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Safety Meeting Starters (SMS)
for December 2012
Happy December! - - Often December is a very busy month and for the most part, out of
routine. To that point, this month’s theme is on FOCUS.

Enjoy the December Safety Meeting Starters (SMS) material! Each month, SMS is packed full of
helpful and timely safety information to help you and your team identify and control hazards
and raise safety awareness. Enjoy the material, and please share it with a friend, co-worker,
staff member or supervisor.

Let me start by thanking each of you for reading SMS. As a special Holiday ‘thank you’ the Cyber
Monday special discount of 35% of any and all safety and motivational books will be extended
to SMS subscribers through December. You won’t find this on the website, only from SMS. 35%
off all titles with this code 55YMPSFX, no limits! Thanks for your support! Click here for books
http://www.safestrat.com/review-and-order-safety-books/

Do the same thing…get the same result. Contact Matt to learn how you can break this cycle,
introduce new concepts and get better results. Matt has programs for safety committees,
safety awareness, leadership, culture, employee motivation, supervisor engagement, and for
senior leaders . To learn more please click here http://www.safestrat.com/ or email Matt,
matt@safestrat.com.

Join us on Twitter! - - Why wait for SMS every month? Find tons of great safety news and
articles from the SafeStrat Twitter feed; https://twitter.com/Safestrat.

Thanks again and pass this along. Remember, no one gets hurt today! God Bless, Matt.

             Matt Forck, CSP, JLW | www.safestrat.com | 573.999.7981
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                        2


S.A.F.E. (See Accidents Forever Eliminated) at Work
- A Motivational Safety Column!

Be Aware of Blind Spots
What images come to mind when the words ‘family vacation’ are uttered? How about,
‘European family vacation?’ On Monday, August 4, 2008, that is exactly where an Israeli couple
was taking their family…all five children! Since it was Monday, nothing was going right. They
had trouble getting their children and 18 suitcases into the vehicles so grandma could shuttle
them to Ben-Gurion airport. After all, they had a deal with the airline company; if they weren’t
on-board at flight time, the plane would leave them behind.

As they arrived at Ben-Gurion airport, they quickly realized why it is the busiest airport in Israel,
and one of the busiest in the world. Being late, they didn’t have time to think about the crowds of
people and all of the confusion these crowds cause; instead they had to get their bags and
children to the terminal, fast. The plane to Paris would leave if they weren’t on it so they ran
fast, as fast as one can in a crowded international airport with 18 pieces of luggage, five children
and thousands of other travelers. As they relaxed in their seats and the plane taxied down the
runway, they were able to take a deep breath, they had made it, yet something seemed to be
missing.

Back at the airport, a very cute little girl pulled on the pant leg of a police officer. The officer
squatted in order to look the toddler in the eye. The girl said, “where are my parents, where are
my brothers?’ The officer quickly learned that the family had just boarded a flight to Paris, and
somehow left their child behind. The officer had about 120-seconds to get the girl to the
terminal before the plane would be gone. She grabbed the girl and ran but it was too late. They
both watched the jet fly into the clouds. The parents, after being in the air for 40-minutes were
finally notified that their daughter was safe with authorities at the airport. The parents had not yet
realized they were missing a child!

The fact about this fast paced, cell phone, 24 by 7 media coverage, deadline driven world is that
it creates blind spots. Think about it for a minute, what have we missed today, in the last hour,
because of the ‘noise’ that is constantly surrounding us. Later, the girl's grandmother, who took
the family to the airport, said, "We're in shock. They're very responsible and organized top-notch
people." If you don’t believe in the power of blind spots, just ask these parents.

What hazards are you blind to? Focus. Work safe.

©2012-SafeStrat, LLC-All Rights Reserved




                                           Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                                 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                           3

Safety Tidbits—the most information packed pages in safety!
Quotes of the month: This month we will take a moment to honor Zig Ziglar who passed
away this week (November 28, 2012) at the age of 86.

Here are ten of Zig’s great quotes. Good bless you Zig…you made us, and this world better!

      “Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”
      “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”
      “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we
       recommend it daily.”
      “There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.”
      “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.”
      “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”
      “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a
       friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”
      “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”
      “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”
      “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”

From the Twitter Feed - - why wait for the end of the month Safety Meeting Starters when you
can get near real time safety updates from my Twitter feed! Join today;
https://twitter.com/Safestrat or @safestrat.

Safety News from December:
       Don’t be Shocked! A Static Electricity Q & A http://ow.ly/fG3Pt

       OSHA cites crane company
       http://www.utdmercury.com/news/campus_news/article_741f26d2-37f3-11e2-a18d-
       001a4bcf6878.html#.ULa-gek9FBI.twitter … via @townnews

       OSHA cites MFG Chemical for 20 safety violations http://shar.es/6qx08 via @sharethis

       OSHA begins investigation of ruptured gas line in Lewiston
       http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/OSHA-investigation-of-ruptured-gas-line-
       181081371.html …

       What to do when a worker tweets about poor safety and posts photos of risks on Facebook:
       Every business should... http://bit.ly/11fasn1

       Tehachapi man killed at Hyundai test track identified - http://TehachapiNews.com
       http://www.tehachapinews.com/archive/x107315863/Tehachapi-man-killed-at-Hyundai-test-
       track#.ULQC_yLtfB0.twitter …

                                        Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                               Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                           4

OSHA Uses General Duty Clause in Workplace Violence Case -- Occupational Health & Safety
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2012/11/20/osha-uses-general-duty-clause-in-workplace-
violence-case.aspx?admgarea=news …

Navajo Nation OSHA investigating fallen cell tower incident; http://www.daily-
times.com/ci_21999157/navajo-nation-osha-investigating-fallen-cell-tower-incident …

Forklift victim IDd as Oakland man - SFGate http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Forklift-
victim-IDd-as-Oakland-man-4045169.php?cmpid=twitter … via @SFGate

Redhook reaches settlement in brewery worker's death Dover NH, Rochester NH, Portsmouth
NH, Laconia NH, Sanford ME
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20121121%2FGJNEWS_01%2F12112978
6%2F-1%2FFOSNEWS …

