🎙️ Episode 40: What's On That Train? Why Rail Disasters Keep Happening

🎙️ Episode 45: The Danger Zone – Why "Shared Risk" is the Ultimate Credibility Builder

In this episode, host Jowanza Joseph speaks with retired Brigadier General Tom Kolditz to explore what leadership looks like when lives are on the line, and why the best peacetime CEO might actually be the wrong person to lead you through a real crisis. About the Guest Tom (Brig. Gen., Ret.) Kolditz is a renowned expert in crisis leadership and leading in extreme contexts. He is the author of In Extremis Leadership: Leading as if Your Life Depended On It and served as the founding Executive Director of Rice University's Doerr Institute for New Leaders from 2015 to 2022. Named a 2025 Thinkers50 Coaching Legend, Tom currently leads Saxon Castle LLC, a coaching and leadership development consultancy. Key Takeaways: 🚨 Defining In Extremis Leadership Leading in a life-or-death situation fundamentally differs from everyday peacetime corporate management. We explore what followers truly demand from leaders when the pressure is on and the danger is real. 🤝 The "Shared Risk" Principle A leader’s credibility in a high-stakes environment hinges on their willingness to face the exact same physical dangers as their team. If followers believe a leader is removed from the consequences, trust shatters. 🧠 Overcoming Tunnel Vision When danger is present, human beings naturally narrow their focus. Tom breaks down the psychology of danger, explaining how leaders can train themselves to overcome this tunnel vision through rapid scanning and continuous sensemaking when information is incomplete. 🛑 Command vs. Collaboration In a crisis, speed and consultation must be balanced. Tom discusses how to know exactly when to switch into "commander mode" and when you need to slow down to collaborate with your team. 📍 Presence in the Hot Zone Physically showing up at an incident site has immense strategic value, but it can also backfire. We discuss the true role of physical presence in the first five minutes of a crisis. 📚 Resources & Contact To dive deeper into Tom’s research on crisis leadership, explore his consulting work, and check out his upcoming releases, use the links below: * Website: tomkolditz.com [https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftomkolditz.com] * LinkedIn: Tom Kolditz [https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Ftom-kolditz-7116a3] * Company: Saxon Castle LLC * Books: * In Extremis Leadership: Leading As If Your Life Depended On It [https://www.amazon.com/Extremis-Leadership-Leading-Your-Depended/dp/0787996041] * Leadership Reckoning: Can Higher Education Develop the Leaders We Need [https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Reckoning-Education-Develop-Leaders/dp/1952938368] * Against the Storm: How Leaders Prevail When the World Shakes (Upcoming in Summer 2026, co-authored with Mariana Khomitska) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit parakeetinc.substack.com [https://parakeetinc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

🎙️ Episode 44: Stop Blaming People, Start Fixing Systems – The HOP Revolution in Industrial Safety

In this episode, host Jowanza Joseph explores Human and Organizational Performance (HOP)—a radical framework that encourages companies to stop looking for fault in their people and start looking for weaknesses in their systems. About the Guest Andrea Baker is a chemical engineer and the founder of The HOP Mentor, a consultancy dedicated to helping industrial organizations embed HOP principles into their core business systems. Beginning her career at GE, she eventually became the EHS Leader for manufacturing, assembly, and distribution facilities at GE Aviation. By 2015, she served as GE's HOP Senior Expert for Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, driving culture change across more than 300 multi-sector locations before founding her own firm in 2018. Key Takeaways: 🛑 The Inevitability of Human Error A core premise of HOP is that human error is completely inevitable. Accepting this reality isn't about giving up on safety; it means practically changing how you design systems so that you shift away from "fixing people" and instead focus on "fixing systems". 🤝 Replacing Blame with Learning Teams Traditional incident investigations often devolve into blame assignments. Andrea breaks down how to implement "Learning Teams" instead, focusing on creating the psychological safety necessary for workers to speak honestly without fear of discipline, which leads to genuine, systemic learning. 🌍 Scaling Culture Across Borders Having taught HOP across the US, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa, Andrea discovered that these principles resonate universally, despite vast cultural differences. She shares insights on moving HOP from a single pilot to an enterprise-wide norm, ensuring it becomes "just what we do" rather than just another separate safety program to manage. 📚 Resources & Contact To dive deeper into Human and Organizational Performance and find HOP Fundamentals training, connect with Andrea and explore her work below. * Website: thehopmentor.com [https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=http%3A%2F%2Fthehopmentor.com] * LinkedIn: Andrea Baker [https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fsearch%2Fresults%2Fall%2F%3Fkeywords%3DAndrea%2BBaker%2BHOP] * Articles & Contributions: Safety Differently - Andrea Baker [https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=http%3A%2F%2Fsafetydifferently.com%2Fcontributors%2Fandreabaker] * Collaborator: Southpac International [https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fsouthpac.biz%2F] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit parakeetinc.substack.com [https://parakeetinc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

🎙️ Episode 43: Cathedral Thinking – Building Safety Culture for the Next Generation

