail Us

     

    • linkedin
    • facebook
    • twitter
    • Youtube
    Contact Us
    New Career
    Looking for a New Career?

    Be a part of something great with life changing experience

    Click here to Get Started

    Our International Offices

    EMEA Office - London

    Americas Office – Austin

    South Korea Office - Seoul

    APAC Office - Singapore

    Middle East Office - Qatar

    Kazakhstan Office – Atyrau

    Australia Office – W. Australia

  • Contact Us
    • Address IconCorporate Headquarters
      8310-1 N. Capital of Texas
      Highway, Suite 440,
      Austin, TX 78731
    • Phone Icon +1 (512) 795 0795
    • Mail IconEmail Us

     

    • linkedin
    • facebook
    • twitter
    • Youtube
    Contact Us

    Our International Offices

    EMEA Office - London

    Americas Office – Austin

    South Korea Office - Seoul

    APAC Office - Singapore

    Middle East Office - Qatar

    Kazakhstan Office – Atyrau

    Australia Office – W. Australia

Part II: Safety Cardinal Rules for Line Managers, Not Just Workers
Latest News
  • Blog
  • Safety Breakthroughs

Part II: Safety Cardinal Rules for Line Managers, Not Just Workers

Latest Blogs

May 05, 2016


Note: This is Part II of “Safety Cardinal Rules for Line Managers, Not just Workers.” Read Part I here. To all who’ve responded to Andre Limby’s post on my blog, thank you for all of your comments and allow me to join the conversation…

First my title, “Cardinal Rules for Managers” and my approach to this topic. The words rules and compliance appear in a number of your comments. A few argue that adding rules for managers will just result in a more compliance-driven culture and not necessarily a safer one. I agree.

More rules and compliance will not turn a site that’s already got a good safety record, into one that is great. I recognized this when I wrote the article, but I purposely chose a provocative title.

I believe managers shouldn’t expect their workers and supervisors to solve safety problems, when the responsibility lies squarely with them. They need to stop automatically looking for who to blame and look at themselves first, especially in response to incidents.

Ideally (and perhaps more rigorously), I could have challenged readers to consider ways of being and behaving as cardinal or primary. This more nuanced wording and approach is perhaps more accurate, but it isn’t as punchy as “rules”. My intent is to challenge managers to stop imposing such rigid structures of work on their workers, without adopting high standards of ethics, learning and culture change and being accountable for these standards.

So I agree: rules are not the answer, even rules for managers! I appreciate those comments that challenge the thinking (and me by extension!).

Other readers make valuable observations:

  • maybe limit “Cardinal Rules” to complying with legislation and paying rapt attention to Fatal Risks?

  • perhaps people should be “free to think”?

In my travels I hear divergent views on rules. It seems most line and HSE managers I speak with, believe that a foundation of rules and an accompanying structure of discipline for a breach or non-compliance must be in place first. Then we can build a more thoughtful, caring culture. This foundation of rules and compliance is necessary to give people the freedom to learn, adapt, etc.

Yet another reader comments along the lines of rules and absolutes don’t work. I also hear people arguing that short-service contractors and employees need to understand the basic requirements and know the immediate consequences of non-compliance. There isn’t time to develop people or contractor companies’ culture with these services.

I would welcome more dialogue on this topic. Are rules a “must-have” and an adaptive culture a “nice-to-have”?

A few thoughts of my own:

  • Accountability does not equal punishment. The word accountability to me means: “I will answer for my behavior, results and factors in and out of my control. I will stand up and answer clearly and responsibly, without guilt or blame for my actions and results.”

  • Far too many sites are using the term “a Just Culture” as a way to sanction punishment. Sure, they adjust the penalty to the “crime” in a rational way, but it is punishment nonetheless. Often, the responses I see are largely retributive, not restorative. Punishment should be reserved for criminals, not workers trying to get a job done and a family fed. I don’t see workers committing crimes. Certainly there are a few bad actors, but these are not the real problem on our sites. Thus my words in the article: “Stand up for rectifying the harm and restoring what has been lost, not retribution. Stand up for learning not blame. Zero is not possible. Perfection is not the goal, learning is. You will be surprised at the vastly different outcomes and solutions that arise from shifting your focus to learning from the harsh glare of blame”.

Getting away from punishing errors to learning from them may seem weak to some, but I assure you it will take a lot of courage! I can hear the replies already:

  • Whoa! Not punish a worker who made the wrong choice – we have to set the right example!!

  • What signal will that send to the other workers? They are watching us for signs of weakness! or

  • What?! We must have told them what not to do a dozen times and the injured person did it anyway. We can’t be soft!!

I have seen and heard of managers forgoing punishment for other outcomes that prompt a learning and culture change on their sites. I’d welcome hearing of some examples from readers. And I welcome counter-arguments.

In my article and again above, I write, “Zero is not possible.” Many safety professionals and writers are taking a view that “Zero” was and perhaps still is a great marketing story. A provocative attention-getter that is no longer serving the industry. It is a black and white concept that simply doesn’t hold true in reality.

