The Real Truth About Safety Leadership
How Focusing On Strengths And Reducing Stress Creates A Culture Of Awareness.
Safety
Garrison Wynn, CSP
Dynamic, Customized and Funny
Gain Influence Trust and Value
Learn How to Create a Culture of Safety and Make it Stick.
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Influencing Safety
How do you get buy-in?
How do you get people to do what you want them to do regardless of the circumstances?
"Engaged employees are more aware, less complacent and more likely to look out for each other. Incidents go down when morale goes up!" - Garrison Wynn
Oxy
Months after our general managers' safety meeting, I continue to get calls from our folks who were in attendance asking if we can get Garrison Wynn to come back. Garrison's message, combined with his unique, upbeat and entertaining delivery, was the perfect combination to reach every person in that room.
Amazon Global Safety Leadership
They absolutely loved you! Captivating yet influential and motivational, Garrison far exceeded expectations and was exactly the type of keynote speaker we were hoping for - still being talked about months later.
Dyno Nobel, Inc
Garrison Wynn engaged and excited our audience! He mixes humor with real world experience and certainly can reach an audience. His Safety message was relevant to our company and industry and he does his homework not only on our company but on the audience as well. His message on leadership reached all levels and had them discussing leadership and safety. We all walked away with something that can be applied in our everyday business. Thanks!
Governor's Occupational Safety & Health Conference
Garrison was absolutely fantastic and engaging. His incredible energy was infectious! His message completely hit home with exactly what our conference is about – safety, training, and leadership. We look forward to bringing him back!
Anderson Development Company
Garrison worked closely with us to develop tailored presentations that were centered around our safety behavior standard. Garrison’s talks were outstanding. With humor, energy, and compelling personal stories, he delivered a powerful message that resonated with our team. Garrison exceeded our expectations!
American Public Works Association
We have received nothing but positive feedback from attendees, our CEO, and our Board members about your program. Thanks so much for hitting it out of the park for us!
Virginia State Corporation Commission
Garrison Wynn’s presentation at our 24th annualPipeline Safety Conference was extremely well received. Garrison was adept at putting out a very serious and important safety message while keeping the speech entertaining and engaging. We have had a wide variety of keynote speakers over the years, but Garrison stood out as exceptional. Conference attendees were talking about Garrison’s speech for days, and many other speakers referenced points that Garrison made. He was professional, and an absolute pleasure to work with, and I would highly recommend him for anyone hosting a similar event. Thank you to Garrison and the whole team at Wynn Solutions for a great event! -Shane Ayers, Deputy Director, Division of Utility and Railroad Safety
U.S. Space and Missile Defense Command
Thank you for your outstanding contribution to the 11th Annual Joint Safety and Occupational Health Exposition. By sharing your time and energy, you contributed to a greater knowledge and commitment to safety among the soldiers, civilians and families of the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command. I would like to take this opportunity to express the gratitude of this command for your outstanding service. -James A. Dickinson, Lieutenant General US Army, Commanding General
Alabama Power
We asked Garrison to customize a one-hour safety keynote for the 22 events we scheduled. He got rave reviews (at all 22 events)!
National Gypsum
I want to thank you for coming in as a guest speaker for our 2020 Safety Stand Down. You did an outstanding job touching on safety subjects and giving great examples while doing so. You kept the crowd very engaged with humor and statistics. Those two don’t usually go together very well but you made it work! I got nothing but positive feedback from everyone I spoke to after you left. Feel free to use me as a reference for anyone reaching out to you in the future searching for a recommendation or review. Good luck moving forward and continue doing what you do, because you are Very good at it!
Safety Program Descriptions
Engaged Safety
What The Most Successful Safety Leaders Do Differently
We hear the term “employee engagement” a lot these days. We also hear how recognition, goal alignment and a clear path to success can create it. But how can engagement produce a sustainable culture of safety as we strive for zero incidents? By leaders making their employees the "heroes" of safety.
Drawing from Gallup research across 46 countries (research shows that engaged employees are 48% safer on the job than their disengaged counterparts), this highly informative and entertaining session reveals how skilled leaders at all levels create safety: They give employees what they value most—the feeling that they are valued. From this session, leaders acquire specific communication tools they can use to dramatically reduce resistance to change and to create a safer work environment. The impact of this program reaches far beyond the session itself, creating an emotional shift that fuels immediate implementation.
