High Reliability Group LLC’s Post

Collaboration & "cross-fertilization" with professionals from other high-consequence industries provides insights and epiphanies that can't be had by only looking inward at so-called "industry best practice" (i.e., "navel gazing"). The U.S. Navy's Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) has created the singularly most reliable and SAFE organization known, having achieved and maintained a record of ZERO (releases & exposures) for it's entire 75 year history! The #ProcessIndustries could learn a lot from this organization. The High Reliability Group LLC's mission is to bring the practices that have made the NNPP so successful to industries and organizations so that they, too, may achieve the ever elusive goal of Zero. #ProcessSafety #OperationalExcellence #SafetyCulture

A topic that is crucial for any organization striving for operational excellence: Operational Excellence Management Systems (OEMS). These systems are not just about maintaining order; they are the backbone of a high reliability organization. Why OEMS? Drawing on the principles from the U.S. nuclear Navy—renowned for its unmatched safety record over six decades—OEMS provide a transparent, yet robust framework that supports every level of operations without being overtly conspicuous. As Jeff Hedges shared in a recent Workshop, "the best systems are those you don’t even realize you have because they integrate so seamlessly into your daily operations". Key Tips for an Effective OEMS: 1. Keep It Simple and Integrated: Avoid the complexity of managing multiple, overlapping systems. An integrated approach ensures consistency and minimizes redundancy, making the system easier to manage and more likely to be embraced by all team members. 2. Ensure It’s Scalable: Your system should grow with your organization. It must be adaptable enough to remain effective whether you’re a team of ten or a multinational corporation. 3. Make It Fit for Purpose: Customize your OEMS to reflect the unique risks, needs, and culture of your organization. What works for a global giant may not be suitable for a smaller enterprise. The goal is to create a system that is both practical and functional for your specific environment. 4. Foster Ownership and Accountability: From leadership to the frontline workers, everyone should feel they own part of the system. This promotes a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. 5. Review and Adapt: A static system is a dying system. Regular reviews for feedback and adaptability ensure the OEMS remains aligned with changing objectives and can meet new challenges head-on. Operational excellence isn't just about preventing errors; it’s about creating an environment where excellence is the norm. As we’ve learned from the best—like those in the nuclear Navy—an effective management system is transparent to those who use it daily but robust enough to maintain the highest standards of reliability and safety. Do you have questions about setting up or refining your OEMS? Or perhaps you have insights to share from your own experiences? Comment below or feel free to reach out directly. We're here to learn from each other and advance our organizations together! #OperationalExcellence #ManagementSystems #HighReliabilityOrganization Let's make operational excellence a core part of our organizational DNA. Looking forward to your thoughts and questions!

Does your organizational or safety culture promote excellent performance? Do your leaders send the message that safety and security are absolutes that will not be compromised? If you are not completely confident in your answers to these questions, you may decide that an evaluation of your organizational culture would be beneficial. Our team of subject matter experts has extensive experience in workplace evaluations for the nuclear, chemical, and other high-hazard industries. Click the link below to learn more 🔽 🔽 🔽 https://bit.ly/46EWGj8 #FurtherTogether

Steps to Improve Communication from the U.S. Nuclear Submarine Force ➡️ "In the hundreds of turnarounds we’ve been a part of, the #1 Weakness in companies’ SWOTs and employee surveys is consistently Communication. This is likely not a surprise, as you have experienced poor or miscommunication at least once in your career. While efforts can tremendously improve Communication, we recommend that Communication is never removed from the Top 3 of your SWOT to ensure everyone at your organization stays aligned to continuous improvement and that your team knows it remains essential to communicate thoroughly and transparently for them. Let’s explore the communication strategies of the U.S. nuclear submarine force to explore the depths of Communication in the modern workplace. From understanding why leadership should prioritize it to tackling the challenges of poor Communication, this piece delves into the essential strategies and insights necessary for fostering a culture of effective Communication." Read our latest article at https://lnkd.in/eTRMU4Pf!

