This document discusses how leadership influences safety culture at NASA and energy pipeline organizations. Both deal with critical, high-risk operations involving fuel and complex lifting. While processes are important, people and culture truly drive safety. Leaders must share their vision of safety as the top priority, foster open communication to address concerns, and brand their organization's culture of prioritizing safety through inspiration and connection. A strong, positive culture cultivated by leadership can empower teams to take pride in their work and leave a lasting legacy of safety.

1. Leaderships Influence on Safety Culture
FEPA Conference – Orlando, 2012
Mark Wiese / NASA KSC

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Speaker Background

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Critical, High Risk, Hazardous
NASA Energy Pipeline
• Processing & Launch • Maintenance & Sustainment
• Fueling • Gas & Liquid Transfer
• Cryogenic Fuel Storage • Fuel Storage
• Complex Lifting Operations • Regulation of Pressure/Temp
• Integration of Workforce • Integration of Workforce
• Multiple Skill Sets • Multiple Skill Sets
• Various Companies • Various Companies
• Government Insight/Oversight • Government Insight/Oversight

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Primary Goal – Mission Success

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Safety before Mission Success
Why? - People & Family

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How to best achieve Safety?
• Process Driven is one way…
▫ OSHA
▫ VPP
▫ ISO-9000
▫ CMMI
▫ Standards
▫ Regulations
▫ Etc. etc. etc.
Processes do nothing without

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Why Culture?
• Project Management is required to achieve our goals?
▫ Cost
▫ Schedule
▫ Technical
• People & Teams are the true key to a successful project
▫ You can effectively manage your cost, schedule, and
technical requirements through your people and the
diversity of your team
• Assure Safety remains a primary value of your People
▫ As a Leader you must

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Leadership Drives Culture
• Share the vision, no matter how big or small
• Explain the connection of the job to society
• Foster communication
• Influence a workforce that openly communicates
concerns and discusses solutions
▫ Remove fear of “speaking up”
▫ Establish a process for handling dissent & risk
▫ Empower Checks & Balances
▫ Do not limit the Decision Makers

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Branding Influences Behaviors
• Drive home the “Brand”, the “Mission”
• Explain the “Way we operate” & “Why”
• Don’t forget your history… revisit often

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The Power of Brand Recognition
• Why does “Branding” your organization work?
▫ Inspires
▫ Connects the Mind & Heart
▫ Lasting
• How do well known organizations differentiate
their brand to you?
 “Just Do It”
 “Be all you can be”
 “Breakfast of champions”
 “Think Different”

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Culture as it applies to teams
Culture: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and
practices that characterizes an institution or organization
(www.merriam-webster.com)
• Strong cultures immediately invoke emotions
• What culture exists in your team today (+/-/neutral)?
• As a leader you can take steps to re-shape a team culture
• As a team member, you can influence a culture
• Safety is a Prime Value
▫ Only when it is a part of your Culture
▫ Being a force fed process alone will not establish the value
▫ Leadership must encourage the behavior by example

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So What?
• Cultures will form anyway
• Cultures can be negative and counterproductive
The right culture can cultivate your team to have…

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Empower your team – take Pride
… leave a Legacy for others to follow