True tragedy...preventable. Bangladesh clothes workers die in factory fire
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/25/us-bangladesh-fire-idUSBRE8AN0CG20121125 …

Safety and Motivational Books - - Black Friday and Cyber Monday Specials! #constantcontact
http://conta.cc/U4x3Pc

Great take-a-ways for safety engagement. New Research: How Employee Engagement Hits the
Bottom Line http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2012/11/creating-sustainable-employee.html …

Neighbors remember heroism of Clay resident who died in construction accident |
http://syracuse.com
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/11/neighbors_remember_heroism_of.html …

Lawn Care Company Cited After Employee Death | http://WPRI.com
http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/northwest/johnston-lawn-company-recieves-7-
citations-for-electrocuted-employee#.UKcdLgFwOOs.twitter …

OSHA Investigating Accident at Recycling Center in Springfield
http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=726772 …

FONTANA: Plant where man died previously investigated http://shar.es/GzP89 via
@pecom_news

Seat belt compliance is at a record high: http://bit.ly/TLZktn

Being a Thanks-giver...a Thanksgiving Day Reminder... #constantcontact
http://conta.cc/UDMpIO

What do you think was the top OSHA violation in 2012? Did you guess...Fall Protection 1926.501
– 7,250 violations.

Quotes from Coach K, Duke Basketball; http://CoachK.com/coach-k-media/quotes/ …


                                  Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                         Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                          5

       Man killed in concrete incident; http://bangordailynews.com/2012/11/03/news/lewiston-
       auburn/auburn-man-killed-in-concrete-accident/ …

       Taming Your Company's Most Elusive Beast
       http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/11/three_rules_for_making_innovat.html …

       Worker dies in crane accident at Port of Oakland - San Jose Mercury News
       http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21845986/officials-investigating-workers-
       death-at-port-oakland …

       Craft brewer fined by OSHA after worker death
       http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Legislation/Craft-brewer-fined-by-OSHA-after-worker-
       death?utm_source=AddThis&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=SocialMedia/#.UJngi66JJEs
       .twitter … via @FoodQualityNews

       OSHA investigates deadly local accident http://shar.es/GbSOF via @sharethis

       OSHA investigating fatal Conroe wreck http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/news/osha-
       investigating-fatal-conroe-wreck/article_d28a716b-bd52-5bee-a31d-
       3fa349c80e54.html#.UJnfl810WsQ.twitter … via @ScoopHouston

       Recovery continues as thousands from as far as the West Coast and Canada work around the
       clock to restore power. http://eei.org #Sandy

       Safety Meeting Starters (SMS), Nov 2012 #constantcontact http://conta.cc/YaJM67

       My latest upload : Safety Meeting Starters (SMS) Nov 2012 on @slideshare
       http://www.slideshare.net/safestrat/safety-meeting-starters-sms-nov-2012 …

       Study: Encouraging Incident Reporting Leads to Improved Safety Culture http://ow.ly/eXa6H

The Safety Notebook:

   Safety Duct Tape - - 72 minutes of safety material to recharge your batteries for only 99 cents!
    http://www.amazon.com/Safety-Duct-
    Tape/dp/B005Q2XQM6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1319715328&sr=1-1
   Keep Going for Safety - - http://www.utilityproducts.com/articles/print/volume-16/issue-2/safe-at-
    work/keep-going-for-safety.html




                                        Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                               Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                                    6

     SAI - - Safety Awareness Items (ideas to get raise your team’s awareness!

                        Blanket      Let Safety Cover Your Life (Small throw type
                                     blankets that can be used on stadium bleachers, for
                                     picnics etc.)

                       Blow Pop Don't Blow it, Work Safe

                     Blue Bunny Crunch Food, Not Bones-Stay Free of Line of Fire
                       Crunch
                      Book Light Let Safety Light the Way

                      Books,     There are tons of motivational or inspirational books
                    Motivational on the market. The message in many of these books
                                 will re-engage employees in work, life and safety. If
                                 one is short on ideas, try my book entitled 'GUTSY' -
                                 it's a can't miss.
                       Books, There are numerous safety related books on the
                       Safety    market that can increase safety awareness or
                                 understanding of risk. Again, if short on ideas. Check
                                 out www.safestrat.com for book ideas.
                       Boost     Give Yourself a Boost, Work Safe

                        Bottle of    Put a sticker over the label. The Sticker can have any
                         Water       slogan on it that helps bring awareness to the hazards
                                     or issues of the day.

                       Box Tape Tape Up Unsafe Acts

                       Bracelet,     Recently, these bracelets have been popular and
                        rubber       can be imprinted with a personalized safety
                                     slogan.


         The Untapped Secret To Selling Safety -And 401½ Tangible Items Guaranteed To Help Make That
         Sale! - - How well do you sell safety? The truth is that we are at the mercy of our ability to sell, no
       matter how “tight” the presentation. Regardless of our education or the facts surrounding an issue, we
       are still in a position where we have to make the sale in order for a positive change to take place. And,
       the better we are at selling, the greater our results. The fact of the matter is that there are secrets to
       selling…even selling safety. One such previously untapped secret is revealed here and your safety results
       will never be the same! “Matt’s passion for safety continues to shine through as he drives to inspire us to
       be the best we can be” wrote Bill Dampf, safety professional with three decades of experience. “Through
       this latest effort, he provides us with hundreds of ways to promote safety awareness to our employees.
       Although keeping our workers safe is always a challenge, this simple approach to helping us sell safety
       can be a tool that all of us can use.” Price: $8.99 - - AND use this discount code to save $2..00 per book,
B9F5UNDN. Order from this link; https://www.createspace.com/3421798.




                                             Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                                    Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                 7



ISMA-Involved Safety Meeting Activity
Activity:                   The Coin Toss

Estimated Time:             30 Minutes

Materials Needed:           Blindfolds, nine large coins and large metal bucket or
                            trashcan.

Reference materials:        See ISMA below:

The ISMA:
Ask for three volunteers and ask them to leave the room, have a coordinator working
with you to accompany these volunteers out of the room.

The coordinator will give the volunteers the coins and instruct that they will be
blindfolded, walk into the room and drop/toss three coins in a bucket.

