https://simplecast.com Counter Errorism Human and Organizational Performance (HOP): In the wide world of Safety improvement, we discuss how humans detect, prevent, and correct errors. Learn some tips on implementing HOP or teaching others about it. "Counter-errorism" is a captivating podcast that delves into the world of High-Reliability Organizations and error mitigation strategies. Hosted by two seasoned HOP practitioners with surprise guests, this show offers listeners a unique blend of technical expertise and practical insights. Each episode explores things affecting HOP, innovative techniques, and cutting-edge approaches to enhance the reliability of work. The hosts' engaging banter and real-world examples make complex topics accessible to both experts and enthusiasts alike. From discussing the latest advancements in error management (that we know of) to focusing on things that work. "Counter-errorism" is an essential listen for anyone interested in the challenging yet crucial field of Human and Organizational Performance. Any views expressed are our own (or our guests), not those of our employers or the Department of Energy. 2024 Counter-Errorism, Human Performance Tools, LLC en Mon, 18 May 2026 05:59:27 +0000 Mon, 18 May 2026 05:59:37 +0000 https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com Counter Errorism https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/b8ec0cd0-f452-4065-8f2a-4b82fd3caef4/bf1896c2-be75-409b-b353-ad8f3e0846bd/3000x3000/ce-logo.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com episodic Human and Organizational Performance (HOP): In the wide world of Safety improvement, we discuss how humans detect, prevent, and correct errors. Learn some tips on implementing HOP or teaching others about it. "Counter-errorism" is a captivating podcast that delves into the world of High-Reliability Organizations and error mitigation strategies. Hosted by two seasoned HOP practitioners with surprise guests, this show offers listeners a unique blend of technical expertise and practical insights. Each episode explores things affecting HOP, innovative techniques, and cutting-edge approaches to enhance the reliability of work. The hosts' engaging banter and real-world examples make complex topics accessible to both experts and enthusiasts alike. From discussing the latest advancements in error management (that we know of) to focusing on things that work. "Counter-errorism" is an essential listen for anyone interested in the challenging yet crucial field of Human and Organizational Performance. Any views expressed are our own (or our guests), not those of our employers or the Department of Energy. Ken Madson, James Newman true https://feeds.simplecast.com/xXRSeo5X counter errorism, error, error reduction, h & op, hop, hro, human & organizational performance, human and organizational performance, human performance, ism, james newman, ken madson, safe, safety, safety culture Cristen Newman James@HumanPerformanceTools.com e83cbea2-aef6-4520-9048-cef3bc1a8221 Counter-Errorism - Episode 19 - Joe Estey Get to know Joe Estey, Sr:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-estey-9905515a/

Email: jestey@lucasinc.com      See an older, but still pertinent webinar with Joe: Fooled by Counting—Why the Scale is Not Your Friend

Website: www.CHOLearning.org (Joe serves on the Board of Directors, Community of Human and Organizational Learning)

Joe Estey provides several powerful strategies for reshaping organizational learning, reducing bureaucracy, and improving human performance.

Here are the key lessons we learn from his approach:

Learning from Everyday Successes

Estey stresses the importance of learning from normal, everyday activities rather than waiting to learn exclusively from mistakes. He notes that if an organization only attempts to learn from failures, they will simply get more opportunities to make them. Instead, leaders should proactively study teams that are successfully meeting their expectations and successfully managing everyday challenges.

Rethinking the "Vehicles" for Learning

Many companies invest heavily in formal "lessons learned" databases or required reading programs that workers never actually read; often, these systems exist simply to meet a bureaucratic deadline. Estey suggests that true operational learning happens through informal crew meetings and ongoing conversations, where workers naturally discuss what happened yesterday to prepare for today.

To institutionalize this knowledge for future or newly hired workers, he recommends:

  • Integrating tools into all training: Embedding human performance concepts into everyday classes (like forklift or flagger training) and heavily incorporating them from day one of onboarding.
  • "Today's post-job is tomorrow's pre-job": Creating dynamic, worker-owned forms where a crew takes a few minutes at the end of their task to fill out a brief document (such as noting where special tools are kept) to directly help the next crew who will perform that same job.

Combating "Safety Clutter" Through Subtraction

Drawing on the concept of the "Scarcity Brain," Estey explains that humans have an innate drive to constantly add things to solve problems. In the workplace, this results in a dangerous "cumulative effect" of endlessly adding new rules, corrective actions, and procedural steps (often referred to as "safety clutter").

Estey challenges teams to overcome this instinct by routinely asking, "What do we need to take away in order to help make this more productive and safe?". By treating subtraction as a form of addition, organizations can simplify overly complex processes—such as avoiding situations where a single lock-out/tag-out tag requires 14 different people to touch it.

The Systemic "Undo Button"

Finally, Estey highlights that in some situations, the best corrective action is to do absolutely nothing. Every job carries an expected baseline error rate, and when minor mistakes happen that do not lead to severe consequences, organizations shouldn't force formal investigations or reports. Instead, businesses need to build a systemic "undo button"—much like in a word processor—where workers can simply recognize a minor mistake, correct it, learn, and move on without treating it like a catastrophe.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Mon, 18 May 2026 05:59:27 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Joe Estey, James Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-19-joe-estey-G3dOxyhQ Get to know Joe Estey, Sr:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-estey-9905515a/

Email: jestey@lucasinc.com      See an older, but still pertinent webinar with Joe: Fooled by Counting—Why the Scale is Not Your Friend

Website: www.CHOLearning.org (Joe serves on the Board of Directors, Community of Human and Organizational Learning)

Joe Estey provides several powerful strategies for reshaping organizational learning, reducing bureaucracy, and improving human performance.

Here are the key lessons we learn from his approach:

Learning from Everyday Successes

Estey stresses the importance of learning from normal, everyday activities rather than waiting to learn exclusively from mistakes. He notes that if an organization only attempts to learn from failures, they will simply get more opportunities to make them. Instead, leaders should proactively study teams that are successfully meeting their expectations and successfully managing everyday challenges.

Rethinking the "Vehicles" for Learning

Many companies invest heavily in formal "lessons learned" databases or required reading programs that workers never actually read; often, these systems exist simply to meet a bureaucratic deadline. Estey suggests that true operational learning happens through informal crew meetings and ongoing conversations, where workers naturally discuss what happened yesterday to prepare for today.

To institutionalize this knowledge for future or newly hired workers, he recommends:

  • Integrating tools into all training: Embedding human performance concepts into everyday classes (like forklift or flagger training) and heavily incorporating them from day one of onboarding.
  • "Today's post-job is tomorrow's pre-job": Creating dynamic, worker-owned forms where a crew takes a few minutes at the end of their task to fill out a brief document (such as noting where special tools are kept) to directly help the next crew who will perform that same job.

Combating "Safety Clutter" Through Subtraction

Drawing on the concept of the "Scarcity Brain," Estey explains that humans have an innate drive to constantly add things to solve problems. In the workplace, this results in a dangerous "cumulative effect" of endlessly adding new rules, corrective actions, and procedural steps (often referred to as "safety clutter").

Estey challenges teams to overcome this instinct by routinely asking, "What do we need to take away in order to help make this more productive and safe?". By treating subtraction as a form of addition, organizations can simplify overly complex processes—such as avoiding situations where a single lock-out/tag-out tag requires 14 different people to touch it.

The Systemic "Undo Button"

Finally, Estey highlights that in some situations, the best corrective action is to do absolutely nothing. Every job carries an expected baseline error rate, and when minor mistakes happen that do not lead to severe consequences, organizations shouldn't force formal investigations or reports. Instead, businesses need to build a systemic "undo button"—much like in a word processor—where workers can simply recognize a minor mistake, correct it, learn, and move on without treating it like a catastrophe.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 19 - Joe Estey Joe Estey, James Newman 00:19:35 In this episode, Joe Estey emphasizes the importance of learning from everyday successful work rather than just focusing on mistakes, noting that real learning happens through crew conversations and training integration rather than formal databases that nobody reads. He also advocates for combating "safety clutter" by actively looking for things to subtract from procedures, rather than constantly adding new corrective actions. Finally, he points out that sometimes the best corrective action for a minor mistake is to simply do nothing, treating it like a systemic "undo button" rather than launching a formal investigation. In this episode, Joe Estey emphasizes the importance of learning from everyday successful work rather than just focusing on mistakes, noting that real learning happens through crew conversations and training integration rather than formal databases that nobody reads. He also advocates for combating "safety clutter" by actively looking for things to subtract from procedures, rather than constantly adding new corrective actions. Finally, he points out that sometimes the best corrective action for a minor mistake is to simply do nothing, treating it like a systemic "undo button" rather than launching a formal investigation. safety clutter, crew conversations, systemic undo button, learning from everyday success, subtraction over addition, cumulative effect, scarcity brain, baseline error rate, today's post-job is tomorrow's pre-job false full 19 3bd6cbf4-b35a-41c9-9a3a-ce8330d40f41 Counter-Errorism - Episode 18 - Joanne Zaraliakos Get to know Joanne Zaraliakos:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-z-492b0530/

Email: joannezaras@yahoo.com

In her conversation on the Counter Errorism podcast, Joanne Zaraliakos shares highly practical, subtle strategies for implementing organizational change and making safety training memorable.