Influencing Safety
Whether you are trying to reduce your number of recordables or prevent a good safety record from creating complacency, this entertaining, customized session is more than just a safe bet. It will get your people laughing, learning and motivated to create a culture of safety while maintaining productivity. This program focuses on developing the personal influence to make things stick, whether you're helping leaders move change through their locations or getting workers to look out for each other on the job site. Garrison is authentic - a guy who's been there. He's a chemical plant explosion survivor who has developed environmental safety products still in use worldwide. He expertly fuses his experiences into key takeaways such as how to build the trust and relationships that make consistent safety a reality. He delivers those takeaways using a humorous approach that will have a serious impact on your event.
Change Is Mandatory…Stress Is Optional
Action and adaptability create opportunity
Change is something we all have to deal with, but the stress that accompanies change is more of a choice. In this heavily researched session, Garrison applies his signature humor to a very serious topic.
This fun, comprehensive program offers tools and tips for getting through a big change with very little stress. More importantly, it creates an emotional shift for attendees as they see how much control they have over how change affects them. This session also shows attendees how stress is more about what we believe than it is about what is actually happening.
From embracing big transitions in technology to dealing with curriculum changes, student poverty, COVID and family factors, this presentation helps superintendents, principles, and teachers implement necessary changes with minimal resistance.
- Curing disengagement
- How to get "buy-in" on change quickly
- Resignations and retirements: retention and recruiting
- Working from home with no distractions
- Social distance...not emotional distance: overcoming silo-ism
- Managing mental health: what the most successful do differently
- COVID induced worry: separating the data from the drama
- Dealing with resistance to change
- Change is easy… you go first!
Frontline Supervisor Buy-In
It has long been known that frontline supervisors and foremen essentially run the day-to-day operations of an organization, but we often forget that their opinions and beliefs directly determine overall success. They carry such influence because people don’t really work for companies; they work for their direct supervisors. This hands-on (and gloves-off) customized, nonacademic session helps you get buy-in from those direct influencers by shifting their perspective toward creating a work culture that benefits them, their people, and the organization as whole.
Customized Safety Leadership
The Truth About Awareness And Complacency
Garrison's presentation can be tailored to focus on what's most important to your group. Motivation, safety, communication and success tools mixed the way you like it. Below are segments that can be used to build a customized 30-minute to 1hr session.
- What really motivates people to be safe: The real truth about influence and belief systems
- How to get people to listen to you
- Engaged employees are safer and look out for each other
- We are our brother’s and sisters' keeper: Awareness
- Being present in the moment: Creating a safety culture
- The truth about trust: Team building in action
- Generational differences: Making sure veterans are supportive of Gen Y and young employees respect experience
- Avoiding blame distribution: Working better together
- Getting buy-in and changing behaviors
- How to be right without making people wrong
- Making change work: Dealing with resistance
- Staying motivated by motivating others to be safe
Creating A Culture Of Safety
Safety is not a priority — it’s a core value. Priorities can change but core values stay in place. While research points to the fact that groups that know, value, and listen to each other are dramatically safer than groups that don’t, it takes specific skills and effort to form a sustainable culture. This session provides the skills and belief systems to make that happen. From psychological wellness to embracing change, this entertaining, research-based program makes all your other safety initiatives much more likely to be implemented.
Influencing Safety For All Generations
How to get total buy-in from everyone
Whether you are trying to reduce your number of recordables or prevent a good safety record from creating complacency, this entertaining, customized presentation is more than just a safe bet. It will get you laughing, learning and motivated to create a culture of safety. With a focus on generational differences, the program explains why older employees get stuck in their ways and why younger people are more likely to snap a picture of a fire than run from it!
