Winston Churchill is credited with saying: When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber. We take that to mean that when leaders and experts fail to speak up and point the way, others are likely to fill the resulting vacuum with noise; noise that may not be informed by knowledge, experience, and evidence.
But sometimes there’s a place for a bit of jabber: To talk rapidly and excitedly about matters we don’t (yet) fully understand with others who share our sense of curiosity and willingness to explore and, together, feel our way towards greater understanding. That – in a nutshell – is what a Huddle is all about: Sharing experiences, ideas, and learning; provoking new thinking and challenging the status quo; and cultivating a community of interest.
Leading Safety hosted its first Huddles since pre-COVID times in Auckland on 1 December. The focus was on workplace wellbeing and our team (Hillary, Keri, Keith, and Philip) was joined by around 35 folks from across the country who are committed to fostering healthy and safe workplaces.
We did deep dives on:
- Better work by design – how to identify the harmful and protective aspects of the work your people do and improve that work – through good (re)design – so that (i) you provide the highest level of protection from physical and mental harm, (ii) your people thrive, and (iii) your organisation succeeds.
- Be well to lead well – the need for leaders to consciously invest in their own professional and personal wellbeing so that they are best positioned to lead effectively and design better work; in other words, to do what airlines recommend and put their own oxygen masks on before assisting others.
A great day was had by all and the experience was a timely reminder of the value of Huddles. Thanks so much to our fellow parrots for making that possible. In addition to some awesome jabbering, we appreciated everyone’s contributions and insights, which have already provoked exciting new ideas. We’re energised at the prospect of running with these ideas in 2024. Watch this space!
Get in touch with us at team@leadingsafety.co.nz if you’d like to find out more about Huddles.