Here are the key lessons we learn from her approach:

"Sneaky" Change Management

Zaraliakos notes that people are generally nervous about change and often resist massive new safety initiatives or programs. To bypass this resistance, she employs a "sneaky" strategy: she looks at what the organization is already doing and makes slight tweaks so workers do not even realize a change is happening. Instead of launching a formal program, she simply sprinkles the desired concepts into existing routines, such as integrating a "stop and act" moment directly into a standard pre-start inspection. The ultimate reward of this subtle approach is hearing the workforce naturally mimic back the new safety language without ever realizing a new initiative was implemented.

From "Gotcha" Observations to Conversations

She actively moves away from traditional "safety observations," which she refers to as negative "gotcha moments". Instead, she transforms these interactions into "safety conversations." By approaching workers with open, caring questions—like simply asking, "How's your day going?"—she opens up a dialogue rather than immediately confronting them about a missing pair of safety glasses.

Experiential Learning and Making Training "Sticky"

Rather than rolling out a brand new, dry training program, Zaraliakos advocates for slipping experiential learning into existing events, such as turning a standard chemical safety (WHMIS/SDS) review during Safety Week into a fun, hands-on experience. She emphasizes that for training to be truly "sticky" (meaning it is actually retained by the worker), you must make the participants feel something. Because human memories are deeply tied to emotions, creating a feeling during a training exercise ensures the lesson will actually stick.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Mon, 11 May 2026 21:34:39 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Joanne Zaraliakos, James Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-18-joanne-zaraliakos-lBVoa22J Get to know Joanne Zaraliakos:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-z-492b0530/

Email: joannezaras@yahoo.com

In her conversation on the Counter Errorism podcast, Joanne Zaraliakos shares highly practical, subtle strategies for implementing organizational change and making safety training memorable.

Here are the key lessons we learn from her approach:

"Sneaky" Change Management

Zaraliakos notes that people are generally nervous about change and often resist massive new safety initiatives or programs. To bypass this resistance, she employs a "sneaky" strategy: she looks at what the organization is already doing and makes slight tweaks so workers do not even realize a change is happening. Instead of launching a formal program, she simply sprinkles the desired concepts into existing routines, such as integrating a "stop and act" moment directly into a standard pre-start inspection. The ultimate reward of this subtle approach is hearing the workforce naturally mimic back the new safety language without ever realizing a new initiative was implemented.

From "Gotcha" Observations to Conversations

She actively moves away from traditional "safety observations," which she refers to as negative "gotcha moments". Instead, she transforms these interactions into "safety conversations." By approaching workers with open, caring questions—like simply asking, "How's your day going?"—she opens up a dialogue rather than immediately confronting them about a missing pair of safety glasses.

Experiential Learning and Making Training "Sticky"

Rather than rolling out a brand new, dry training program, Zaraliakos advocates for slipping experiential learning into existing events, such as turning a standard chemical safety (WHMIS/SDS) review during Safety Week into a fun, hands-on experience. She emphasizes that for training to be truly "sticky" (meaning it is actually retained by the worker), you must make the participants feel something. Because human memories are deeply tied to emotions, creating a feeling during a training exercise ensures the lesson will actually stick.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 18 - Joanne Zaraliakos Joanne Zaraliakos, James Newman 00:17:55 In this episode, Joanne Zaraliakos shares her "sneaky" strategy for rolling out new safety initiatives by making subtle tweaks to existing processes, allowing workers to adapt without resisting the change. She highlights the importance of subtle language shifts, such as changing "safety observations" to "safety conversations," to improve engagement. Finally, she advocates for creating fun, experiential learning moments that make people feel something, which ensures the training actually sticks. In this episode, Joanne Zaraliakos shares her "sneaky" strategy for rolling out new safety initiatives by making subtle tweaks to existing processes, allowing workers to adapt without resisting the change. She highlights the importance of subtle language shifts, such as changing "safety observations" to "safety conversations," to improve engagement. Finally, she advocates for creating fun, experiential learning moments that make people feel something, which ensures the training actually sticks. safety conversations, experiential learning, sneaky change management, gotcha moments, sticky training, curiosity buckets false full 18 d308a500-ca46-46a0-a834-2c0a2b883404 Counter-Errorism - Episode 17 - Stephanie Moore Get to know Stephanie Moore:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemoore763/

Email: stephaniemoore763@yahoo.com

In her conversation on the Counter Errorism podcast, Stephanie Moore shares several practical strategies for improving organizational learning, emphasizing that performance improvement requires abandoning "one-size-fits-all" solutions. Instead, practitioners must tailor their approaches to the unique nuances and cultures of each specific group.

Here are the key insights and lessons from her approach:

Disarming Frustration and Building Trust Moore notes that frontline workers often deeply resent individuals coming down from the "glass palace" to fix their problems. To build immediate trust, she actively disarms their frustrations by shifting the conversation entirely away from corporate metrics, goals, or performance indicators. Instead, she focuses strictly on how to get them home safely. This genuine, human-centric concern bypasses defensive barriers, allowing passionate and frustrated workers to finally open up about the actual operational issues they face.

Humility and "Planting the Seed" Rather than acting as the ultimate authority, Moore approaches the frontline with profound humility, recognizing that while she may know the safety theory, the workers are the true experts of their own environment. She advocates for patiently "planting the seed" of new ideas, acknowledging that people rarely adopt changes immediately. By giving workers the space to let concepts marinate without forcing an agenda, they can organically discover how these performance tools fit into their daily work.

Translating Between Academia, Leadership, and the Frontline A major part of Moore's success lies in her ability to act as a vital translator across the different layers of an organization:

  • For the Frontline: Complex academic concepts often go over workers' heads because they are already mentally taxed by a demanding operational environment. To fix this, she translates theory into highly relatable, tangible exercises. For example, she teaches the academic concept of a "cognitive walkthrough" by having workers describe how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She notes that hands-on guidance and participation in workgroups is far more effective than pulling distracted workers away for web-based computer training.
  • For Leadership: Conversely, she must translate the frontline's operational struggles into the language that executives actually speak—money and efficiency. She bridges the communication gap by showing leaders how investing in these safety and performance improvements ultimately saves resources that can be effectively utilized elsewhere.

Empowerment Over Blind Compliance Finally, Moore operates on the foundational belief that people are inherently good and do not want to make mistakes. Rather than forcing workers to follow rules simply because of compliance or because "academia said so," organizations must empower employees by explaining the why behind their policies. Even if a worker thinks a policy is foolish initially, understanding its actual purpose allows them to apply critical thinking and make safer choices on the fly, rather than resorting to dangerous shortcuts because a rule didn't make sense to them.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:16:52 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (James Newman, Ken Madson, Stephanie Moore) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-16-stephanie-moore-m8sVMyIN Get to know Stephanie Moore:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemoore763/

Email: stephaniemoore763@yahoo.com

In her conversation on the Counter Errorism podcast, Stephanie Moore shares several practical strategies for improving organizational learning, emphasizing that performance improvement requires abandoning "one-size-fits-all" solutions. Instead, practitioners must tailor their approaches to the unique nuances and cultures of each specific group.

Here are the key insights and lessons from her approach:

Disarming Frustration and Building Trust Moore notes that frontline workers often deeply resent individuals coming down from the "glass palace" to fix their problems. To build immediate trust, she actively disarms their frustrations by shifting the conversation entirely away from corporate metrics, goals, or performance indicators. Instead, she focuses strictly on how to get them home safely. This genuine, human-centric concern bypasses defensive barriers, allowing passionate and frustrated workers to finally open up about the actual operational issues they face.