Inside the room, tell the group to give the first volunteer ‘no feedback.’ Don’t say a word
to him/her. For the next volunteer the group should boo and heckle them, nothing but
negative feedback. Give the final volunteer good positive feedback and verbally lead
them to the bucket telling them when and where to throw the coins in order that they
can succeed.

The Take-a-ways:
What kind of feedback do we get on our jobs, better yet, what kind do we give. Clearly,
when given good, positive feedback, we will succeed. In safety, all too often people
look the other way when at-risk actions are seen. Remember this feedback activity and
know that people can’t change if you don’t redirect them with your feedback.

Source: Activity source unknown.



                               Want 101 ISMAs? Check out ISMA (Involved Safety Meeting
                       Activities—101Ways to Get Your People In Involved! at Matt’s website;
                                    http://www.safestrat.com/review-and-order-safety-books/




                                    Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                          Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!            8

SPOT-M –(Safety Picture of the Month)



        Is this okay…or just easy?




  How many at-risk acts can you find? Take
      the time it takes to do it right!

Choose in favor of your safety!
Send me your safety picture…if we use them you get a FREE book! Send to
Matt@SafeStrat.com.




                                   Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                         Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                        9


Tools for Pros!
The Secret is NOT In the Sauce…It’s in the Culture
What a local Pizza Place can teach about Culture…

By Matt Forck, CSP & JLW

Nearly every town across the United States has a local pizza place. It is place where locals can
gather to enjoy great pizza with friends and family after a football game, a family event or
sometimes for no reason at all. While you might have such a place in your town or city, I’m
betting it is not quite like Shakespeare Pizza in Columbia, Missouri. Shakespeare’s served its
first pizza in 1973 and has been serving great pizza with a unique eclectic atmosphere and
attitude ever since. Today, they have nearly 150 employees in three locations in Columbia.
Shakespeare’s has earned national recognition winning Best Bites Challenge: College Edition on
ABC’s Good Morning America, they have been on ESPN College Gameday and served pizza to
numerous celebrities, including Bill Cosby. And, if you go looking for the secret to their success,
you won’t find it in their sauce. Instead you’ll find it in their culture!

What is Culture - - Culture is often simply defined as ‘the way we do things around here’ or
‘what is done when the boss isn’t looking.’ Yet Shakespeare’s Head Cheese, Kurt Mirtsching,
said it this way during a radio interview, “We don’t figure out through the interview process
that this guy is that way, I think it is more a function of the culture of the organization. You get
a frat boy on a Friday night and it is 11:30 and the party is going crazy. At the frat house the
sorority girls are there and everyone is having fun, what is the frat boy doing? Use your
imagination, okay. Fast forward to Sunday morning, the very next Sunday morning, and that
same guy is back in small town Missouri sitting in a church pew next to his mom and dad, what
kind of things is that guy doing? What he is doing is a function of the group he’s in. At
Shakespeare’s we manage to have the culture that is the Shakespeare’s thing. It’s not that
those people (our employees) are like that, it is that anyone is like that when they are in that
place.” That, in short, is culture.

Today, organizations, both big and small, spend considerable time, energy and resources
working to build and maintain a healthy and productive culture. Culture, or ‘anyone is like that
when they are in that place’ is the key to consistency of product, safety results in safety
sensitive industries, organizational values, profitability and ultimately success or failure. But, if
you want to learn a thing or two about culture, fire your high paid consultants and take your
team on a road trip to a locally owned pizzeria in Columbia, Missouri named Shakespeare’s.
Order ‘The Masterpiece’ which has eight toppings, and find a corner booth. Take advice from
Yoggi Berra who said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.” And what you will find is
unique service, great tasting pizza and five principles of culture that will fill your belly - - in
other words, a receipt for culture success.


                                       Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                              Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                    10

Make one or two guiding rules - - Radio host David Lile asked Mirtsching how workers learn
about the unique culture. “How do we do it?” Mirtsching asked. “We just try to keep what you
have to do to be as few things as possible. You have to make the pizza just like this, make sure
you wash your hands afterwards, don’t lie, steal or cheat …a few things like that but other than
that, we let people be themselves.”

In fact, some of the most successful organizations around have one or two guiding principles
instead of a volume of rules in a rule book. Duke University basketball is arguably the most
successful sport program in any sport, at any level, in the United States. Given the fact that
head Coach Mike Krzyzewski (a.k.a. Coach K) is ultimately responsible for a multi-million dollar
organization generating hundreds of millions more for the university and community, one
would think that his 18 to 22 year old team members would have dozens or hundreds of rules.
Not so. "We have only one rule here: Don't do anything that's detrimental to yourself. Because
if it's detrimental to you, it'll be detrimental to our program and to Duke University."

“The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.” Coach K says, “Not
me. I don’t want to be a manager or a dictator. I want to be a leader—and leadership is
ongoing, adjustable, flexible, and dynamic. As such, leaders have to maintain a certain amount
of discretion.”

In the end, rules don’t rule, culture does. Remember, “it is not that those people (our
employees) are like that, it is that anyone is like that when they are in that place.”

A peer guided tour - - Shakespeare’s opened its downtown location in 1973. Five years later, a
young college student named Kurt Mirtsching was tired of washing dishes in the dorm cafeteria
and noticed all of the fun these people were having at Shakespeare’s, so he applied for a job
and began as a pizza delivery boy. Fast forward to the mid-2000s and Shakespeare’s is thinking
about doing something they have never done before, open a new store. How would Mirtsching,
now in charge, capture the same atmosphere and attitude? In short, how can they capture the
culture and move it across town? For starters, they designed the interior to look very similar to
the interior of the original downtown location. But that was the easy part. Next, Mirtsching
took workers from his downtown location and assigned them to the new store. “We mix the
crews up from place to place so that everything stays the same between locations.” Mirtsching
said.

Business Week recently reported that researchers were studying organizations asking why
there were differences in safety records between organizations with very similar safety
programs. “We found,” researchers later wrote, “That on the surface, the best and the rest
looked quite similar. All were fastidious in keeping up with signage, inspections, compliance
training, and enforcing safety policies. But we kept hearing unusual language in our interviews
with the true standouts. It wasn't until we interviewed and surveyed 1,600 safety directors,
managers, and employees that we realized we weren't really getting it.”




