The safety net

The unemployment rate at that time was 25 percent! People were looking for jobs, and many could not find one. Many were losing their jobs due to the Great Depression but during these difficult circumstances, a stunning feat of engineering took place. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Construction of the bridge was undertaken by a huge labor force that was made up of ordinary laborers except for some specialized workers and only a few of them were engineers. This project was one of the most incredible achievements of the Industrial Revolution, and the workers were proud to take part in it.

The construction of the Golden Gate Bridge is also an astonishing story of achievements and safety standards. And Tim Elmore, in his book “The Eight Paradox of Leadership,” tells the story.

The safety record for the Golden Gate Bridge was impressive. Only 11 workers died completing the $35 million project. The expectation for a steel bridge construction was one fatality for every $1 million in cost, by those standards. So how did they pull this off?

Typically, when someone falls and dies during the construction of a bridge, work slows down; you can imagine the remaining workers become apprehensive and fearful, causing missed deadlines. The men became preoccupied with survival instead of focusing on the project’s success, and their fear slowed down the work. The foremen became pushy. They know that the longer it takes to finish the project, the delays and the slower pace could cause the project to incur higher costs. So they pushed harder.

However, Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss was convinced that workers needed to labor safely, although the project might miss the deadlines. So, Strauss made the site the first in America to have a safety net suspended underneath them. The decision was a costly one at $130,000, but it worked. The safety net saved the lives of 19 falling workers who call themselves the halfway to hell club. Not only did people survive, but the work sped up as everyone felt empowered to focus on completing their work rather than on the fear for their safety, despite the cost of the pricey safety net. The project finished on time, on budget, and with minimal casualties.

Can you see the paradox of suspending a safety net underneath a project costing money and time? A leader might assume it’s not worth the cost. Ironically, however, it saves time and cash. The work accelerates as the team feel safe, didn’t fear for their lives, empowered, and able to focus on getting the job done.

Today, we are not building or constructing bridges but just the same. We work with people in our business amidst a volatile and uncertain environment. Apart from the physical safety provided by the physical nets in our Golden Gate Bridge story, we need to train our leaders to have the leadership skills to lead their teams and provide them with the psychological safety their people need. Inspiring leaders bring out the confidence in their people and enable them to tap into their potential. Without this skill, team members would be afraid to falter or fail, and when this becomes the culture, you can kiss creativity and excellence goodbye.

Psychological safety is defined as the belief that one can speak up without the risk of punishment or humiliation. It has been well established as a critical driver of high-quality decision making, healthy group dynamics and interpersonal relationships, more significant innovation, and more effective execution in organizations. Suddenly, success comes more quickly; creativity and initiative thrive because failure isn’t final or fatal, and the team knows that they will not be punished or humiliated by the boss.

The workplace needs many effective leaders who show humility and are not fond of humiliating people who commit mistakes or fail to deliver. And this is why right leadership training for leaders is essential for safety’s sake.

(Francis Kong runs his Level Up Leadership 2.0 Master Class Online on May 24, 25, and, 26. For inquiries and reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or and for more information, visit www.levelupleadership.ph)