Humility and "Planting the Seed" Rather than acting as the ultimate authority, Moore approaches the frontline with profound humility, recognizing that while she may know the safety theory, the workers are the true experts of their own environment. She advocates for patiently "planting the seed" of new ideas, acknowledging that people rarely adopt changes immediately. By giving workers the space to let concepts marinate without forcing an agenda, they can organically discover how these performance tools fit into their daily work.

Translating Between Academia, Leadership, and the Frontline A major part of Moore's success lies in her ability to act as a vital translator across the different layers of an organization:

  • For the Frontline: Complex academic concepts often go over workers' heads because they are already mentally taxed by a demanding operational environment. To fix this, she translates theory into highly relatable, tangible exercises. For example, she teaches the academic concept of a "cognitive walkthrough" by having workers describe how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She notes that hands-on guidance and participation in workgroups is far more effective than pulling distracted workers away for web-based computer training.
  • For Leadership: Conversely, she must translate the frontline's operational struggles into the language that executives actually speak—money and efficiency. She bridges the communication gap by showing leaders how investing in these safety and performance improvements ultimately saves resources that can be effectively utilized elsewhere.

Empowerment Over Blind Compliance Finally, Moore operates on the foundational belief that people are inherently good and do not want to make mistakes. Rather than forcing workers to follow rules simply because of compliance or because "academia said so," organizations must empower employees by explaining the why behind their policies. Even if a worker thinks a policy is foolish initially, understanding its actual purpose allows them to apply critical thinking and make safer choices on the fly, rather than resorting to dangerous shortcuts because a rule didn't make sense to them.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 17 - Stephanie Moore James Newman, Ken Madson, Stephanie Moore 00:28:03 In this episode, Stephanie Moore emphasizes that improving performance requires abandoning "one-size-fits-all" solutions and instead tailoring approaches to the unique needs and culture of each group. She highlights the importance of building trust by spending time with frontline workers, disarming their frustrations, and focusing on getting them home safely rather than pushing corporate metrics. Ultimately, she advocates for patiently "planting the seed" for change by translating complex academic concepts into relatable tasks and empowering employees to understand the "why" behind safety policies. In this episode, Stephanie Moore emphasizes that improving performance requires abandoning "one-size-fits-all" solutions and instead tailoring approaches to the unique needs and culture of each group. She highlights the importance of building trust by spending time with frontline workers, disarming their frustrations, and focusing on getting them home safely rather than pushing corporate metrics. Ultimately, she advocates for patiently "planting the seed" for change by translating complex academic concepts into relatable tasks and empowering employees to understand the "why" behind safety policies. humility, performance improvement, compliance vs. understanding, disarming frustration, dynamic learning activities, behavior change, planting the seed, translating academia, decentralized command, trust building, curiosity, safety communication, frontline empowerment, tailored solutions true full 17 9ef2fe74-6aa4-40ef-ade1-0193e32f0e26 Counter-Errorism - Episode 16 - Steve Smith Get to know Steve:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/experiential

Email: steve@outdoorrisk.com

Books:

Safety Science for Outdoor & Experiential Education

Beneficial Risks

Website: https://www.outdoorrisk.com/

In his appearance on the Counter Errorism podcast, Steve Smith shared practical strategies for improving organizational learning, focusing heavily on how we view, report, and learn from risks. Here is a short synopsis of his key lessons:

  • Defining "Normal": To effectively identify and learn from incidents and near misses, organizations must first clearly define what "normal" looks like. What is considered a normal occurrence for an experienced team might be a serious near miss for a novice group.
  • Removing Barriers to Reporting: Smith successfully increased near-miss reporting tenfold by reframing them as "Threshold Zero" events to remove the fear of punishment. He also learned that reporting systems must be as simple and barrier-free as possible, asking just the basics (who, what happened, what did we learn) rather than forcing workers through cumbersome databases.
  • Categorizing Event Data: He advocates for tracking four specific categories of events: Incidents, Near Misses, Safety Success Stories (times when interventions or systems worked perfectly), and Learning from Everyday Work (system improvements drawn from repeated daily challenges).
  • Asking "Were we lucky or were we good?": Instead of waiting for a tragedy to trigger an investigation, teams should proactively debrief successful tasks by asking if they succeeded due to skill or mere luck. This helps uncover hidden hazards that might be lurking within everyday successes.
  • Risk Optimization over Risk Avoidance: Finally, Smith points out that our goal shouldn't always be the complete avoidance of risk. By shifting the focus to "risk optimization," organizations can embrace beneficial risks that help workers grow, adapt, and build capacity.

Note an error in conversation: James says "Yosemite" but meant "Mount Diablo" in California

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Sun, 19 Apr 2026 21:29:11 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (James Newman, Steve Smith) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-16-steve-smith-__4EuJli Get to know Steve:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/experiential

Email: steve@outdoorrisk.com

Books:

Safety Science for Outdoor & Experiential Education

Beneficial Risks

Website: https://www.outdoorrisk.com/

In his appearance on the Counter Errorism podcast, Steve Smith shared practical strategies for improving organizational learning, focusing heavily on how we view, report, and learn from risks. Here is a short synopsis of his key lessons:

  • Defining "Normal": To effectively identify and learn from incidents and near misses, organizations must first clearly define what "normal" looks like. What is considered a normal occurrence for an experienced team might be a serious near miss for a novice group.
  • Removing Barriers to Reporting: Smith successfully increased near-miss reporting tenfold by reframing them as "Threshold Zero" events to remove the fear of punishment. He also learned that reporting systems must be as simple and barrier-free as possible, asking just the basics (who, what happened, what did we learn) rather than forcing workers through cumbersome databases.
  • Categorizing Event Data: He advocates for tracking four specific categories of events: Incidents, Near Misses, Safety Success Stories (times when interventions or systems worked perfectly), and Learning from Everyday Work (system improvements drawn from repeated daily challenges).
  • Asking "Were we lucky or were we good?": Instead of waiting for a tragedy to trigger an investigation, teams should proactively debrief successful tasks by asking if they succeeded due to skill or mere luck. This helps uncover hidden hazards that might be lurking within everyday successes.
  • Risk Optimization over Risk Avoidance: Finally, Smith points out that our goal shouldn't always be the complete avoidance of risk. By shifting the focus to "risk optimization," organizations can embrace beneficial risks that help workers grow, adapt, and build capacity.

Note an error in conversation: James says "Yosemite" but meant "Mount Diablo" in California

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 16 - Steve Smith James Newman, Steve Smith 01:19:21 In this episode, Steve Smith explains how he dramatically increased near-miss reporting by simplifying the reporting process and reframing near misses as "Threshold Zero" events to eliminate the fear of blame. He emphasizes the importance of clearly defining what constitutes "normal" work to better identify actual anomalies and near misses. Ultimately, he advocates for "risk optimization" over strict risk avoidance and encourages teams to learn from everyday successes by asking, "Were we lucky or were we good?". In this episode, Steve Smith explains how he dramatically increased near-miss reporting by simplifying the reporting process and reframing near misses as "Threshold Zero" events to eliminate the fear of blame. He emphasizes the importance of clearly defining what constitutes "normal" work to better identify actual anomalies and near misses. Ultimately, he advocates for "risk optimization" over strict risk avoidance and encourages teams to learn from everyday successes by asking, "Were we lucky or were we good?". risk, experiential, hiking, outdoors false full 16 614c1688-6796-4884-a4be-689f34a4af9f Counter-Errorism - Episode 15 - David Woods Get to know David Woods:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwoods3/

email: woods.2@osu.edu

books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-D.-Woods/author/B001ITTKTY?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1774154901&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

 

]]> Mon, 6 Apr 2026 03:42:32 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (David Woods, Ken Madson, James Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-15-david-woods-SiP3D7cK Get to know David Woods:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwoods3/

email: woods.2@osu.edu

books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-D.-Woods/author/B001ITTKTY?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1774154901&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

 