Close colleagues of mine challenge me on this; “Mike, aren’t you letting go of a powerful stand for safety by weakening your commitment to no incidents or injuries?” I don’t believe I am. Rather I, and others, are recognizing the false mandate and security of absolutes in the complex and shifting world of safety. In the real world, a commitment to Zero Injuries turns too quickly to Zero Tolerance. Especially in the face of success. I welcome dialogue on this point.

Finally, I want to thank you for commenting, and I am taking your words and comments to heart. Clearly you care deeply about safety, learning and engaging not preaching. This is the future of improved safety – your authentic leadership.

RELATED: Part I: Safety Cardinal Rules for Line Managers, Not Just Workers

RELATED: Safety: Over Managed and Under Led


View All Client Results

Japanese Engineering & Construction Corporat Achieves Breakthrough Improvement in Safety Performance
Client Results Safety
Japanese Engineering & Construction Corporation Achieves Breakthrough Improvement in Safety Performance
The JGC Corpora
Russian Petroleum Operations Company Achieves a Shift in its Health and Safety Culture
Client Results Safety
Russian Petroleum Operations Company Achieves a Shift in its Health and Safety Culture in 9 Months
SPD had been wo
Success Story DS LNG Major Capital Project Works 34 Million Worker-hours Without a LTI
Client Results Safety
DS LNG Major Capital Project Works 34 Million Worker-hours Without a LTI
$2.8B LNG MCP C
Monadelphous Achieves Triple Figures for Days Without Injury
Client Results Safety
Monadelphous Achieves Triple Figures for Days Without Injury
Engineering gro
Shell Scotford Achieves Extraordinary 60 Days Turnaround Success
Client Results High Integrity Turnarounds
Shell Scotford Achieved Extraordinary Turnaround Success with the Creation of a Safety Culture in the Planned 60 days
Japanese Engine


Author

Mike Goddu
Senior Partner and Co-Founder, Major Capital Projects

Latest Blogs

Blog Capital Projects High Performance Projects
The Intersection of Quality, Safety, Productivity, and Innovation to Create High-Performance on your Major Capital Projects
Human performan
Blog
Decluttering your Energetic Body
Sandy Schreiber
Blog Safety
Back to School Safety Checklist
The National Sa
First my title, “Cardinal Rules for Managers” and my approach to this topic. The words rules and compliance appear in a number of your comments. A few argue that adding rules for managers will just result in a more compliance-driven culture and not necessarily a safer one. I agree.

Mike Goddu Author
Senior Partner and Co-Founder, Major Capital Projects
  • Author
Author
Michael co-founded JMJ in 1987 and has more than 25 years of industry and consulting experience. In the early 90’s, Mike developed the firm’s High Performance Projects practice, and has led numerous commercial and government engagements for JMJ, including Bechtel Group’s work during the rebuilding of Kuwait following the 1990-91 war; petroleum and chemical projects for Chevron in the U.S. and Middle East; alignment and leadership development for multi-billion (USD) chemical plants in Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; and alliance development and project execution for a $3 billion (CD) Shell refinery project in Canada.
JMJ
  • Address IconCorporate Headquarters
    8310-1 N. Capital of Texas
    Highway, Suite 440,
    Austin, TX 78731
  • Phone Icon +1 (512) 795-0795
  • Mail IconEmail Us

 

  • linkedin
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram

Who we Serve

  • Major Capital Projects
  • Construction and Infrastructure
  • Manufacturing
  • Oil and gas
  • Mining
  • Logistics
  • Renewable energy
  • Aerospace

Services

  • Incident and Injury-Free™
  • High Performance Projects™
  • Leadership and Organizational Performance
  • High Integrity Turnarounds™
  • The School of Coaching

News

  • Taming the Terror of Turnarounds
    Lubes ‘n’ Greases Magazine Features Mike Goddu in a Turnaround Article Called ‘Taming the Terror of Turnarounds’
    November 15, 2019
  • 0
    Billerudkorsnäs Gävle’s IIF Safety Journey Featured in Swedish Publication ‘Papper och Massa’
    September 26, 2017
  • 0
    Associate British Ports Launches Beyond Zero Journey
    May 23, 2016

Locations

  • Americas Office – Austin
    Contact Us
  • APAC Office – Singapore
    Contact Us
  • EMEA Office – London
    Contact Us
  • Middle East Office – Doha
    Contact Us
  • Kazakhstan Office – Atyrau
    Contact Us
  • South Korea Office – Seoul
    Contact Us
  • Australia Office – Perth
    Contact Us
Privacy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | Accessibility | Cookie Policy | Feedback | Site Map |

© 2019 JMJ Associates LLP. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of JMJ Associates content or logo, including by framing or similar means, is prohibited without the prior written consent of JMJ Associates.
    This site uses cookies to provide you with a more personalised service. By using this site you agree to our use of cookies. Please read our cookie policy for more information on the cookies we use and how to delete or block them.Accept Read More
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Necessary Always Enabled

    en English
    en Englishar Arabiczh-CN Chinese (Simplified)da Danishfr Frenchde Germanhi Hindiid Indonesianja Japanesekk Kazakhko Koreanne Nepaliru Russianes Spanishsv Swedish