Early in his career Matt noticed something simple, but powerful workers aren’t open to leaders they fear. “If workers fear you, they won’t come to you with problems,” he explains. Instead of enforcing compliance through authority, Matt built trust through empathy and approachability. Matt uses the approach of Psychological Safety, highlighted by Amy Edmonson of Harvard. This approach is based on the idea that your team can speak up without fear of punishment or embarrassment. In this way, workers feel respected and safety and that’s when hazards are reported, questions are asked and people challenge unsafe work practices. 

He prioritized small-group conversations over large meetings, creating space for honesty. “Instead of talking in front of 35 people they only talk in front of four or five. It makes a huge difference in the quality of conversations,” According to him small adjustments had a big impact. Workers began reporting hazards more quickly, asking questions more freely and supporting each other to stay safe.