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 15 - David Woods David Woods, Ken Madson, James Newman 01:24:55 In this interview recorded at the 2025 CHOL conference, hosts James and Ken speak with David Woods about systems thinking, resilience, and adaptability. Here is a summation of key discussion points: **Systems and the Law of Stretched Systems** Woods emphasizes that improving performance is fundamentally a systems issue. He explains that while plans, procedures, and automation are necessary, they have limits because real-world disruptions are inevitable. To survive, organizations need adaptive capacity. He introduces the **"Law of Stretched Systems,"** which dictates that when a new capability or technology is introduced, leaders rarely use it to lower the workload or create a safe buffer. Instead, they exploit the new capability to do more, faster, and in more complex ways, which immediately pushes the system back to the edge of its limits. **Coordination and Middle-Out Adaptation** When systems are pushed to their breaking point, simply throwing more people or mass at the problem fails if there is no coordination and synchronization across roles. Woods points out that during crises, successful adaptation is rarely top-down; it is **"middle-out" innovation**. He uses examples like the "captain's war" in Iraq and the COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate how middle managers and frontline experts (like military captains or hospital administrators and respiratory physicians) naturally bypass rigid, formal rules during a shock. Under pressure, they rely on informal, personal networks to share vital information, innovate new tactics, and secure resources. **Practical Advice: Multidisciplinary Learning Teams** For a practical takeaway, Woods advises organizations to create a **multidisciplinary team of highly experienced experts** from across different functional disciplines. Organizations should value these experts as assets, giving them the time and authority to act as a "ready to go learning team" or a "heart monitor" for the company. This team can surveil operations, investigate persistent problems across departments, and actively learn from near-misses. To underscore the danger of ignoring early warning signs, Woods shares the story of a NASA spacewalk where a minor water leak in a suit was rationalized away, leading to a near-fatal drowning on a subsequent spacewalk. He uses this to teach the concept of the **"justified sacrifice"**—knowing how and when an organization should consciously choose to slow down production to investigate safety issues. **The Danger of the "AI Gold Rush"** When asked what he is currently focused on, Woods warns against the **"instability and contradictions of the current AI gold rush"**. He compares the current LLM boom to the first AI gold rush in the 1980s, noting that companies are aggressively pushing highly subsidized, seemingly "free" chatbots into the workplace. Woods cautions that executives are eager to use this technology to justify cutting human staff for immediate cost savings. He warns that this is a trap: once organizations eliminate their human workforce and become completely dependent on these systems to function, the technology companies will charge full freight, and the real, exorbitant costs of these AI systems will catch up to them. David would probably get a kick out of the AI tools used to get these show notes! In this interview recorded at the 2025 CHOL conference, hosts James and Ken speak with David Woods about systems thinking, resilience, and adaptability. Here is a summation of key discussion points: **Systems and the Law of Stretched Systems** Woods emphasizes that improving performance is fundamentally a systems issue. He explains that while plans, procedures, and automation are necessary, they have limits because real-world disruptions are inevitable. To survive, organizations need adaptive capacity. He introduces the **"Law of Stretched Systems,"** which dictates that when a new capability or technology is introduced, leaders rarely use it to lower the workload or create a safe buffer. Instead, they exploit the new capability to do more, faster, and in more complex ways, which immediately pushes the system back to the edge of its limits. **Coordination and Middle-Out Adaptation** When systems are pushed to their breaking point, simply throwing more people or mass at the problem fails if there is no coordination and synchronization across roles. Woods points out that during crises, successful adaptation is rarely top-down; it is **"middle-out" innovation**. He uses examples like the "captain's war" in Iraq and the COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate how middle managers and frontline experts (like military captains or hospital administrators and respiratory physicians) naturally bypass rigid, formal rules during a shock. Under pressure, they rely on informal, personal networks to share vital information, innovate new tactics, and secure resources. **Practical Advice: Multidisciplinary Learning Teams** For a practical takeaway, Woods advises organizations to create a **multidisciplinary team of highly experienced experts** from across different functional disciplines. Organizations should value these experts as assets, giving them the time and authority to act as a "ready to go learning team" or a "heart monitor" for the company. This team can surveil operations, investigate persistent problems across departments, and actively learn from near-misses. To underscore the danger of ignoring early warning signs, Woods shares the story of a NASA spacewalk where a minor water leak in a suit was rationalized away, leading to a near-fatal drowning on a subsequent spacewalk. He uses this to teach the concept of the **"justified sacrifice"**—knowing how and when an organization should consciously choose to slow down production to investigate safety issues. **The Danger of the "AI Gold Rush"** When asked what he is currently focused on, Woods warns against the **"instability and contradictions of the current AI gold rush"**. He compares the current LLM boom to the first AI gold rush in the 1980s, noting that companies are aggressively pushing highly subsidized, seemingly "free" chatbots into the workplace. Woods cautions that executives are eager to use this technology to justify cutting human staff for immediate cost savings. He warns that this is a trap: once organizations eliminate their human workforce and become completely dependent on these systems to function, the technology companies will charge full freight, and the real, exorbitant costs of these AI systems will catch up to them. David would probably get a kick out of the AI tools used to get these show notes! law of stretched systems, graceful extensibility, human error, middle out adaptation, adaptive capacity, ai gold rush, learning team false full 15 f9030763-c552-4f7a-9ebd-4d8667331a98 Counter-Errorism - Episode 14 - Bob Edwards Get to know Bob:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-edwards-48577492/

Website: www.youtube.com/@bobedwards4253

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:22:55 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (James Newman, Ken Madson, Bob Edwards) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-14-bob-edwards-Erc5moYF Get to know Bob:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-edwards-48577492/

Website: www.youtube.com/@bobedwards4253

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 14 - Bob Edwards James Newman, Ken Madson, Bob Edwards 00:19:19 In this episode of the "Counter-Errorism" podcast, hosts James and Ken interview Bob Edwards at the 2025 Community of Human and Organizational Learning conference in Columbus, Ohio. The discussion centers on practical ways to improve workplace culture, shift leadership mindsets, and foster operational learning. Here is a summation of their key discussion points: **The Power of Curiosity** A central theme of the interview is that leaders must prioritize curiosity over having all the answers. Bob explains that even if a leader used to perform a specific job, they should approach current workers by acknowledging it's been a while and asking them to teach them how the work is done today. The group agrees that taking the time to be genuinely curious is crucial, noting that organizations need to free supervisors from excessive administrative tasks and Zoom meetings so they can actually get out into the field to observe and learn. **Changing the Narrative on Errors and Reporting** Bob shares a story about a company whose leadership was embarrassed because they accounted for 70% of the state's reported dropped objects. However, a veteran worker pointed out that other companies simply weren't reporting their incidents. Bob emphasizes that high reporting rates are actually a positive sign of a healthy culture, giving the company an opportunity to fix things. He also highlights the need to accept human error, referencing the Marine Corps' understanding that a zero-tolerance approach for mistakes is unrealistic in complex environments. **Practical Psychological Safety** When it comes to making workers feel safe to speak up, Bob advises against using academic terms like "psychological safety" or holding meetings in HR conference rooms. Instead, leaders should go to the workers' actual workspace, on their shift, without a clipboard, and genuinely ask how they get the work done. He notes that you know an environment is safe when workers become "painfully honest" about their realities and workarounds. Crucially, leaders must thank them for this honesty and ask how to improve the system, rather than punishing them, because negative reactions create long "industrial memories" that shut down future reporting. **Focusing on the Positive and Human Connection** The group discusses the importance of looking for what goes right during normal work, rather than just investigating failures and assigning blame. Ken shares a story about a military commander who would uniquely start meetings by asking for the "meat and the berries"—meaning he specifically wanted to know what the team did well and how they achieved success. This unexpected positive focus completely opened up communication. They also agree that this interpersonal respect and human-to-human empathy is foundational and can never be replaced by AI or technology. **The HOP Community and the Future** Bob refers to the Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) movement as an "industrial reformation" and makes a strong plea for younger professionals to join the field, noting that they bring fresh perspectives that challenge older workers' biases. The hosts and Bob highlight that the HOP community is highly collaborative rather than competitive, with leaders actively supporting each other's podcasts and businesses. To illustrate this, they promote "Tuesdays with Two," a free monthly Zoom gathering held on the first Tuesday of every month, where safety professionals from around the world meet to network and discuss ideas. In this episode of the "Counter-Errorism" podcast, hosts James and Ken interview Bob Edwards at the 2025 Community of Human and Organizational Learning conference in Columbus, Ohio. The discussion centers on practical ways to improve workplace culture, shift leadership mindsets, and foster operational learning. Here is a summation of their key discussion points: **The Power of Curiosity** A central theme of the interview is that leaders must prioritize curiosity over having all the answers. Bob explains that even if a leader used to perform a specific job, they should approach current workers by acknowledging it's been a while and asking them to teach them how the work is done today. The group agrees that taking the time to be genuinely curious is crucial, noting that organizations need to free supervisors from excessive administrative tasks and Zoom meetings so they can actually get out into the field to observe and learn. **Changing the Narrative on Errors and Reporting** Bob shares a story about a company whose leadership was embarrassed because they accounted for 70% of the state's reported dropped objects. However, a veteran worker pointed out that other companies simply weren't reporting their incidents. Bob emphasizes that high reporting rates are actually a positive sign of a healthy culture, giving the company an opportunity to fix things. He also highlights the need to accept human error, referencing the Marine Corps' understanding that a zero-tolerance approach for mistakes is unrealistic in complex environments. **Practical Psychological Safety** When it comes to making workers feel safe to speak up, Bob advises against using academic terms like "psychological safety" or holding meetings in HR conference rooms. Instead, leaders should go to the workers' actual workspace, on their shift, without a clipboard, and genuinely ask how they get the work done. He notes that you know an environment is safe when workers become "painfully honest" about their realities and workarounds. Crucially, leaders must thank them for this honesty and ask how to improve the system, rather than punishing them, because negative reactions create long "industrial memories" that shut down future reporting. **Focusing on the Positive and Human Connection** The group discusses the importance of looking for what goes right during normal work, rather than just investigating failures and assigning blame. Ken shares a story about a military commander who would uniquely start meetings by asking for the "meat and the berries"—meaning he specifically wanted to know what the team did well and how they achieved success. This unexpected positive focus completely opened up communication. They also agree that this interpersonal respect and human-to-human empathy is foundational and can never be replaced by AI or technology. **The HOP Community and the Future** Bob refers to the Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) movement as an "industrial reformation" and makes a strong plea for younger professionals to join the field, noting that they bring fresh perspectives that challenge older workers' biases. The hosts and Bob highlight that the HOP community is highly collaborative rather than competitive, with leaders actively supporting each other's podcasts and businesses. To illustrate this, they promote "Tuesdays with Two," a free monthly Zoom gathering held on the first Tuesday of every month, where safety professionals from around the world meet to network and discuss ideas. psychological safety, curiosity, positivity false full 14 336d6983-140d-46be-8350-e3890cd50250 Counter-Errorism - Episode 13 - Becky Ray Get to know Becky Ray:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-ray-culturekick/