Influencing Safety: Virtual Version
Keynote Speech Delivered by Garrison Wynn
- What really motivates people to be safe: The real truth about influence
- How to get people to listen to you: the foundation of a safer culture
- Engaged employees are safer and look out for each other
- Being present in the moment: Situational awareness
- The truth about trust: Team building in action
- Generational differences: Making sure veterans are supportive of Gen Y and young employees respect experience
- Dealing with COVID19: social distancing does not mean no communication
- Getting buy-in and changing behaviors: new normal of PPE
- How to be right without making people wrong
- Making change work: Dealing with resistance
Virtual Breakout Sessions
- Topic #1 – Understanding Employee Engagement: Creating a safety culture
What is it? Helping people understand that it’s not about how happy one is at work, but rather are the conditions right so they can be successful/safe.
Why is it Important? – Employee Engagement impacts everyone’s overall well-being.
Engagement Impacts Safety – demonstrating how engagement and a safe workplace go hand-in-hand. - Topic #2 – Team Engagement Quiz
Team Engagement Quiz – Engagement survey generated by audience response system.
Areas of Opportunity – How do our scores impact our safety culture. - Topic #3 – Safety Action Planning Conversations
Getting Started – understanding how engagement becomes part of how team’s work, daily
Creating a Team Action Plan – Team discussion that centers on areas of opportunity and how to improve.
Deliverables: so you can never stop getting better
- Participant Guide (take home the events key information with your notes).
- Action Cards (great tool that you can use to improve and teach others).
- Safety Action Plan Worksheets (create and maintain your safety culture).
Breakout Overview
Participants will learn the importance of engagement and how it impacts the workplace and influences on safety. Each participant team will work together to identify opportunities for improvement with respect to driving a Safety Culture. Attendees will leave the session with a set of actions that they will take to ensure a productive and safe work environment.
National Lime Association
Safety speaker Garrison Wynn was very funny, knowledgeable about safety, well prepared and articulate – and most importantly, he held the audience’s attention. Our members gave him outstanding reviews.
Nexen
Safety speaker Garrison Wynn absolutely hit a home run with the ESCS Forum audience. He took the time to learn about the audience before his safety presentation which added a very personal feel. The audience said they could have listened to Garrison for another 90 minutes. The entire audience was so very captivated by his message and more importantly how he delivered it. We look forward to recommending Garrison for future Nexen safety events.
Vinci Energies
Garrison brought a unique, down to earth safety perspective that resonated with both senior management and field operations personnel, not an easy audience to connect with. His fast-paced,energized message was spot on and he did so while staying clear of the typical safety buzz words and boilerplate that is so common in past speakers we have used. Garrison was a huge hit and perfect fit for our utility construction audience, content rich and entertaining all at the same time. Great job Garrison, we look forward to having you back at an upcoming event.
Risk Control Technologies Inc
Garrison delivered an opening keynote for our safety conference and did a fantastic job. Attendees really enjoyed the blend of insight backed up by research, complemented by comedic delivery. I would highly recommend him for your safety speaker.
Safety Speaker Bio
With talents that established him as a Fortune 500 leader and professional stand-up comedian, Garrison Wynn, CSP, fuses comic timing and research to show how anyone can help create a culture of safety. He is authentic – a guy who's been there. Wynn is a chemical plant explosion survivor with a background in industrial instrumentation. For 20 years, he has given keynote presentations to clients such as Exxon, BASF, the National Safety Council, Behavioral Science and Technology (BST), the NFL, and NASA. In his teens, he debuted the world’s first video gaming system with baseball legend Hank Aaron; and as a young man, Wynn spent six years touring comedy clubs with the top names in the business before going on to create industrial products still being sold in 30 countries.
Gulf Power
The response to your safety presentations has been overwhelmingly positive and I continue to receive comments and e-mails from all areas about how much they enjoyed your message. Without a doubt, you are the most powerful and entertaining safety speaker we have ever experienced!
Royal Dutch Shell
When asked, “What was your favorite safety session?”, hands down, in the United States, The Netherlands and Nigeria, your safety keynote received the most votes. None of the other sessions came even close! Your session was high energy, humorous and gave very practical advice for Safety Managers on how they can be better leaders. Thanks for all your preparation in making sure that it hit the mark.
Wieland
We had the pleasure of hosting Garrison for our annual company safety conference. In advance of the conference, Garrison and I discussed what our companies current cultural challenges are. Garrison was able to address these challenges in his presentation, offering direction for our people that will help us to realize our goals. Garrison’s presentation was as entertaining as it was educational. It was time well spent for our folks and we look forward to having him back.