                                      Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                            Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                       11

In the end, researchers found that accountability was the key element to outstanding safety
performance. But, it wasn’t supervisors holding workers accountable that propelled
organizations to the next level. Instead, it was workers holding each other accountable. “Since
accountability appeared to be the key to safety as well as the full trove of corporate
performance treasures, we then explored what made accountability tick in the leading teams
and companies. Remarkably, cultures of accountability had little to do with bosses. Rather, it
was all about peers.” Organizations with cultures of peers coaching peers found remarkable
success - - and not just in safety. “Those supervisors and managers with the strongest safety
records were five times more likely to be ranked in the top 20% of their peers in every other
area of performance. They were 500% more likely to be stars in productivity and efficiency and
employee satisfaction and quality, etc.”

From your corner booth at Shakespeare’s you will find employees, mostly college kids, coaching
each other. They are teaching and sharing. Not for any reason but to make better pizzas…and to
have fun doing it. Mirtsching makes sure this peer to peer coaching never stops by rotating his
work force between the three restaurants. The proof is in the pizza - - even when the ‘boss isn’t
around.’

Cast the Right Shadow - - As a father to a ten year old boy and a twelve year old girl, I am
always taken aback by this Robert Fulghum quote, “Don’t’ worry that your children listen to
what you say, worry instead that your children watch what you do!”

In business, it is no different. Often, senior leaders, like Mirtsching might feel ‘entitled.’ After
all, they work endless hours to make payroll, keep the organization running smoothly and they
have paid their dues. Many, like Mirtsching, have started at the bottom and worked their way
to the top. This ‘entitled’ attitude might mean leaders stop communicating in person. They
might feel they should get the best parking spot and the corner office. The ‘head cheese’ will
say all of the right things, but it is his/her actions that are communicating to the workers.

“Titles are not important in small business.” Mirtsching says. “In a small business, which is what
this is, everyone does everything. I mean if I find the mess in the bathroom, I clean it up
because I found it.”

In life, we are ‘never just the same.’ We are either moving forward toward goals, purpose,
mission and vision, or we are moving away from the same. Culture is the very same way, it is
living and breathing. The culture you want is ether being reinforced or undermined and the
person who is doing it is you! What shadow are you casting?

Culture sustains Output - - The late great Stephan Covey said, “Every organization is uniquely
designed to exactly produce the results it achieves.” So, why do some organizations, teams and
companies continually produce mediocrity? And why does Shakespeare’s crank out one great
pizza after another? Simply put, that is how the system is designed.




                                       Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                             Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                     12

In his interview with David Lile, Mirtschinig was asked if Shakespeare Pizza ‘has always been like
this?’ Mirtsching noted that Shakespeare’s opened in 1973 but he didn’t join the company until
he started delivering pizza in 1978. He said that he couldn’t account for the first five years but
he did note that even before he began working there that one could never get through to order
a pizza because the phone lines were always busy. In other words, it all started with a really
great tasting pizza!

Any organization, Shakespeare’s included, must begin with a ‘really great’ product or service.
But to maintain a great product or service over time, in the case of Shakespeare’s four decades,
it takes culture to sustain that output. Shakespeare’s has been able to build the culture, thus
they continue to bake great tasting pizzas as well as expand stores and into new markets, like
frozen pizzas in grocery stores in St. Louis, over 100 miles away.

So, what are you producing? And, do you like your results? If yes, then your culture will sustain
it, just like a great Shakespeare’s pizza. If not, you need a culture change and the lessons
learned here can help get you started.

Free to Engage - - As you are enjoying your third piece of ‘The Masterpiece’ pizza, in the corner
booth, you will be thinking that it must be the best pizza you have ever had; you will suddenly
notice something interesting. You will observe that Shakespeare’s staff is engaged. Or, in the
words of Tony Schwartz, president and CEO of The Energy Project and the author of Be
Excellent at Anything, Shakespeare’s staff has ‘sustainable engagement.’

Schwartz observes in a Harvard Business Review article entitled New Research: How Employee
Engagement Hits the Bottom Line, that traditional engagement, “the willingness to invest
discretionary effort on the job — is no longer sufficient to fuel top performance in a world of
relentlessly increasing demand. The problem is that "willing" doesn't guarantee "able."

Schwartz writes, “For organizations, the challenge is to shift from their traditional focus on
getting more out of people, to investing in meeting people's core needs so they're freed,
fueled, and inspired to bring more of themselves to work, more sustainably.”

In their own quirky way, Shakespeare’s allows ‘freedom’ to their employees to do just that,
‘bring more of themselves to work.’ They do that in a variety of ways such as how employees
are allowed to dress, to the employee contributed art work on table tops, to an individualized
manner in which employees call out for pizzas to the fact that nearly all of Shakespeare’s new
ideas stem from employees.

I’m not sure that Mirtsching intentionally designed this work environment to get maximum
engagement, but then again maybe he did. Either way it is part of the culture, as are the
benefits.

Schwartz reports, “In a broader analysis of 50 global companies, Towers Watson found that
companies with low engagement scores had an average operating margin just under 10


                                      Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                            Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!                     13

percent. Those with high traditional engagement had a slightly higher margin of 14 percent.
Companies with the highest "sustainable engagement" scores had an average one-year
operating margin of 27 percent.”

To ABC’s Good Morning America Mirtsching said, “There’s no big secret to our success. We
make pizzas, we smile at the customers, and we clean the bathrooms. We’re just a building
with a bunch of nice people throwing a pizza party.” The key is being that group of nice people
day in and day out for over 40 years with two new store openings and over 150
employees…and that takes a strong culture. Now, let’s eat.

Matt Forck, CSP and JLW leads safety conferences, seminars and keynote presentations on
safety’s most urgent topics including leadership, accountability and cultural change. A noted
speaker, Mat is a former journey line worker and member of a utility safety staff. Matt has also
published six books and dozens of articles. Contact Matt, learn about FREE resources or inquire
about having Matt speak at your next event through his website; www.thesafetysoul.org.