LESSONS LEARNED ROUNDUP Starting off the year with the most relevant comments on the Lessons Learned Article Series. All from working Project Managers. Jeff Panning, PMP, ACP Reviewing Lessons Learned at the beginning of a new project can identify critical insights that could shape the approach, risk plan, and other project considerations. Performing Lessons Learned on a regular basis during a project improves ways to handle future challenges so project outcomes are better than they would have been without the Lessons Learned. Jim Lee I learned this from the US Navy's aircraft carrier maintenance community for Carrier Team One (CT1):  Learn Before, Learn During, and Learn After. Important since their nuclear aircraft carrier maintenance projects last over 4 years. James Lee Haner Assign responsibility for capturing and sharing lessons learned.  Designate individuals or teams to be "lesson owners" for specific projects or areas. Michael VanHorn  Review contributions to ensure a flow of good content before saving them. Categorizing is good but needs to be searchable so teams can retrieve and focus on common issues and recommended actions. What other recommendations would you make?

🚧 Building a Safer Future at ES Steel Solutions 🚧 📌 At ES Steel Solutions, we take pride in our robust health and safety culture, cultivated over 20 years of delivering complex construction projects in the Nuclear and Defence sectors. Here's how we ensure a positive safety environment: ✅ Leadership: Leading by example, our leaders set clear expectations and provide necessary resources. ✅ Safety Training: Comprehensive training ensures everyone knows how to stay safe and keep others safe. ✅ Communication: Clear channels for reporting and updates keep everyone informed and proactive. ✅ Auditing & Assessment: Regular internal audits help us make informed safety decisions. ✅ Recognition: We acknowledge and reward team members who actively contribute to safety. Our proactive approach anticipates and reduces risks, fostering continuous improvement and an industry-leading safety record. At ES Steel Solutions, safety isn’t just a task; it’s a core value! Read Full Article👇 https://lnkd.in/evn6hH9Q #safetyfirst #construction #healthandsafety #nuclear #defence #essteelsolutions

Congratulations to all our winners at the recent ‘Cavendish Nuclear Celebrating Success Awards’ acknowledging the successes and achievements of our colleagues across the business. We are proud of the scale and breadth of talent we have across our business! The winner of the Leader of the Year Award, Glenn Moss has a deserved reputation for great leadership having consistently demonstrated the ability to lead others, build relationships, develop their people, manage change and seek opportunities for continuous improvement. Glen comments, “I have been the Engineering Manager on the Pile Fuel Cladding Silo project for the last 3 years (although I have been on the project since 2010!), I was nominated for the ‘leader of the year’ by a few members of my team, which completely blew me away. I believe the catalyst for these nominations was the effect that the company’s Global People Survey had on me. I for one really engaged with the Global People Survey and listening to some of the issues and concerns that my team had was a bitter pill to swallow – I took some of my team’s reluctance to have frank and open conversation with me on their concerns as a personal failing on my part but decided to use this to improve not only my teams experience but also my management and leadership skills. I focussed on improving our teams’ personal experiences working on the project, believing happy people are productive people. We developed a new team charter and a list of ways that we could improve, these along with the Global People Survey actions were honestly progressed and the team updated frequently. We also improved communications and improved development opportunities within the team. To win the ‘Leader of the year’ award on the back of my teams’ nominations was very humbling. It felt like I have been awarded the players ‘player of the year’ award and I am so grateful to my team for thinking so kindly of me. It’s been quite a journey and I have learned a lot more from my team than they have from me." #leadership #buildingrelationships #celebratingsuccess #cavendishnuclear

The process works. Companies and Leaders who seek excellence should read the book and add the skills and processes to their toolkit. Once done you will be on the path to Operational Excellence. #operationalexcellence #oilandgasindustry #leadershipexcellence

Leap KY the Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, LLC leadership program recently offered the opportunity to attend the Leading through conflict and confrontation class by Alyson Van Hooser. This training gave me some very timely advice on how to professionally and effectively deal with conflict and confrontation. Here are some of the notes. - Team - 2 or More people with a positive unified purpose. - Conflict - A mental struggle often resulting from opposing individual needs, goals and expectations. - Two primary sources of professional conflict are the job and the people. Before conflicting situations can be managed logically and rationally, we must first deal with the emotions surrounding the issue. - Confrontation - A person to person interaction often involving a clash of individual ideas or wills. - Confrontation doesn't have to be a heated interaction. -Negative confrontation focuses on the person. -Positive confrontation focuses on the issue. -Keys to managing confrontations -Don't procrastinate. -Prepare yourself in advance. Never initiate a confrontation when you are an emotional mess. -Clearly identify the reason for and the result expected from each confrontation. -Stay focused on the problem not the person. -Be consciously aware of the possibility of team infection.