Website: https://www.culturekick.co.uk/         https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-ray-culturekick/

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Psychological Safety Playbook: Lead More Powerfully by Being More Human by Karolin Helbig & Minette Norman

The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Sat, 21 Mar 2026 01:24:17 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (James Newman, Becky Ray) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-13-becky-ray-WgEUwd0S Get to know Becky Ray:

Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-ray-culturekick/

Website: https://www.culturekick.co.uk/         https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-ray-culturekick/

Books mentioned in this episode:

The Psychological Safety Playbook: Lead More Powerfully by Being More Human by Karolin Helbig & Minette Norman

The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 13 - Becky Ray James Newman, Becky Ray 00:13:43 In the lucky and long-time coming episode 13 of the "Counter-Errorism" podcast, host James asks his guest, Becky Ray, for her top recommendation regarding performance improvement. This episode is a little shorter than most so far and we really missed having Ken join us. Here is a summary of key discussion points: **Be Curious and Non-Judgmental** Becky's primary advice is to practice "real deep curiosity" while letting go of judgments and assumptions. She explains that while the human brain naturally jumps to conclusions to function, true understanding requires putting those biases aside and asking questions until a person's actions make 100% sense. James agrees, noting that in causal analysis and investigations, you cannot develop corrective actions without getting in the "tunnel with the workers" to fully understand why they made their decisions. He equates having "preconceived notions" to operating with biases, which is essentially the same as passing negative judgment. **Assume Positive Intent** The discussion expands to day-to-day team communication, where assumptions about other people's context—especially in text messages or emails—can create silos and conflict. James shares a personal rule he uses to combat this: **always assume positive intent** when the tone of a message is unclear. Becky agrees that misunderstanding someone's intent causes frustration that hinders performance, emphasizing that "it's not what you say, it's what I hear". **The Gap and the Gain** The two swap book recommendations, with James mentioning *The Psychological Safety Playbook* and Becky citing authors like Sidney Dekker, Todd Conklin, Amy Edmondson, and Timothy R. Clark. Becky highlights her current favorite author, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, and his book with Dan Sullivan, ***The Gap and the Gain***. She explains that **"the gap"** is the distance between where you are and your ultimate goals, while **"the gain"** is the progress you can see when looking back. She encourages finding gratitude for the gains achieved rather than feeling like a failure for falling short of the gap. She contrasts this positive mindset with standard corporate board meetings that focus strictly on red and green KPIs, which James jokingly refers to as "watermelon charts". In the lucky and long-time coming episode 13 of the "Counter-Errorism" podcast, host James asks his guest, Becky Ray, for her top recommendation regarding performance improvement. This episode is a little shorter than most so far and we really missed having Ken join us. Here is a summary of key discussion points: **Be Curious and Non-Judgmental** Becky's primary advice is to practice "real deep curiosity" while letting go of judgments and assumptions. She explains that while the human brain naturally jumps to conclusions to function, true understanding requires putting those biases aside and asking questions until a person's actions make 100% sense. James agrees, noting that in causal analysis and investigations, you cannot develop corrective actions without getting in the "tunnel with the workers" to fully understand why they made their decisions. He equates having "preconceived notions" to operating with biases, which is essentially the same as passing negative judgment. **Assume Positive Intent** The discussion expands to day-to-day team communication, where assumptions about other people's context—especially in text messages or emails—can create silos and conflict. James shares a personal rule he uses to combat this: **always assume positive intent** when the tone of a message is unclear. Becky agrees that misunderstanding someone's intent causes frustration that hinders performance, emphasizing that "it's not what you say, it's what I hear". **The Gap and the Gain** The two swap book recommendations, with James mentioning *The Psychological Safety Playbook* and Becky citing authors like Sidney Dekker, Todd Conklin, Amy Edmondson, and Timothy R. Clark. Becky highlights her current favorite author, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, and his book with Dan Sullivan, ***The Gap and the Gain***. She explains that **"the gap"** is the distance between where you are and your ultimate goals, while **"the gain"** is the progress you can see when looking back. She encourages finding gratitude for the gains achieved rather than feeling like a failure for falling short of the gap. She contrasts this positive mindset with standard corporate board meetings that focus strictly on red and green KPIs, which James jokingly refers to as "watermelon charts". becky ray, human performance, curiosity, human & organizational performance, positive intent false full 13 784397a4-a3a6-4974-b169-22bca71c60fc Counter-Errorism - Episode 12 - Sam Goodman Get to know Sam:

Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-goodman-03a95391/

Website: https://www.thehopnerd.com/meetsam or https://www.thehopnerd.com/podcast

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:41:42 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Cristen Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-12-sam-goodman-_kkKzDCq Get to know Sam:

Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-goodman-03a95391/

Website: https://www.thehopnerd.com/meetsam or https://www.thehopnerd.com/podcast

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 12 - Sam Goodman Cristen Newman 01:19:49 Sam Goodman, aka "Darrell the Safety Man," aka "The HOP Nerd," joins Ken and James for a discussion about "Pre-event Learning" and what it might involve. This episode is longer than most, and with apologies to Sam, it took a while to edit. Even at this length, more than 40 minutes were cut! We had a lot to cover. Sam Goodman, aka "Darrell the Safety Man," aka "The HOP Nerd," joins Ken and James for a discussion about "Pre-event Learning" and what it might involve. This episode is longer than most, and with apologies to Sam, it took a while to edit. Even at this length, more than 40 minutes were cut! We had a lot to cover. true full 12 931640b6-d104-4779-8cea-bb93f028c222 Counter-Errorism - Episode 11 - William Scarberry Get to know Bill:

Profile linkedin.com/in/william-scarberry-160a2256

Website: https://www.gevernova.com/ or nuclear.gepower.com/

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Fri, 16 May 2025 19:32:14 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (William Scarberry, James Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-11-william-scarberry-4Wm662Yr Get to know Bill:

Profile linkedin.com/in/william-scarberry-160a2256

Website: https://www.gevernova.com/ or nuclear.gepower.com/

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 11 - William Scarberry William Scarberry, James Newman 00:57:57 Bill (Senior Manager and Site HOP Leader from GE Vernova) and James met in 2010 when they were both at the same nuclear plant, and their conversations over the years tend to go deep into programmatic hows and whys. It was time we recorded one of these chats, and we hope it doesn't disappoint! We chat about growing up in nuclear power, Learning Teams (their version of a 7-day Just-Do-It Teams), not accepting "sub-par performance", procedure use, HURBs, observations, the energy wheel, mentoring, khakis, and "being the friend you need right now." Bill (Senior Manager and Site HOP Leader from GE Vernova) and James met in 2010 when they were both at the same nuclear plant, and their conversations over the years tend to go deep into programmatic hows and whys. It was time we recorded one of these chats, and we hope it doesn't disappoint! We chat about growing up in nuclear power, Learning Teams (their version of a 7-day Just-Do-It Teams), not accepting "sub-par performance", procedure use, HURBs, observations, the energy wheel, mentoring, khakis, and "being the friend you need right now." nuclear, standards, mentoring, bwr, observations, ge vernova, james newman, quality, william scarberry, learning team false full 11 4258eee7-dcca-42e6-a93f-38b883725f36 Counter-Errorism - Episode 10 - Georgina Poole Are you interested in some ideas on getting workers comfortable enough to share their experiences without fear of judgement? In this episode we chat about easing people into Psychological Safety and the importance of FOOD in these situations. You have to create the time for curiosity.

