The Unconventional Leadership

Probably I am not the only one who has observed a manager,  a front line supervisor or one of our fellow EHS professionals doing something unconventional that nourish the company safety culture. I have noticed the best EHS leadership usually comes with some degree of unconventionality, through particular habits, behaviors, skills or simply other quirks attached to their style that make them unique, that add a particular value, or “edge” to your safety program and EHS culture. 

I think a true EHS leader will stand out from the crowd with something special, it is not just passion, it is not just compliance it lies in the specifics that leave a mark on people, that influence people to follow and inspire on the go. Clearly it is not just based on knowledge because the unconventional EHS Leadership embraces the often times seen, “unconventional ways” to achieve their goals and pursue their vision. They don’t just do what they are told to do nor what they see others doing, they paint their leadership style with their own colors and bold traces. 

I wonder, Can someone just adopt other’s positive seal, behavior or something that will become a caracteristic and apply it to their leadership, does it need to come from the inside, like something really personal and so on and so forth? then how is this done? 

The Unconventional Positive Leadership

Becoming the best EHS leader you can be, requires a certain degree of nonconformity and a willingness to differientiate yourself from others, even if you admire somones’s leadership style, your will need to find or develop your own signature and stamp it as a seal in your message and vision, of course with business sense and values as guiding compass, but the edge has to be yours and you will be known by that. 

What is your “somehow” different? what does it means to be unconventional positive, orthodox, creative, can this unconventional trait be decomposed and analysis part by part or it is a whole together? 

It suggests that if you want to be truly the best EHS leader, you will need to take calculated risks, challenge the status quo, and be prepared for people to not understand or appreciate your unconventional approach. If this is not apealing to you and you prefer to be just another EHS leader, although not the best you can be, you can always follow the trend and there is nothing wrong with that, but know that it will make you equal not unique, and the true is we all are unique, each of us in a certain way so at the same time by setting for less than the best you can be, you will be denying and limiting yourself, limiting your growth and development.

This “unconventional positive leadership” (I will call it UPL)  is the habit, personality trait or seal, or all of them together that forge your EHS leadership stamp, your personal seal, think about this: What do you want others to know you by? What is that personality trait, behavior, or meaningful thing that drives all or part of your message and vision and also is visible and can be repited and imitated.  

World Figures with Unconventional Positive Leadership

Here below are some of the world leaders UPBs, at least according my readings and view:

>Nelson Mandela: bravery, determination, humility, goodness, peace, and of course tactical skills. He was a fitness enthusiast, and a  master of disguise.

>Abraham Lincoln: honesty, courage, compassion, sense of humor and a strong moral compass. His self-deprecating humor, making jokes about how lucky he was rather than skilled, made others to feel related to him.

>Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership:  recognized for his simplicity, humility, and his ability to connect with and inspire the masses. He had a simple lifestyle, no complexity, clear straigth forward message.

>Martin Luther King Jr.: Self-confidence, unwavering courage, integrity, empathy and determination. He was a passioned reader using books as a source of inspiration and knowledge for his speeches and advocacy.

>Prime Minister Margaret Tacher: Decisiveness in time of crisis, strong convictions, clear beliefs, strong will. She was a bit confrontational and sometimes harsh speaking but this a bold statement to her strong convictions and clear beliefs.

What is your Unconventional Positive Leadership (UPL)?

If someone would have to write down 2 to 3 lines about you as a leader, what would you like those line to be? 

These leaders, history heros, somehow reshaped the world, changed course of history with their many UPBs. You don’t need to have the whole array of habits, seals and personality traits but if you can find the ONE that feels as your signature, that personal UPB that characterized your leadership you are one step ahead to become the best EHS leader you can. If you don’t see it yet maybe it is just because you haven’t been aware, self-aware and the work to identify your UPB should start with some mindful personal awareness. If it makes it easy you can choose one UPB and make it personal, own it and forge it to be your unconvensional potive leadership behavior. Just think, what you would lilke to be know by, and what can boost, reinforce the path to achieve your goals and ultimately your vision. 

UPL Idea Joggers

EHS profesionals, here you have 10 potential UPL starting points that you can adopt, tweak or use them as idea joggers:    

1. Revise your normal routines and add a signature element to them.
2. Do you like catchy phrases? perhaps you can start by using one to quickly communicate your expectations, your most relevant topic, and repeat, repeat, repeat.
3. Work on your awareness of others, pick one action that you will follow on a daily basis that will stand out and build relations.
4. Walk around facility every day at a certain time but gather feedback, ask yourself at the end, what did I learn from this walk. if needed find the way to lower your executive status precense and be seen as an approachable person.
5. Pick a topic that you would like it to be your message, loving CPR? own it, something outdoors you like that can be extrapolated to the work like climbing/fall protection? What about Defensive driving? Military leadership experience? bring it on. what is your pep?
6. Shadow work in the field without announcing it, observing highlighting what works well. 
7. Run swap weeks, cross-department safety strategies.
8. Do you like story telling? do you have a story? Craft it, embed specific elements and use it as your standard, what are you big about? 
9. Are you a gamer?, lets say do you like games and see some oportunity on it? perhaps that can be your Unconventional Positive leadership behavior.
10. We always do audits, and they go top down, what about a reverse EHS audit, let the frontline employees audit supervisors, workstations and even EHS program. 

Pick one or come up with one, perhaps find one inside yourself, ask others for feedback and your could have a golden nugget that perhaps you did not notice before and it is worth it to explore and growth.