References;
    Heritage Series, Shakespeare’s Pizza, David Lile, KFRU Radio Columbia MO, Nov 4, 2012

      The Peer Principle, Bloomberg Businessweek - -The Influential Leader May 2010

      New Research: How Employee Engagement Hits the Bottom Line, Harvard Business

       Review, Tony Schwartz, November 8, 2012

      Leading with the Heart: Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life,

       Mike Krzyzewski with Donald T. Phillips, Warner Books, February 2000




                                      Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
                                            Safety Strategies…for LIFE!

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Safety Meeting Starter (SMS) Dec 2012

  • 1. Safety Meeting Starters (SMS) for December 2012 Happy December! - - Often December is a very busy month and for the most part, out of routine. To that point, this month’s theme is on FOCUS. Enjoy the December Safety Meeting Starters (SMS) material! Each month, SMS is packed full of helpful and timely safety information to help you and your team identify and control hazards and raise safety awareness. Enjoy the material, and please share it with a friend, co-worker, staff member or supervisor. Let me start by thanking each of you for reading SMS. As a special Holiday ‘thank you’ the Cyber Monday special discount of 35% of any and all safety and motivational books will be extended to SMS subscribers through December. You won’t find this on the website, only from SMS. 35% off all titles with this code 55YMPSFX, no limits! Thanks for your support! Click here for books http://www.safestrat.com/review-and-order-safety-books/ Do the same thing…get the same result. Contact Matt to learn how you can break this cycle, introduce new concepts and get better results. Matt has programs for safety committees, safety awareness, leadership, culture, employee motivation, supervisor engagement, and for senior leaders . To learn more please click here http://www.safestrat.com/ or email Matt, matt@safestrat.com. Join us on Twitter! - - Why wait for SMS every month? Find tons of great safety news and articles from the SafeStrat Twitter feed; https://twitter.com/Safestrat. Thanks again and pass this along. Remember, no one gets hurt today! God Bless, Matt. Matt Forck, CSP, JLW | www.safestrat.com | 573.999.7981
  • 2. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 2 S.A.F.E. (See Accidents Forever Eliminated) at Work - A Motivational Safety Column! Be Aware of Blind Spots What images come to mind when the words ‘family vacation’ are uttered? How about, ‘European family vacation?’ On Monday, August 4, 2008, that is exactly where an Israeli couple was taking their family…all five children! Since it was Monday, nothing was going right. They had trouble getting their children and 18 suitcases into the vehicles so grandma could shuttle them to Ben-Gurion airport. After all, they had a deal with the airline company; if they weren’t on-board at flight time, the plane would leave them behind. As they arrived at Ben-Gurion airport, they quickly realized why it is the busiest airport in Israel, and one of the busiest in the world. Being late, they didn’t have time to think about the crowds of people and all of the confusion these crowds cause; instead they had to get their bags and children to the terminal, fast. The plane to Paris would leave if they weren’t on it so they ran fast, as fast as one can in a crowded international airport with 18 pieces of luggage, five children and thousands of other travelers. As they relaxed in their seats and the plane taxied down the runway, they were able to take a deep breath, they had made it, yet something seemed to be missing. Back at the airport, a very cute little girl pulled on the pant leg of a police officer. The officer squatted in order to look the toddler in the eye. The girl said, “where are my parents, where are my brothers?’ The officer quickly learned that the family had just boarded a flight to Paris, and somehow left their child behind. The officer had about 120-seconds to get the girl to the terminal before the plane would be gone. She grabbed the girl and ran but it was too late. They both watched the jet fly into the clouds. The parents, after being in the air for 40-minutes were finally notified that their daughter was safe with authorities at the airport. The parents had not yet realized they were missing a child! The fact about this fast paced, cell phone, 24 by 7 media coverage, deadline driven world is that it creates blind spots. Think about it for a minute, what have we missed today, in the last hour, because of the ‘noise’ that is constantly surrounding us. Later, the girl's grandmother, who took the family to the airport, said, "We're in shock. They're very responsible and organized top-notch people." If you don’t believe in the power of blind spots, just ask these parents. What hazards are you blind to? Focus. Work safe. ©2012-SafeStrat, LLC-All Rights Reserved Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 3. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 3 Safety Tidbits—the most information packed pages in safety! Quotes of the month: This month we will take a moment to honor Zig Ziglar who passed away this week (November 28, 2012) at the age of 86. Here are ten of Zig’s great quotes. Good bless you Zig…you made us, and this world better!  “Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”  “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”  “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”  “There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.”  “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.”  “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”  “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”  “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”  “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”  “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.” From the Twitter Feed - - why wait for the end of the month Safety Meeting Starters when you can get near real time safety updates from my Twitter feed! Join today; https://twitter.com/Safestrat or @safestrat. Safety News from December: Don’t be Shocked! A Static Electricity Q & A http://ow.ly/fG3Pt OSHA cites crane company http://www.utdmercury.com/news/campus_news/article_741f26d2-37f3-11e2-a18d- 001a4bcf6878.html#.ULa-gek9FBI.twitter … via @townnews OSHA cites MFG Chemical for 20 safety violations http://shar.es/6qx08 via @sharethis OSHA begins investigation of ruptured gas line in Lewiston http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/OSHA-investigation-of-ruptured-gas-line- 181081371.html … What to do when a worker tweets about poor safety and posts photos of risks on Facebook: Every business should... http://bit.ly/11fasn1 Tehachapi man killed at Hyundai test track identified - http://TehachapiNews.com http://www.tehachapinews.com/archive/x107315863/Tehachapi-man-killed-at-Hyundai-test- track#.ULQC_yLtfB0.twitter … Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 4. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 4 OSHA Uses General Duty Clause in Workplace Violence Case -- Occupational Health & Safety http://ohsonline.com/articles/2012/11/20/osha-uses-general-duty-clause-in-workplace- violence-case.aspx?admgarea=news … Navajo Nation OSHA investigating fallen cell tower incident; http://www.daily- times.com/ci_21999157/navajo-nation-osha-investigating-fallen-cell-tower-incident … Forklift victim IDd as Oakland man - SFGate http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Forklift- victim-IDd-as-Oakland-man-4045169.php?cmpid=twitter … via @SFGate Redhook reaches settlement in brewery worker's death Dover NH, Rochester NH, Portsmouth NH, Laconia NH, Sanford ME http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20121121%2FGJNEWS_01%2F12112978 6%2F-1%2FFOSNEWS … True tragedy...preventable. Bangladesh clothes workers die in factory fire http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/25/us-bangladesh-fire-idUSBRE8AN0CG20121125 … Safety and Motivational Books - - Black Friday and Cyber Monday Specials! #constantcontact http://conta.cc/U4x3Pc Great take-a-ways for safety engagement. New Research: How Employee Engagement Hits the Bottom Line http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2012/11/creating-sustainable-employee.html … Neighbors remember heroism of Clay resident who died in construction accident | http://syracuse.com http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/11/neighbors_remember_heroism_of.html … Lawn Care Company Cited After Employee Death | http://WPRI.com http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/northwest/johnston-lawn-company-recieves-7- citations-for-electrocuted-employee#.UKcdLgFwOOs.twitter … OSHA Investigating Accident at Recycling Center in Springfield http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=726772 … FONTANA: Plant where man died previously investigated http://shar.es/GzP89 via @pecom_news Seat belt compliance is at a record high: http://bit.ly/TLZktn Being a Thanks-giver...a Thanksgiving Day Reminder... #constantcontact http://conta.cc/UDMpIO What do you think was the top OSHA violation in 2012? Did you guess...Fall Protection 1926.501 – 7,250 violations. Quotes from Coach K, Duke Basketball; http://CoachK.com/coach-k-media/quotes/ … Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 5. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 5 Man killed in concrete incident; http://bangordailynews.com/2012/11/03/news/lewiston- auburn/auburn-man-killed-in-concrete-accident/ … Taming Your Company's Most Elusive Beast http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/11/three_rules_for_making_innovat.html … Worker dies in crane accident at Port of Oakland - San Jose Mercury News http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21845986/officials-investigating-workers- death-at-port-oakland … Craft brewer fined by OSHA after worker death http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Legislation/Craft-brewer-fined-by-OSHA-after-worker- death?utm_source=AddThis&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=SocialMedia/#.UJngi66JJEs .twitter … via @FoodQualityNews OSHA investigates deadly local accident http://shar.es/GbSOF via @sharethis OSHA investigating fatal Conroe wreck http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/news/osha- investigating-fatal-conroe-wreck/article_d28a716b-bd52-5bee-a31d- 3fa349c80e54.html#.UJnfl810WsQ.twitter … via @ScoopHouston Recovery continues as thousands from as far as the West Coast and Canada work around the clock to restore power. http://eei.org #Sandy Safety Meeting Starters (SMS), Nov 2012 #constantcontact http://conta.cc/YaJM67 My latest upload : Safety Meeting Starters (SMS) Nov 2012 on @slideshare http://www.slideshare.net/safestrat/safety-meeting-starters-sms-nov-2012 … Study: Encouraging Incident Reporting Leads to Improved Safety Culture http://ow.ly/eXa6H The Safety Notebook:  Safety Duct Tape - - 72 minutes of safety material to recharge your batteries for only 99 cents! http://www.amazon.com/Safety-Duct- Tape/dp/B005Q2XQM6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1319715328&sr=1-1  Keep Going for Safety - - http://www.utilityproducts.com/articles/print/volume-16/issue-2/safe-at- work/keep-going-for-safety.html Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 6. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 6 SAI - - Safety Awareness Items (ideas to get raise your team’s awareness! Blanket Let Safety Cover Your Life (Small throw type blankets that can be used on stadium bleachers, for picnics etc.) Blow Pop Don't Blow it, Work Safe Blue Bunny Crunch Food, Not Bones-Stay Free of Line of Fire Crunch Book Light Let Safety Light the Way Books, There are tons of motivational or inspirational books Motivational on the market. The message in many of these books will re-engage employees in work, life and safety. If one is short on ideas, try my book entitled 'GUTSY' - it's a can't miss. Books, There are numerous safety related books on the Safety market that can increase safety awareness or understanding of risk. Again, if short on ideas. Check out www.safestrat.com for book ideas. Boost Give Yourself a Boost, Work Safe Bottle of Put a sticker over the label. The Sticker can have any Water slogan on it that helps bring awareness to the hazards or issues of the day. Box Tape Tape Up Unsafe Acts Bracelet, Recently, these bracelets have been popular and rubber can be imprinted with a personalized safety slogan. The Untapped Secret To Selling Safety -And 401½ Tangible Items Guaranteed To Help Make That Sale! - - How well do you sell safety? The truth is that we are at the mercy of our ability to sell, no matter how “tight” the presentation. Regardless of our education or the facts surrounding an issue, we are still in a position where we have to make the sale in order for a positive change to take place. And, the better we are at selling, the greater our results. The fact of the matter is that there are secrets to selling…even selling safety. One such previously untapped secret is revealed here and your safety results will never be the same! “Matt’s passion for safety continues to shine through as he drives to inspire us to be the best we can be” wrote Bill Dampf, safety professional with three decades of experience. “Through this latest effort, he provides us with hundreds of ways to promote safety awareness to our employees. Although keeping our workers safe is always a challenge, this simple approach to helping us sell safety can be a tool that all of us can use.” Price: $8.99 - - AND use this discount code to save $2..00 per book, B9F5UNDN. Order from this link; https://www.createspace.com/3421798. Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 7. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 7 ISMA-Involved Safety Meeting Activity Activity: The Coin Toss Estimated Time: 30 Minutes Materials Needed: Blindfolds, nine large coins and large metal bucket or trashcan. Reference materials: See ISMA below: The ISMA: Ask for three volunteers and ask them to leave the room, have a coordinator working with you to accompany these volunteers out of the room. The coordinator will give the volunteers the coins and instruct that they will be blindfolded, walk into the room and drop/toss three coins in a bucket. Inside the room, tell the group to give the first volunteer ‘no feedback.’ Don’t say a word to him/her. For the next volunteer the group should boo and heckle them, nothing but negative feedback. Give the final volunteer good positive feedback and verbally lead them to the bucket telling them when and where to throw the coins in order that they can succeed. The Take-a-ways: What kind of feedback do we get on our jobs, better yet, what kind do we give. Clearly, when given good, positive feedback, we will succeed. In safety, all too often people look the other way when at-risk actions are seen. Remember this feedback activity and know that people can’t change if you don’t redirect them with your feedback. Source: Activity source unknown. Want 101 ISMAs? Check out ISMA (Involved Safety Meeting Activities—101Ways to Get Your People In Involved! at Matt’s website; http://www.safestrat.com/review-and-order-safety-books/ Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 8. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 8 SPOT-M –(Safety Picture of the Month) Is this okay…or just easy? How many at-risk acts can you find? Take the time it takes to do it right! Choose in favor of your safety! Send me your safety picture…if we use them you get a FREE book! Send to Matt@SafeStrat.com. Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 9. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 9 Tools for Pros! The Secret is NOT In the Sauce…It’s in the Culture What a local Pizza Place can teach about Culture… By Matt Forck, CSP & JLW Nearly every town across the United States has a local pizza place. It is place where locals can gather to enjoy great pizza with friends and family after a football game, a family event or sometimes for no reason at all. While you might have such a place in your town or city, I’m betting it is not quite like Shakespeare Pizza in Columbia, Missouri. Shakespeare’s served its first pizza in 1973 and has been serving great pizza with a unique eclectic atmosphere and attitude ever since. Today, they have nearly 150 employees in three locations in Columbia. Shakespeare’s has earned national recognition winning Best Bites Challenge: College Edition on ABC’s Good Morning America, they have been on ESPN College Gameday and served pizza to numerous celebrities, including Bill Cosby. And, if you go looking for the secret to their success, you won’t find it in their sauce. Instead you’ll find it in their culture! What is Culture - - Culture is often simply defined as ‘the way we do things around here’ or ‘what is done when the boss isn’t looking.’ Yet Shakespeare’s Head Cheese, Kurt Mirtsching, said it this way during a radio interview, “We don’t figure out through the interview process that this guy is that way, I think it is more a function of the culture of the organization. You get a frat boy on a Friday night and it is 11:30 and the party is going crazy. At the frat house the sorority girls are there and everyone is having fun, what is the frat boy doing? Use your imagination, okay. Fast forward to Sunday morning, the very next Sunday morning, and that same guy is back in small town Missouri sitting in a church pew next to his mom and dad, what kind of things is that guy doing? What he is doing is a function of the group he’s in. At Shakespeare’s we manage to have the culture that is the Shakespeare’s thing. It’s not that those people (our employees) are like that, it is that anyone is like that when they are in that place.” That, in short, is culture. Today, organizations, both big and small, spend considerable time, energy and resources working to build and maintain a healthy and productive culture. Culture, or ‘anyone is like that when they are in that place’ is the key to consistency of product, safety results in safety sensitive industries, organizational values, profitability and ultimately success or failure. But, if you want to learn a thing or two about culture, fire your high paid consultants and take your team on a road trip to a locally owned pizzeria in Columbia, Missouri named Shakespeare’s. Order ‘The Masterpiece’ which has eight toppings, and find a corner booth. Take advice from Yoggi Berra who said, “You can observe a lot by just watching.” And what you will find is unique service, great tasting pizza and five principles of culture that will fill your belly - - in other words, a receipt for culture success. Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 10. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 10 Make one or two guiding rules - - Radio host David Lile asked Mirtsching how workers learn about the unique culture. “How do we do it?” Mirtsching asked. “We just try to keep what you have to do to be as few things as possible. You have to make the pizza just like this, make sure you wash your hands afterwards, don’t lie, steal or cheat …a few things like that but other than that, we let people be themselves.” In fact, some of the most successful organizations around have one or two guiding principles instead of a volume of rules in a rule book. Duke University basketball is arguably the most successful sport program in any sport, at any level, in the United States. Given the fact that head Coach Mike Krzyzewski (a.k.a. Coach K) is ultimately responsible for a multi-million dollar organization generating hundreds of millions more for the university and community, one would think that his 18 to 22 year old team members would have dozens or hundreds of rules. Not so. "We have only one rule here: Don't do anything that's detrimental to yourself. Because if it's detrimental to you, it'll be detrimental to our program and to Duke University." “The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.” Coach K says, “Not me. I don’t want to be a manager or a dictator. I want to be a leader—and leadership is ongoing, adjustable, flexible, and dynamic. As such, leaders have to maintain a certain amount of discretion.” In the end, rules don’t rule, culture does. Remember, “it is not that those people (our employees) are like that, it is that anyone is like that when they are in that place.” A peer guided tour - - Shakespeare’s opened its downtown location in 1973. Five years later, a young college student named Kurt Mirtsching was tired of washing dishes in the dorm cafeteria and noticed all of the fun these people were having at Shakespeare’s, so he applied for a job and began as a pizza delivery boy. Fast forward to the mid-2000s and Shakespeare’s is thinking about doing something they have never done before, open a new store. How would Mirtsching, now in charge, capture the same atmosphere and attitude? In short, how can they capture the culture and move it across town? For starters, they designed the interior to look very similar to the interior of the original downtown location. But that was the easy part. Next, Mirtsching took workers from his downtown location and assigned them to the new store. “We mix the crews up from place to place so that everything stays the same between locations.” Mirtsching said. Business Week recently reported that researchers were studying organizations asking why there were differences in safety records between organizations with very similar safety programs. “We found,” researchers later wrote, “That on the surface, the best and the rest looked quite similar. All were fastidious in keeping up with signage, inspections, compliance training, and enforcing safety policies. But we kept hearing unusual language in our interviews with the true standouts. It wasn't until we interviewed and surveyed 1,600 safety directors, managers, and employees that we realized we weren't really getting it.” Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 11. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 11 In the end, researchers found that accountability was the key element to outstanding safety performance. But, it wasn’t supervisors holding workers accountable that propelled organizations to the next level. Instead, it was workers holding each other accountable. “Since accountability appeared to be the key to safety as well as the full trove of corporate performance treasures, we then explored what made accountability tick in the leading teams and companies. Remarkably, cultures of accountability had little to do with bosses. Rather, it was all about peers.” Organizations with cultures of peers coaching peers found remarkable success - - and not just in safety. “Those supervisors and managers with the strongest safety records were five times more likely to be ranked in the top 20% of their peers in every other area of performance. They were 500% more likely to be stars in productivity and efficiency and employee satisfaction and quality, etc.” From your corner booth at Shakespeare’s you will find employees, mostly college kids, coaching each other. They are teaching and sharing. Not for any reason but to make better pizzas…and to have fun doing it. Mirtsching makes sure this peer to peer coaching never stops by rotating his work force between the three restaurants. The proof is in the pizza - - even when the ‘boss isn’t around.’ Cast the Right Shadow - - As a father to a ten year old boy and a twelve year old girl, I am always taken aback by this Robert Fulghum quote, “Don’t’ worry that your children listen to what you say, worry instead that your children watch what you do!” In business, it is no different. Often, senior leaders, like Mirtsching might feel ‘entitled.’ After all, they work endless hours to make payroll, keep the organization running smoothly and they have paid their dues. Many, like Mirtsching, have started at the bottom and worked their way to the top. This ‘entitled’ attitude might mean leaders stop communicating in person. They might feel they should get the best parking spot and the corner office. The ‘head cheese’ will say all of the right things, but it is his/her actions that are communicating to the workers. “Titles are not important in small business.” Mirtsching says. “In a small business, which is what this is, everyone does everything. I mean if I find the mess in the bathroom, I clean it up because I found it.” In life, we are ‘never just the same.’ We are either moving forward toward goals, purpose, mission and vision, or we are moving away from the same. Culture is the very same way, it is living and breathing. The culture you want is ether being reinforced or undermined and the person who is doing it is you! What shadow are you casting? Culture sustains Output - - The late great Stephan Covey said, “Every organization is uniquely designed to exactly produce the results it achieves.” So, why do some organizations, teams and companies continually produce mediocrity? And why does Shakespeare’s crank out one great pizza after another? Simply put, that is how the system is designed. Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 12. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 12 In his interview with David Lile, Mirtschinig was asked if Shakespeare Pizza ‘has always been like this?’ Mirtsching noted that Shakespeare’s opened in 1973 but he didn’t join the company until he started delivering pizza in 1978. He said that he couldn’t account for the first five years but he did note that even before he began working there that one could never get through to order a pizza because the phone lines were always busy. In other words, it all started with a really great tasting pizza! Any organization, Shakespeare’s included, must begin with a ‘really great’ product or service. But to maintain a great product or service over time, in the case of Shakespeare’s four decades, it takes culture to sustain that output. Shakespeare’s has been able to build the culture, thus they continue to bake great tasting pizzas as well as expand stores and into new markets, like frozen pizzas in grocery stores in St. Louis, over 100 miles away. So, what are you producing? And, do you like your results? If yes, then your culture will sustain it, just like a great Shakespeare’s pizza. If not, you need a culture change and the lessons learned here can help get you started. Free to Engage - - As you are enjoying your third piece of ‘The Masterpiece’ pizza, in the corner booth, you will be thinking that it must be the best pizza you have ever had; you will suddenly notice something interesting. You will observe that Shakespeare’s staff is engaged. Or, in the words of Tony Schwartz, president and CEO of The Energy Project and the author of Be Excellent at Anything, Shakespeare’s staff has ‘sustainable engagement.’ Schwartz observes in a Harvard Business Review article entitled New Research: How Employee Engagement Hits the Bottom Line, that traditional engagement, “the willingness to invest discretionary effort on the job — is no longer sufficient to fuel top performance in a world of relentlessly increasing demand. The problem is that "willing" doesn't guarantee "able." Schwartz writes, “For organizations, the challenge is to shift from their traditional focus on getting more out of people, to investing in meeting people's core needs so they're freed, fueled, and inspired to bring more of themselves to work, more sustainably.” In their own quirky way, Shakespeare’s allows ‘freedom’ to their employees to do just that, ‘bring more of themselves to work.’ They do that in a variety of ways such as how employees are allowed to dress, to the employee contributed art work on table tops, to an individualized manner in which employees call out for pizzas to the fact that nearly all of Shakespeare’s new ideas stem from employees. I’m not sure that Mirtsching intentionally designed this work environment to get maximum engagement, but then again maybe he did. Either way it is part of the culture, as are the benefits. Schwartz reports, “In a broader analysis of 50 global companies, Towers Watson found that companies with low engagement scores had an average operating margin just under 10 Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
  • 13. SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 13 percent. Those with high traditional engagement had a slightly higher margin of 14 percent. Companies with the highest "sustainable engagement" scores had an average one-year operating margin of 27 percent.” To ABC’s Good Morning America Mirtsching said, “There’s no big secret to our success. We make pizzas, we smile at the customers, and we clean the bathrooms. We’re just a building with a bunch of nice people throwing a pizza party.” The key is being that group of nice people day in and day out for over 40 years with two new store openings and over 150 employees…and that takes a strong culture. Now, let’s eat. Matt Forck, CSP and JLW leads safety conferences, seminars and keynote presentations on safety’s most urgent topics including leadership, accountability and cultural change. A noted speaker, Mat is a former journey line worker and member of a utility safety staff. Matt has also published six books and dozens of articles. Contact Matt, learn about FREE resources or inquire about having Matt speak at your next event through his website; www.thesafetysoul.org. References;  Heritage Series, Shakespeare’s Pizza, David Lile, KFRU Radio Columbia MO, Nov 4, 2012  The Peer Principle, Bloomberg Businessweek - -The Influential Leader May 2010  New Research: How Employee Engagement Hits the Bottom Line, Harvard Business Review, Tony Schwartz, November 8, 2012  Leading with the Heart: Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life, Mike Krzyzewski with Donald T. Phillips, Warner Books, February 2000 Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981 Safety Strategies…for LIFE!