Georgina's cool stuff:

Profile linkedin.com/in/georginapoole

Website georginapoole.com.au (Personal)

Email georginapoole@outlook.com

Podcast LEADING SAFELY with Georgina Poole

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Mon, 21 Apr 2025 04:00:00 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Georgina Poole, James Newman, Ken Madson) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-10-georgina-poole-IWyT6XpO Are you interested in some ideas on getting workers comfortable enough to share their experiences without fear of judgement? In this episode we chat about easing people into Psychological Safety and the importance of FOOD in these situations. You have to create the time for curiosity.

Georgina's cool stuff:

Profile linkedin.com/in/georginapoole

Website georginapoole.com.au (Personal)

Email georginapoole@outlook.com

Podcast LEADING SAFELY with Georgina Poole

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 10 - Georgina Poole Georgina Poole, James Newman, Ken Madson 00:33:08 "The Lemonade Episode" aka "Half-Muffin In" or "Mid-Enchilada": Georgina Poole (informally, "Judge G.") delivers again and again on giving us clues on how best to be curious and how to learn when chatting with the frontline with curiosity and respect. "The Lemonade Episode" aka "Half-Muffin In" or "Mid-Enchilada": Georgina Poole (informally, "Judge G.") delivers again and again on giving us clues on how best to be curious and how to learn when chatting with the frontline with curiosity and respect. communication, learning teams, trust, building rapport false full 10 f622e274-4aa6-43d3-b2db-5bf38bb42dcd Counter-Errorism - Episode 9 - Ron Gantt "So, did we fix it?" Ron, Ken, and James chat about trust and how that effects decision making. Sharp end decisions WILL be made, as leadership, do you want to be part of those decisions and if so, how much?

"Flips the script away from human frailty to human expertise"

"People are routinely overcoming challenges, difficulties, pressures, dilemmas; they're dealing with that all of the time, and they do it so well, they hide it - that's Dave Woods' Law of Fluency."

"Eventually, expertise is going to break down under certain pressures..."

"...the pressures or dilemmas are going to overwhelm that expertise, so how can we support people to leverage that expertise in a more effective way in those situations?"

So, how come you don't know Ron Gantt, yet?

Education:

Ph.D. Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Ohio State University

M.Eng Safety Engineering & Management, University of Alabama at Birmingham

contact him: rongantt@hotmail.com

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Mon, 14 Apr 2025 22:11:57 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Ron Gantt, James Newman, Ken Madson) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-9-ron-gantt-EcmGqRP0 "So, did we fix it?" Ron, Ken, and James chat about trust and how that effects decision making. Sharp end decisions WILL be made, as leadership, do you want to be part of those decisions and if so, how much?

"Flips the script away from human frailty to human expertise"

"People are routinely overcoming challenges, difficulties, pressures, dilemmas; they're dealing with that all of the time, and they do it so well, they hide it - that's Dave Woods' Law of Fluency."

"Eventually, expertise is going to break down under certain pressures..."

"...the pressures or dilemmas are going to overwhelm that expertise, so how can we support people to leverage that expertise in a more effective way in those situations?"

So, how come you don't know Ron Gantt, yet?

Education:

Ph.D. Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Ohio State University

M.Eng Safety Engineering & Management, University of Alabama at Birmingham

contact him: rongantt@hotmail.com

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 9 - Ron Gantt Ron Gantt, James Newman, Ken Madson 00:39:03 Second out of the three Punk Rock Safety Rockstars on Counter-Errorism, Ron Gantt shares a tool/idea for asking better questions. Try to get into the habit of changing your questions to look outside the individual, not at the individual. Instead of asking, "Why did the person do it this way?" We ask, "What makes doing that difficult?" Second out of the three Punk Rock Safety Rockstars on Counter-Errorism, Ron Gantt shares a tool/idea for asking better questions. Try to get into the habit of changing your questions to look outside the individual, not at the individual. Instead of asking, "Why did the person do it this way?" We ask, "What makes doing that difficult?" punk rock, hop, human performance, human and organizational performance, questions, safety, david woods, human & organizational performance false full 9 99f7d9bc-5c47-4821-996c-ada8f2fe0c49 Counter-Errorism - Episode 8 - Charles Tetteh Part 1: Making people feel heard makes them feel empowered. 

Charles relishes the opportunity to remind us all of the importance of helping people feel heard and seen. Meeting Charles through LinkedIn has been a wonderful experience, and thought it would be wonderful to give you an insight into one of our conversations.  Charles and I have spoken a few times and we talk about our motivation for change and we think the "Root Cause" is a Dissatisfaction Attitude.  Beauty, family, immigration,  fear, culture, humility, and what makes us curious - it will get deep. When you meet Charles, you will learn, it's okay to get personal and let go of judgment.

As a leadership tool - I want to spend a day with you and be curious - I will let go of judgment and bias and be an open book with a focus on building our relationship and I will meet you where you are (physically and emotionally). 

At the 10 minute mark, the book Charles discusses is "Random Noise" by Georgina Poole and Sidney Dekker.

Part 2: Leadership Response Matters

Power and influence are mostly controlled by the leadership team, so after an event how we move forward will greatly depend on the leadership team. There is a unique opportunity following an incident where a leader can improve the relationship and level of trust - not just for those involved, but for anyone who finds out. 

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Mon, 28 Oct 2024 15:41:24 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Cristen Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-8-charles-tetteh-YAnfub40 Part 1: Making people feel heard makes them feel empowered. 

Charles relishes the opportunity to remind us all of the importance of helping people feel heard and seen. Meeting Charles through LinkedIn has been a wonderful experience, and thought it would be wonderful to give you an insight into one of our conversations.  Charles and I have spoken a few times and we talk about our motivation for change and we think the "Root Cause" is a Dissatisfaction Attitude.  Beauty, family, immigration,  fear, culture, humility, and what makes us curious - it will get deep. When you meet Charles, you will learn, it's okay to get personal and let go of judgment.

As a leadership tool - I want to spend a day with you and be curious - I will let go of judgment and bias and be an open book with a focus on building our relationship and I will meet you where you are (physically and emotionally). 

At the 10 minute mark, the book Charles discusses is "Random Noise" by Georgina Poole and Sidney Dekker.

Part 2: Leadership Response Matters

Power and influence are mostly controlled by the leadership team, so after an event how we move forward will greatly depend on the leadership team. There is a unique opportunity following an incident where a leader can improve the relationship and level of trust - not just for those involved, but for anyone who finds out. 

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 8 - Charles Tetteh Cristen Newman 00:35:25 About fifteen years ago Charles immigrated from Ghana to Wyoming. From his start at McDonald's to Halliburton and now in the mining industry, Charles opens his heart and his perspective as a safety professional, but even more as a person who loves and appreciates people. Humble, open, appreciative, and most importantly curious about the world and the field of HOP, we get to hear a little about Charle's views on Leadership, Influence, Culture, and overcoming deep-seated fear. About fifteen years ago Charles immigrated from Ghana to Wyoming. From his start at McDonald's to Halliburton and now in the mining industry, Charles opens his heart and his perspective as a safety professional, but even more as a person who loves and appreciates people. Humble, open, appreciative, and most importantly curious about the world and the field of HOP, we get to hear a little about Charle's views on Leadership, Influence, Culture, and overcoming deep-seated fear. hop, random noise, dissatisfaction attitude, h & op, leadership, response matters, charles tetteh false full 8 fa0ce6f5-017f-4b7a-bd01-a82d61c64a16 Counter-Errorism - Episode 7 - Gareth Lock All about Gareth Lock. PLEASE check him out on LinkedIn here

Regarding the tool that Gareth recommends in this episode, you can get a copy of the DEBrIEF guide from: https://www.humaninthesystem.co.uk/hits-debrief-oi-2024

IMPORTANT NOTE: Gareth is certainly well established in the Diving niche, but he is ALSO opening up his content and efforts into ANY organization wanting training or other consultative services.  He's an amazing instructor and content creator, and is someone you just know is bound for even more success. 

