GKN Aerospace
“Playing with Fire” Leadership Training

GKN is one of the UK’s largest and most successful engineering companies, with operations in more than 30 countries employing over 55,000 people and a history spanning over 250 years they have a well-deserved reputation for manufacturing excellence. As well as maintaining a strong focus on production quality, the organisation is equally committed to safety excellence and their aim is to completely eradicate preventable accidents. GKN understand that their people are their most valuable asset and they are passionate about helping them to fulfil their potential whilst keeping them safe.

Following the successful delivery of the GKN Aerospace "Don’t Walk By" safety programme in the UK we were asked to deliver the leadership programme for the Supervisory Team at GKN Aerospace in New York, St. Louis, Tallassee Alabama and the GKN Hoeganaes Corporation in Gallatin, Tennessee.

GKN Aerospace Supervisory Team at GKN Aerospace in New York, St. Louis, Tallassee Alabama and the GKN Hoeganaes Corporation in Gallatin, Tennessee.

In August 2014 the programme was delivered to Leaders at four locations across the USA with overwhelming success and the prospect of a continued partnership.

We have since returned to deliver the next phase of training for the delegates. This comprised of a 3-day intensive Leadership programme for Team Leaders and Supervisors at Gallatin (November 2015). The 3 days were fast paced, lively, interactive and utilised theatre to allow delegates to relate to the themes and allowing skills practice in a safe, constructive learning environment. Participants were encouraged to take personal responsibility for achieving their own goals through continuous review of their own personal development and action planning.

A sample of some of the key objectives included:

• Recognise the benefit of a continuous improvement culture where the workforce regularly and willingly contribute ideas and insights
• Be clear on the importance of their role as a transformational leader in maintaining the highest possible standards of safety
• Understand the fundamentals of a non-directional approach to safety conversations and the impact that this can have on workforce safety engagement
• Understand that where a non-directional, supportive approach is unsuccessful, a more direct strategy may be required perhaps resulting in implementation of a performance management process
• Recognise the importance of positive reinforcement of desired safety behaviours
• Have a deeper knowledge of how violations and human error manifest themselves and understand their roles as leaders in communicating with the workforce in order to minimise such instances
• Have a more accurate perception of actual risk and be able to communicate this reality to their teams
• Understand the ways in which even the most experienced, professional of employees (including themselves) can be ‘tricked’ by their own brain into misjudging risk
• Recognize the importance of regular safety conversations in creating a culture of open, honest disclosure of safety issues and concerns
• Be confident in counselling employees towards improved safety behaviours in a constructive, fair and reasonable way

The programme was successfully delivered with 100% of the delegates saying that they would recommend this training to their colleagues.

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