In this episode, host Jowanza Joseph sits down with global HSE leader Paul Leonard. They explore the philosophy of "Cathedral Thinking"—a long-term strategy for building high-reliability organizations based on trust, learning agility, and a deep sense of belonging. About the Guest Paul Leonard is a global HSE executive, expert witness, and culture change expert who specializes in preventing unplanned events globally. With a career spanning the US, Europe, Mexico, and China, he has led enterprise safety and HSE operations across major chemical and utility giants, including Entergy, Arkema, and Orbia. He currently leads initiatives through SinoCelt LLC. Key Takeaways: ⛪ The "Art" of Cathedral Thinking Great cathedrals like Notre Dame or the Washington National Cathedral took decades, sometimes centuries, to build. Paul explains why leaders must adopt this "Cathedral Thinking" framework to build a timeless, resilient organization, moving away from short-sighted "quick wins" and establishing a foundation that will outlast their tenure. 🧠 The Neuroscience of Belonging A long-term safety vision cannot be executed through compliance alone; it requires a sense of belonging. Paul explores how social identity, authentic leadership, and shared purpose create the group cohesion necessary for workers to actively share knowledge, commit to ethical decisions, and prioritize safety. ⚙️ High Reliability Organizations (HROs) HROs have no choice but to function reliably, because if they fail, severe harm results. Paul breaks down the concept of "Chronic Unease" and the mindfulness required to anticipate risk relentlessly, focusing on key pillars like a preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify data, and deference to expertise. 📉 Performance vs. Paperwork Noise Many organizations have lots of safety activity—endless training, complex audits, and busy dashboards. Paul discusses how to identify when these activities turn into mere "noise" instead of actual risk reduction, and shares strategies for ensuring safety is treated as a core operating model rather than an isolated department. 📚 Resources & Contact To dive deeper into Paul’s work on Cathedral Thinking and global safety culture, check out the links below: * LinkedIn: Paul Leonard [https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fpaulanthonyleonard%2F] * Consulting Work: SinoCelt LLC [https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fsinocelt-llc%2F] * Speaking & Forums: Safety on the Edge - Paul Leonard Profile [https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fsafetyontheedge.com%2Fall-speakers%2Fpaul-leonard-profile%2F] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit parakeetinc.substack.com [https://parakeetinc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

🎙️ Episode 42: Predicting the Preventable - How Data Science is Redefining Safety

About the Guest Dr. Elif Erkal is a construction safety research expert who specializes in predicting serious injuries and fatalities (SIF) using data analytics. She currently serves as the Associate Director of Research and Strategy at the Construction Safety Research Alliance (CSRA) at CU Boulder. Her groundbreaking work challenges traditional safety metrics and advocates for the use of predictive models in high-risk environments. Key Takeaways: 📉 The TRIR Illusion Traditional metrics like TRIR are not just flawed; they are statistically invalid when it comes to predicting fatalities. Instead of merely counting injuries, organizations need to identify the real "precursors" that signal a major incident is coming. 🤖 AI and Predictive Analytics Companies are sitting on mountains of unstructured safety data, from inspection reports to near-miss cards. By utilizing machine learning, organizations can shift from simply "collecting data" to actively predicting SIF exposure. However, algorithms must be carefully managed to ensure human safety managers don't become complacent. ⚡ High-Energy Controls Not all safety controls are created equal. Instead of relying on administrative controls like rules and signs—which are known to fail—organizations should focus on High-Energy Control Assessments (HECA) to implement direct, effective controls. 🧹 Eliminating "Safety Clutter" When looking at Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, true safety culture goes beyond simply listing injury rates. Sometimes, removing outdated rules—known as "Safety Clutter"—is just as critical as creating new ones. Ultimately, safety is about stopping the practice of counting failure and starting to measure capacity. 📚 Resources & Contact To learn more about Dr. Erkal’s research on predictive safety, check out the following resources: * Website: CSRA [https://www.csra.colorado.edu/]* * LinkedIn: Elif Erkal, PhD [https://www.linkedin.com/in/elif-erkal/] *All of their research and resources are publicly available and free to access, including their published papers. Since the work is publicly funded, listeners are able to explore the papers, literature, and additional resources available on their website. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit parakeetinc.substack.com [https://parakeetinc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

🎙️ Episode 41: How Does Military Discipline Apply To Industrial Problem-Solving? Bringing A Ranger’s Mindset To Safety

In this episode, I talk to Lee Campe, who blends military discipline with Lean Six Sigma methodologies. Lee teaches organizations how to shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive risk prevention. About the Guest Lee Campe is a former US Army Airborne Ranger and a leading national expert on metric development, KPIs, problem-solving, and Lean Six Sigma deployment. As the President of Performance Excellence INC since 2003, he has earned Master Black Belt certifications across four major deployments for industry giants like Home Depot, JP Morgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, and GE Power Systems. In addition to training thousands of corporate professionals, Lee served as a University Lecturer at the Georgia Institute of Technology for 17 years, bringing Lean Six Sigma into their MBA program Key Takeaways: 🪖 The Ranger Mindset in Corporate Safety What corporate executives can learn about decision-making, problem-solving frameworks, and leadership under pressure from an Army Airborne Ranger. 🛑 Red Flags in Root Cause Analysis (RCA) When investigators use phrases like "lack of training," "failed to follow policy," or "lack of communication," they aren't finding the root cause—they are making lazy excuses. A true RCA should skip these red flags and instead output testable hypotheses. 📊 Applying DMAIC to Safety-Critical Environments How the Six Sigma DMAIC framework (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) can be practically applied to safety investigations in high-stakes industries like space exploration, pharma, and food manufacturing. 📈 Metrics That Predict Failure The difference between merely fixing a problem and actively preventing risk. Lee breaks down how to establish the KPIs and metrics that actually matter so organizations can predict failures before they ever happen. 📚 Resources & Contact To go deeper into Lee’s work and problem-solving methodology, explore the following links: * Website: www.leecampe.com [http://www.leecampe.com] * LinkedIn: Lee Campe [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leecampe/?isSelfProfile=false] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@leecampe1407] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit parakeetinc.substack.com [https://parakeetinc.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]