New addition to the CE podcast: Transitions between a few places

New problem: Used a new tool for recording called "Otter" and it seriously affected the audio quality in places - We had to make 145 separate edit points to get it at the level where it is now. We hope it's difficult for listeners to tell. Lesson learned: We will NOT be using Otter in the future.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Sun, 29 Sep 2024 21:30:32 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Cristen Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-7-gareth-lock-FHKUHeBp All about Gareth Lock. PLEASE check him out on LinkedIn here

Regarding the tool that Gareth recommends in this episode, you can get a copy of the DEBrIEF guide from: https://www.humaninthesystem.co.uk/hits-debrief-oi-2024

IMPORTANT NOTE: Gareth is certainly well established in the Diving niche, but he is ALSO opening up his content and efforts into ANY organization wanting training or other consultative services.  He's an amazing instructor and content creator, and is someone you just know is bound for even more success. 

New addition to the CE podcast: Transitions between a few places

New problem: Used a new tool for recording called "Otter" and it seriously affected the audio quality in places - We had to make 145 separate edit points to get it at the level where it is now. We hope it's difficult for listeners to tell. Lesson learned: We will NOT be using Otter in the future.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 7 - Gareth Lock Cristen Newman 00:28:40 Ken had a last-minute surprise so couldn't join us, but Gareth and James had a great chat about the importance of "DEBrIEFS." Perhaps a new acronym for you to chew on and consider, (which a lot of us don't care for (more acronyms)) but this one truly makes a lot of sense. Gareth shares in detail a great format for guiding us through any post-job critique. Ken had a last-minute surprise so couldn't join us, but Gareth and James had a great chat about the importance of "DEBrIEFS." Perhaps a new acronym for you to chew on and consider, (which a lot of us don't care for (more acronyms)) but this one truly makes a lot of sense. Gareth shares in detail a great format for guiding us through any post-job critique. debriefs, gareth lock, human performance, human and organizational performance, counter errorism, human & organizational performance false full 7 a0f2e0b2-b134-4625-b6d0-b335682d4de6 Counter-Errorism - Episode 6 - Stephen Harvey Fun fact - you may not know  Steve recently took up boxing as a positive and fun way to exercise and every inch of him was hurting when he sat down with us to record. Steve is another CHOLearning.org buddy Ken and I met this year and didn't nearly get to spend enough time with him, and this won't be the only time we chat with him with the microphone recording. He has a wonderful sense of humor and a genuine humility when it comes to talking about how nervous he was before getting on stage (at CHOL) and adding a whole segment on HOP and why humor is important. If you're an American (like me), that loves awesome accents and dialects, you're in for a treat!

It's fun to be the "weird safety guy"!

New KPI suggestion: How many Christmas parties do you get invited to?

From Ken: Has anybody asked if the workers even know what they did was a violation? This could be a different starting point.

Recipe for an awesome chat:

  1. Take one Scotsman and train him in HOP for ten years.
  2. Plant him in Australia assisting High Reliability Operations.
  3. Give him stand up comedy lessons.
  4. Invite him for a talk about anything!

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Mon, 19 Aug 2024 11:00:00 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Cristen Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-6-steve-harvey-CTE7tnK2 Fun fact - you may not know  Steve recently took up boxing as a positive and fun way to exercise and every inch of him was hurting when he sat down with us to record. Steve is another CHOLearning.org buddy Ken and I met this year and didn't nearly get to spend enough time with him, and this won't be the only time we chat with him with the microphone recording. He has a wonderful sense of humor and a genuine humility when it comes to talking about how nervous he was before getting on stage (at CHOL) and adding a whole segment on HOP and why humor is important. If you're an American (like me), that loves awesome accents and dialects, you're in for a treat!

It's fun to be the "weird safety guy"!

New KPI suggestion: How many Christmas parties do you get invited to?

From Ken: Has anybody asked if the workers even know what they did was a violation? This could be a different starting point.

Recipe for an awesome chat:

  1. Take one Scotsman and train him in HOP for ten years.
  2. Plant him in Australia assisting High Reliability Operations.
  3. Give him stand up comedy lessons.
  4. Invite him for a talk about anything!

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 6 - Stephen Harvey Cristen Newman 00:30:19 Language matters. Adopting the same language across all HOP initiatives can be much more important than you may initially think. Language matters. Adopting the same language across all HOP initiatives can be much more important than you may initially think. false full 6 cae7ffa8-9de7-404c-90b9-5fabba82d5ca Counter-Errorism - Episode 5 - Brian Hughes How can we speed up causal analysis when rapid turnaround is imperative?

  1. Consider your immediate access to evidence and make sure preservation of it is important to everyone involved.
  2. Have cause and effect job aids (scenario recipe cards) and logic diagram templates ready for different types of (somewhat common) issues. (The story of the fault)

For example,  a model for a story of "a damage event" or "a spill occurred" or "machine outage"

Details for a starting point to understand the fault path, recovery time, expertise, validation etc.

After Brian discusses the methodology, we continue to chat about causal analysis, including a little about developing effective Corrective Actions,  the problem statement, Extent of Cause and Extent of Condition, and a cool tool called CARB (Corrective Action Review Board).

Heads up that this is our longest episode so far, but I didn't want you to miss all of the extra RCA info we chatted about in case you're in that space and were curious to hear it. 

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Thu, 15 Aug 2024 07:10:17 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Cristen Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-5-brian-hughes-6XEayEP1 How can we speed up causal analysis when rapid turnaround is imperative?

  1. Consider your immediate access to evidence and make sure preservation of it is important to everyone involved.
  2. Have cause and effect job aids (scenario recipe cards) and logic diagram templates ready for different types of (somewhat common) issues. (The story of the fault)

For example,  a model for a story of "a damage event" or "a spill occurred" or "machine outage"

Details for a starting point to understand the fault path, recovery time, expertise, validation etc.

After Brian discusses the methodology, we continue to chat about causal analysis, including a little about developing effective Corrective Actions,  the problem statement, Extent of Cause and Extent of Condition, and a cool tool called CARB (Corrective Action Review Board).

Heads up that this is our longest episode so far, but I didn't want you to miss all of the extra RCA info we chatted about in case you're in that space and were curious to hear it. 

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 5 - Brian Hughes Cristen Newman 01:20:26 Speedy causal analysis. How can this be done effectively? Some answers to this issue from one of the best in the business, Brian Hughes from Sologic. Speedy causal analysis. How can this be done effectively? Some answers to this issue from one of the best in the business, Brian Hughes from Sologic. rapid, event, root, cause, analysis false full 5 2f6baae6-60a6-4c1a-a0d8-4bd94204401a Counter-Errorism - Episode 4 - Ken Madson and James Newman Please email us to set up an interview, ask follow-up questions, or to provide feedback: James@HumanPerformanceTools.com

We hope you like the podcast and welcome any advice you have for us as we launch this journey.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Sun, 11 Aug 2024 06:59:07 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Cristen Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-4-ken-madson-and-james-newman-CuhfNcEq Please email us to set up an interview, ask follow-up questions, or to provide feedback: James@HumanPerformanceTools.com

We hope you like the podcast and welcome any advice you have for us as we launch this journey.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 4 - Ken Madson and James Newman Cristen Newman 00:43:57 Ken and James explain the mission of this podcast. Ken and James explain the mission of this podcast. true full 4 f746602e-7ae7-4309-864b-d6f34281eb2c Counter-Errorism - Episode 3 - Jon Schmidt Jon, Ken and James speak candidly about the latest wave of awesomeness to hit a lot of places for the first time: Learning Teams

Using respectful inquiry by examining normal work. They can be used to improve anything: Jon uses an example of "pulling overhang".