The Mosaic Company
Garrison's ability to personalized his message for Mosaic was a great way to end each of the 7 sessions at our safety Expo. He gets the audience engaged and they start reflecting back on their own experiences!
Chevron
Garrison was able to get through to our people like no one else. We thought we knew it all; we were wrong.
U.S Pipeline
Garrison’s safety message was informative, entertaining and on point for the audience.
Questions And Answers About Garrison’s Safety Presentations
Do you get an opportunity to speak with safety professionals/this particular community often, and if so, how do you tailor your conversation to that community?
Yes, I speak at about 100 events per year, and 20 percent of the time it’s to safety professionals or those leading and creating a safer direction in their organizations. Research I’ve done over the past 15 years shows that knowledge, experience and intelligence are somewhat irrelevant if you don’t have personal influence. To reduce the number of incidents within an organization, it takes more than really good ideas; it takes people buying into a repeatable culture of safety. Some of this research is the basis of my book The Real Truth about Success: What the Top 1% Do Differently, Why They Won’t Tell You, and How You Can Do It Anyway, which is now an Amazon.com best-seller. Of course, I make sure my delivery of that information is very entertaining. Comedy is truth, only faster!
I understand the title of your presentation is “Making the Most of Difficult Situations: Communicating Safety.” Without giving too much away with regard to what you plan to present, what are some highlights or key themes you’d like to get across?
“How to Get People to Do What You Want Them to Do”
is the overall theme of influence."
Segments Will Include:
- Building trust in a minute or less
- Everyone knows something you don’t
- The foundation of influence (which anyone can master)
- How to create safer behaviors by understanding the real reason people don’t want to change and learning how to reverse that mindset
- Weird safety issues: Many people are hospitalized every year from eating Hot Pockets, which proves that we take risks when we value something else more than safety. (The fact that the thing we value in this case consistently turns out to be a Hot Pocket is as interesting as it is disturbing.) The word “hot” in the name of the product is apparently not enough to help reduce incidents. I’m sure the embarrassment alone reduces the recordables, which means the situation’s even worse than the statistics show.
- Avoiding mixed messages like “Be safe – but not so safe that we can’t have a long lunch!” What’s the underlying message there?! “Keeping all your digits intact is a pretty good thing, but it can’t compare to grabbing a burger and a 10-minute nap”?
- How to clearly explain the value of safety in 20 seconds
- Standing up for safety policies and not letting your personal opinions confuse people about what they are supposed to do
- Why some of the most talented people are so difficult to work with and what you can do about it
- Dealing with people under 30 and making sure we are not creating a safety issue for them by bragging about how brave we were back in the day
- How younger workers are different and how to motivate them (this includes your 22-year-old couch-dwelling son who plays video games for a living!)
- Watching out for each other. Do we have the relationships in place that make us and those around us safer? The guy everyone dislikes is usually the last person saved if the plant goes up in flames!
- You can’t lead by example if you’re a bad example.
There was also a reference to this being a “research-based” session. What research is this referring to? Any additional details you can provide or direct me toward?
Over 10 years, we anonymously surveyed 5,371 top performers regarding what makes them so successful. Many of them were safety professionals or people who work in hazardous industries. The research points to the power of influence and of making people feel valued.
What are the key tips/items you hope our readers/attendees will take away from your keynote?
- How to make sure you have good relationships with people around you so they are looking out for you on the job
- How to effectively hold people accountable for safety
- How to clearly communicate a more powerful safety message that is more likely to get buy-in quickly
- How to gain and maintain more personal influence
- How to get people to see the value of safety and how to consistently show them your personal value as well
What Top Safety Managers Do That Allow Them To Spread The Message Of Safety Through An Organization.
Communicating safety through an organization is accomplished by looking at the truth about success.
Effective safety procedures and behaviors are spread through an organization through the building of good relationships and safety awareness. Below are some highlights of what top safety teams do that allow them to spread the message of safety through an organization.
- They know it is possible to do the job right and safely at the same time.
- They get rid of poison employees who bad-mouth safety.
