Blog Topics
Looking for something specific? The following topics address a wide range of business needs and challenges.
Common Leadership Errors: Being nice and expecting influence
The concept of providing feedback is nothing new. Performance feedback has been studied for well over 40 years and shown to be an effective and low-cost method for improving performance. …
Not Another Survey
ADI regularly incorporates perception surveys into our work. Surveys are cost-effective and have several applications such as assessing organizational culture, doing a pulse check on the reliability…
Common Leadership Errors: Being Vague and Expecting Perfection
There is no doubt that how results are produced is just as, or more important, than the results themselves. How work is done, the behaviors people do to produce an outcome, is a driver of long-…
Complacency Is Not a Root Cause
Complacency as a concept in safety has been around for some time. That said, I’ve noticed an uptick in client discussions highlighting employee complacency as a contributing factor in recent…
The Should vs. Is Leadership Error
This is the first in a new blog series from Bryan Shelton. Check in on the first Tuesday of every month for new blogs in the series.
Our brains are designed to learn and adapt quickly to our…
Caution—Don't Try This At Home
In my experience, mistakes can be our greatest teachers under two conditions. We must take the time to understand both why they happened, and how to change our behavior to prevent repeating them. I’d…
The ABCs of a New Year’s Resolution
Many people make New Year’s resolutions dedicated to making themselves better in some way. Whether it’s to lose weight and get fit; become a better leader; or be a better spouse, parent, or friend.…
The Demise of Effective Training
My colleagues and I have noticed a disturbing trend as we complete surveys and assessments for our clients. A significant number of employees are telling us that skills training has become woefully…
The Importance of Psychological Safety for Safety Culture Improvement
The term “psychological safety” is having a moment. While on the surface it may seem like yet another organizational buzzword, this one has true merit, especially in safety. The term was coined by…
Productivity Theater
Productivity is a big concern for managers who have people working remotely. Will they actually work as hard as they would in an office? This fear has been called “productivity paranoia.” I recently…
Errorless Leadership: Helping Others Be Successful
“People learn more from their mistakes” is an old saying that should be put out to pasture. Not only is this statement untrue from a learning standpoint, but relying on people to make mistakes to…
Quelling Quiet Quitting
Quiet Quitting is trending—on TikTok, in articles and blogs. Definitions vary but tend to include things like (1) worker disengagement, (2) a refusal to go “above and beyond,” and (3) a re-set…
“New and Improved” or Just Good Marketing?
I’m troubled by what seems like an accelerating trend in safety, and that is people touting the next great thing. Don’t misunderstand…I believe in constantly looking for ways to improve. Technology…
Situational Awareness: A Safety Miracle Cure?
I recently talked to a client who was trying to gain commitment for some safety leadership improvements and was frustrated with the resistance he was facing from some of the management team. The…
Too Lean for Safety
It is an understatement to say that many organizations are running lean. The trend worsened during the pandemic and the current economic uncertainty seems destined to make matters even worse. While…
Pandemic Resentment on the Front Line
The pandemic created a lot of divisions between people. At many organizations one such division is between those who had to continue to go to the workplace and those who were able to work from home.…
From "Beat Down" to "Build Up"
Recently during a leadership workshop I was facilitating, a participant approached me at a break and told me he wanted more out of his direct reports. He wanted to know why his current approach was…
Be Mindful of Your Messaging
The messages and communications that leaders send to employees, particularly those on the frontline, are critical. A well put message can boost morale, inspire engagement, and improve relationships…