Anyone who has driven along mountainous roads in snowy conditions knows how difficult it can be to drive uphill. As long as the traffic is moving, there’s a good chance you’ll make it up the hill. But the minute traffic comes to a halt, the advantage you used to have changes because you no longer have momentum in your favor. Getting your vehicle to move uphill from a full stop in the snow often results in spinning your wheels and just not making much progress. The same is true of a safety-culture change.
Eric Svendsen, Ph.D., is Principal and lead change agent for safetyBUILT-IN, a safety-leadership learning and development organization. He has over 20 years experience in creating and executing outcomes-based leadership development and culture change initiatives aligned to organizational goals, and he personally led the safety-culture initiatives of a number of client organizations that resulted in “best ever safety performance” years for those companies.
Anyone who has driven along mountainous roads in snowy conditions knows how difficult it can be to drive uphill. As long as the traffic is moving, there’s a good chance you’ll make it up the hill. But the minute traffic comes to a halt, the advantage you used to have changes because you no longer have momentum in your favor. Getting your vehicle to move uphill from a full stop in the snow often results in spinning your wheels and just not making much progress. The same is true of a safety-culture change. 