- They get people to buy into safety by making sure they know what is in it for them.
- They know production quality and safety go hand-in-hand.
- They make sure their people understand the difference between accountability and responsibility.
- They help people create their own safety plans; people always support what they helped to create.
- They respect their boss and participate in the change process.
- They know the key to safety is making sure people are aware of their surroundings.
- They are present in the moment. The excuse “I was not thinking” is always false. Accidents happen when people are thinking, just not about the task at hand.
- They are not afraid to ask questions.
- They can clearly explain the safety procedures. Overcoming resistance to change and adapting to change are fueled by clear communications. When people are confused they are hesitant to act.
- They remember the critical five rules for communicating safety.
Top safety people deal with change and face reality: Culture change is possible! It has worked for others and it can work for you and your people. Remember safety and changing safety procedures are not the problem, resistance to this reality is.
A safety problem is one thing that is better to have heard about than experienced.
Safety Program Accountability Synopsis
What does safety accountability mean?
It means that you are held accountable for safety results. Your safety and the safety of your people are key components of your productivity.
Who is held accountable for safety?
Everyone should be held accountable for safety.
Why is this person the one that should be held accountable for safety?
OSHA says it’s the law; a supervisor can get sued for safety negligence. You have a moral responsibility as well. We should look out for others whenever possible.
How do you hold someone accountable for safety?
One way is in writing; accountability is in our corporate policies. We can also outline someone’s accountability verbally; we can clearly explain accountability and avoid blame distribution. Also, if you are willing to hold yourself accountable first, it becomes much easier to create accountability in others.
When do you hold someone accountable for safety?
All the time: when he or she first sets foot on the property or job site, before any incidents occur.
How do you get people to accept accountability for safety?
You have to develop a why, to get them to excel in safety by choice because they want to, not because they have to. If you have built relationships on a strong foundation of trust and communication, you can dramatically improve people’s acceptance of accountability.
A series of conversations need to take place. This is not an overnight process. However, the first conversation may start like this:
“Our company is trying to achieve zero injuries and accidents; do you think that is possible?” Remember, what comes out of their mouth means more to them than what comes out of your mouth in this situation. Get them talking about how they can effect safety results.
How do you get people to realize that they are responsible for all of the people under their direction?
By getting them to understand the difference between accountability and responsibility. Accountability is when someone makes you accountable for the results, and responsibility is the act of agreeing to be accountable. Put another way, accountability is something someone places on you, and responsibility is something you willingly take on.
Safety Articles
Dangerously Stressed
How anxiety creates an unsafe workplace. It’s official. Stress is now one of the most common causes of incidents in every industry. Across all types of sectors, employee stress poses a notable threat to workplace safety.
Safety Beyond COVID-19
In the past three months, more people than ever think safety is important — even Jimmy, who never wore his safety glasses when the boss wasn’t looking and once proclaimed “I am way too smart to get hurt” (a statement that instantly invalidates itself). Jimmy’s now talking about PPE and without warning spraying hand sanitizer on other people’s hands!
Action and Adaptability Create Safety
The actions we take today and our ability to be flexible enough to succeed will help to ensure that COVID-19 eventually becomes a historical footnote that those of us in the safety realm have helped our organization, employees and loved ones to overcome.
VIRTUAL PROGRAM OPTIONS
As an experienced virtual presenter, Garrison can deliver any of his keynotes in multiple formats depending on your specific needs.
"Excellent talk! Enjoyed your sense of humor, energy, and the quick stories that drove the points home. You did a great job weaving in those Intel specific points!" - Intel
"Great virtual presentation! We really like what Garrison said, and appreciate how pertinent the subject was to what we are living every day." - Ipsen Pharmaceuticals
“Garrison’s animated and genuine style is perfect for virtual events! - Molson Coors Beverage Company
"You were great! Some wonderful chat messages. You were fantastic as usual." - National Rural Broadband Association
“The best delivery & message we have ever seen BAR NONE! We were enthralled every moment!” - Carrier Corporation
"THANK YOU! We have gotten lots of great feedback and loved the Q & A discussion afterward. - Accenture
"Loved the energy!!! It went great! We have only heard positive feedback." - World Sign Associates