By Dr Todd Conklin
Why leaders need to build businesses that ‘fail safely’
Todd Conklin25 November, 20191
- PAPod 615 - Leaders First: Why Safety Starts at the TopTodd joins James Newman and Ken Madsen on a special excerpt from the Counter-Errorism podcast to discuss productive safety, leadership change, and how investigations should inform solutions rather than impose them. They cover practical ideas: shifting leaders' thinking, treating workers as problem-solvers, using judgments of need, and how DOE-style investigations differ from industry practices.
- PAPod 614 - Accountability Labs: Learning to Have Each Other’s BackTodd Conklin hosts Jen Long on the Pre-Accident Investigation Podcast to introduce "accountability labs": practical, small-group exercises that help teams practice having each other’s back instead of weaponizing blame. The episode explains how labs create psychological safety and readiness through real scenarios, skill-building, and debriefs so participants develop the language and muscle memory to speak […]
- PAPod 613 - Don't Shoot the Dog: A Song for Safer WorkplacesHost Todd talks with safety professional and singer-songwriter Toni Vere about human and organizational performance (HOP), accountability, and the power of fixing systems instead of blaming people. Toni performs "Don't Shoot the Dog," a song that turns shop‑floor experience and worker expertise into a memorable lesson on creating safer, smarter workplaces.
- PAPod 612 - Speak Up or Stay Silent: Amy Edmondson on Psychological SafetyHost Todd Conklin chats with Harvard’s Amy Edmondson about psychological safety, learning from failure, and how leaders can create workplaces where people speak up and learn. They cover just culture, systems thinking, and practical steps to choose curiosity over certainty. This warm, wide-ranging conversation blends research with real-world stories and leaves listeners with a clear […]
Safety as outcome or capacity, same thing, just more word salad. Both advocate a quantitative approach to safety that is no ‘different’.
Todd, I really and sincerely appreciate the wisdom you bring to the safety industry (don’t know what else to call it). Very insightful talk on managing safety and failing safely. You are a gift to industry. Thanks.