Worley

Career Journey to Leadership at Worley

I started out as a professional firefighter after graduating from West Virginia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. While serving as a professional firefighter in the Charleston, WV, I attended graduate school at Marshall University. Almost a year after graduating with a master’s degree in safety management from Marshall, I started work as a Safety Engineer for Allied Colloids in Suffolk, VA. Seven global engineering, energy and chemical companies later, I serve the Americas Region for Worley as the HSE Lead for thousands of projects, thousands of work family members, and in hundreds of locations in North and South America. Most of my career opportunities have been based on my proven capability in deploying Hard Analytical HSE Skills, influencing safe work decisions and behaviors through my Soft Leadership HSE Skills, and my dedication to serve others.

Balancing Leadership and Systems for Safety Excellence

If I had to choose one, it would be leadership. Everything in the safety space starts with leadership (individual and collective). There are no safety systems without safety leadership. Leadership has the authority, manages the resources, and sets the tone for the safety culture.

Driving Accountability through Safety Leadership Principles

My 10 E’s in Safety Leadership is the cornerstone to how I serve in the safety space along with influencing others to lead in safety. If I had to pick one E that leads toward a true safety positive cultural change it would be “Embracement”. Influencing all of the work family members to embrace the progressive and proactive safety culture is main element of a long-term shift towards a mature safety culture. Everyone believing that all work can be completed without accidents that negatively impact the work family is a major step and fundamental elements of safe work culture.

  Everything in the safety space starts with leadership. There are no safety systems without safety leadership.  

Tech-Enabled Transformation in ESG and Workplace Safety

We partner with our customers in identifying, assessing, and executing ESG processes where applicable. We consider the best in ESG processes, technologies, and systems are available to minimize our carbon footprint in our offices, shops, and projects. We strive to be an employer of choice by providing a psychosocially safe and professionally progressive workplace. We hold ourselves accountable for “Doing What We Said We Are Going to Do” in the internal governance and accountability space. I am proud of our ESG performance.

Shaping HSE Excellence in a Complex Environment

Future HSE Leaders are developed. There may be individuals that have natural character traits or capabilities that give them a head start in the HSE Leadership Space, but everyone needs refinement in the Hard HSE Skills, Soft HSE Skills, and Dedication to serve others. Professional development, mentoring, and finding one’s HSE Niche’ is important in striving towards HSE Leadership Optimization. I switched from being a subject matter expert in safety regulations to a safety leader developer a few years ago post me fully understanding human performance.

The Balance between Safety Mindset and Practice

Because of my sports background, I lean into elevating safety performance the same way I prepared for a football game, wrestling match, or power lifting competition.

1. Winning is a state of mind (Always Do Your Best and You Always Win). In safety, prepare to perform every task as safe as reasonably possible with an end result of a safe experience being the goal.

2. There is always room for improvement. Continuously learn new things and make them part of how we perform in sports and at work if that makes us better or safer.

3. Adopt and nurture the team approach to delivering the best performance individually and collectively in safe work and sports achievement. We have each other’s back.