Post incident review of normal work being done. Investigate differently. Not easy to do this, because of the culturally steeped traditional ways of performing incidents reviews. Learning Teams are the best way to learn from each other with people who share the same goal.

Great learning team starters:

  • "Where do you feel the next accident will happen and where will it be?"
  • "What went right"
  • "How did we recover..."
  • "How do the procedures and policies support our workers?"
  • "Where have we normalized risk?"

Hidden engagement benefit: People generally like to be asked questions about the things that they do, especially when you ask "How are you successful?"

Some other places use a "Pre-event" Learning Team style. You can get a better product or efficiency of a process. Constant learning at the right levels.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Mon, 1 Jul 2024 18:28:45 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Cristen Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-3-jon-schmidt-bFXIfegR Jon, Ken and James speak candidly about the latest wave of awesomeness to hit a lot of places for the first time: Learning Teams

Using respectful inquiry by examining normal work. They can be used to improve anything: Jon uses an example of "pulling overhang".

Post incident review of normal work being done. Investigate differently. Not easy to do this, because of the culturally steeped traditional ways of performing incidents reviews. Learning Teams are the best way to learn from each other with people who share the same goal.

Great learning team starters:

  • "Where do you feel the next accident will happen and where will it be?"
  • "What went right"
  • "How did we recover..."
  • "How do the procedures and policies support our workers?"
  • "Where have we normalized risk?"

Hidden engagement benefit: People generally like to be asked questions about the things that they do, especially when you ask "How are you successful?"

Some other places use a "Pre-event" Learning Team style. You can get a better product or efficiency of a process. Constant learning at the right levels.

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 3 - Jon Schmidt Cristen Newman 00:14:26 Jon Schmidt comes from the complicated, dangerous, and constantly adapting world of Vegetation Management for Davey Tree. Here, he tells us in no uncertain terms that the success of this idea (Learning Teams) was born from the failures of others. That is precisely what we desire to learn—what really works? Jon Schmidt comes from the complicated, dangerous, and constantly adapting world of Vegetation Management for Davey Tree. Here, he tells us in no uncertain terms that the success of this idea (Learning Teams) was born from the failures of others. That is precisely what we desire to learn—what really works? true full 3 ef63504d-1144-41e6-b6f1-9158d5261eb3 Counter-Errorism - Episode 2 - Ben Goodheart Structured learning (aka Story learning - asking questions) is an amazing way to share with others different perspectives from the same event or point of time.

Simplified and not overly-complicated example of story learning:

  1. Get everyone who had anything to do with the "event" in the same room.
  2. Ask: Hey lead person that seems to have made a mistake of some kind. Can you walk us through the story from beginning to end, if you don't mind sharing?
  3. Sit back and be amazed.

An element of irony is in the background of this episode - Ken IS here (there is at least one random cough) with Ben and James and he is showing James how to STFU when Ben is dropping some serious wisdom. 

Ben Goodheart (Punk Rock Safety Podcast co-host, and Founder/Primary Consultant of Magpie Human Systems) shares a true GPS story of a pilot managing a challenge and how structured learning opened eyes to what actually happened.

[Because it came up, in case you are very curious and want to follow up on the "Stoics" and "Marcus Aurelius" click here (and you're kind of a nerd if you do this)... as a matter of fact, you're probably a nerd if you're actually reading this right now... however, no worries, nerds rule the world my friend!!!]

In the end of this episode, Ben reminds us that operationalizing curiosity is about learning how to ask questions better and certainty is the enemy of...

Ken and James have a couple dozen people they would like to thank, starting with their families and the CHOL Superstars they frequently meet with to challenge, support, and improve ourselves. These following people are the amazing CHOL Superstar crew that regularly show us love, support, and help out when needed. We HIGHLY recommend their talents, and you can consider yourself lucky to know any of them! Please find them on LinkedIn and connect with these game-changers:

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Wed, 26 Jun 2024 20:48:02 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Cristen Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-2-ben-goodheart-_qr0eNGT Structured learning (aka Story learning - asking questions) is an amazing way to share with others different perspectives from the same event or point of time.

Simplified and not overly-complicated example of story learning:

  1. Get everyone who had anything to do with the "event" in the same room.
  2. Ask: Hey lead person that seems to have made a mistake of some kind. Can you walk us through the story from beginning to end, if you don't mind sharing?
  3. Sit back and be amazed.

An element of irony is in the background of this episode - Ken IS here (there is at least one random cough) with Ben and James and he is showing James how to STFU when Ben is dropping some serious wisdom. 

Ben Goodheart (Punk Rock Safety Podcast co-host, and Founder/Primary Consultant of Magpie Human Systems) shares a true GPS story of a pilot managing a challenge and how structured learning opened eyes to what actually happened.

[Because it came up, in case you are very curious and want to follow up on the "Stoics" and "Marcus Aurelius" click here (and you're kind of a nerd if you do this)... as a matter of fact, you're probably a nerd if you're actually reading this right now... however, no worries, nerds rule the world my friend!!!]

In the end of this episode, Ben reminds us that operationalizing curiosity is about learning how to ask questions better and certainty is the enemy of...

Ken and James have a couple dozen people they would like to thank, starting with their families and the CHOL Superstars they frequently meet with to challenge, support, and improve ourselves. These following people are the amazing CHOL Superstar crew that regularly show us love, support, and help out when needed. We HIGHLY recommend their talents, and you can consider yourself lucky to know any of them! Please find them on LinkedIn and connect with these game-changers:

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 2 - Ben Goodheart Cristen Newman 00:17:44 Life is a lot of shutting up and learning how to ask questions better. Ben is here to challenge all of us with an open heart and two open ears. We continue our journey of discovering things that organizations have tried that actually work to improve human and organizational performance. (Heads up for little ears on the language in this episode.) Life is a lot of shutting up and learning how to ask questions better. Ben is here to challenge all of us with an open heart and two open ears. We continue our journey of discovering things that organizations have tried that actually work to improve human and organizational performance. (Heads up for little ears on the language in this episode.) hop, h & op, ben goodheart, safety, story learning, safety culture, human & organizational performance, structured learning true full 2 510b04a9-aeeb-417c-bb37-15c363490396 Counter-Errorism - Episode 1 - Tony Muschara Ken Madson and James Newman have been wanting to collaborate on a podcast for quite some time and what is here and what will follow are the results of that desire! They hope you like it. They certainly don't have it all figured out, yet, but  figured they would jump in before another month goes by, so here goes. 

The number one goal of this podcast is to be a beacon on the horizon and direct H&OP Practitioners to implement things that have worked. Does that seem too simple? We shall see!

This episode we grabbed some of Tony Muschara's precious time and he gave us some nuggets to consider around one of his favorite topics and ours, Critical Steps. If you manage them properly, it sure seems like a lot of other issues will take care of themselves, as well. 

Ken and James have a couple dozen people they would like to thank, starting with their families and the CHOL Superstars they frequently meet with to challenge, support, and improve ourselves. 

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Mon, 24 Jun 2024 19:51:03 +0000 James@HumanPerformanceTools.com (Cristen Newman) https://counter-errorism.simplecast.com/episodes/counter-errorism-episode-1-tony-muschara-bkY6acpE Ken Madson and James Newman have been wanting to collaborate on a podcast for quite some time and what is here and what will follow are the results of that desire! They hope you like it. They certainly don't have it all figured out, yet, but  figured they would jump in before another month goes by, so here goes. 

The number one goal of this podcast is to be a beacon on the horizon and direct H&OP Practitioners to implement things that have worked. Does that seem too simple? We shall see!

This episode we grabbed some of Tony Muschara's precious time and he gave us some nuggets to consider around one of his favorite topics and ours, Critical Steps. If you manage them properly, it sure seems like a lot of other issues will take care of themselves, as well. 

Ken and James have a couple dozen people they would like to thank, starting with their families and the CHOL Superstars they frequently meet with to challenge, support, and improve ourselves. 

Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:

]]> Counter-Errorism - Episode 1 - Tony Muschara Cristen Newman 00:10:22 Welcome to our new Human & Organizational Performance podcast. In this debut first installment of Counter-Errorism, your hosts dive into the crucial world of critical steps with the H&OP Master himself, Tony Muschara! Welcome to our new Human & Organizational Performance podcast. In this debut first installment of Counter-Errorism, your hosts dive into the crucial world of critical steps with the H&OP Master himself, Tony Muschara! critical steps, hop, tony muschara true full 1