Kevin Burns Blog (3)

The One Person Your Safety Program Is Afraid to Name

Posted by Kevin Burns on January 16, 2026

name the person who controls your safety culture

Every safety program talks about "people" doing things right. Procedures target "people." Behavior-based safety observes "people." The hierarchy of controls protects "people." But ask any anyone to identify exactly which people have the most control over safety culture, and they'll talk about engagement, systems, and culture—anything to avoid naming the specific person who determines whether safety works or fails. And that avoidance isn't accidental. It's deliberate. Because naming that person means admitting your approach has been wrong.

You Can't Fix Culture By Only Focusing On Safety - Here's The Plan

Posted by Kevin Burns on June 22, 2026

why move only one metric when you can move 12?

You can't build a safety culture by only focusing on safety. Here's the leadership problem that's driving your incident rate, AND turnover, AND productivity, AND engagement, AND a dozen other problems ... including safety.

Your Best Supervisors Are Stumbling—And It's Costing You

Posted by Kevin Burns on December 5, 2025

Your supervisors were promoted because they cared about their teams. But nobody taught them how to turn that care into actual leadership. Here's what that's costing you—and how to fix it.

Building Frontline Safety Culture Without Senior Management Support

Posted by Kevin Burns on November 21, 2025

The safety industry insists that a strong safety culture requires senior management support. This belief has become the favorite excuse for poor frontline performance. The truth is, supervisors create a culture through daily relationships with their crews, not through executive endorsements or corporate policies. The supervisor IS the culture for their crew. Companies that equip supervisors with relationship skills get the safety culture they want, regardless of how visible senior management support appears to be.

You Can't Build Safety Culture Without Your Frontline Supervisors

Posted by Kevin Burns on November 7, 2025

relationships, not systems, build safety culture

Your safety culture problem is actually a supervisor development problem. You've invested in systems, procedures, and management commitment, but culture doesn't live there. It lives in the daily relationship between supervisor and team member. That relationship determines whether people speak up about hazards, admit mistakes, and look out for each other. Everything else only works when that relationship is strong. Without strong supervisor relationships as the foundation, your safety program becomes just another step employees are forced to endure.

Your Safety Culture Lives or Dies in the First 90 Days

Posted by Kevin Burns on October 24, 2025

safety culture success is determined in the first 90 days

Your new employees will either embrace or reject your safety culture within their first 90 days. Senior management can set policies and launch initiatives, but they can't create safety culture at the frontline level. New team members are learning something deeper through daily interactions: whether their supervisor genuinely cares about their well-being. The relationship built in those first 90 days determines everything about how that employee approaches safety for their entire time with your company.

Nobody Wants to Be Supervisor Anymore (And What to Do About It)

Posted by Kevin Burns on October 10, 2025

why your best people are refusing promotions and how to fix it

Inc. magazine just confirmed what we've been warning about for years: only 30% of employees want leadership roles anymore. Your best people are watching fellow employees get promoted and struggle - then deciding "I don't want that job." Here's why this is happening, what it's costing you, and how to fix it before your competitors do.

The Early Warning Signs Your Supervisors Are Losing Their Teams

Posted by Kevin Burns on September 26, 2025

spot the early warning signs of supervisors losing their teams

Your supervisors might be losing their teams right now, and you'd never know it. The breakdown doesn't happen with dramatic confrontations - it happens gradually through subtle changes in conversations, engagement, and team dynamics. By the time people openly resist or complain, the damage is done. Learn to recognize the early warning signs of relationship deterioration and how to coach your supervisors to fix small problems before they become major trust issues.

Why Your Team Members Don't Respect Their Supervisor

Posted by Kevin Burns on September 15, 2025

respect for supervisors shows up in every metric quality, safety, productivity and retention

Your team follows orders and gets work done, but something's missing - genuine respect for their supervisor. They comply with requirements but don't buy into the mission. They do exactly what's asked and nothing more. This compliance without respect is costing you the discretionary effort that drives exceptional performance. Learn why respect erodes and how trained supervisors rebuild it through daily relationship actions.

When Your Team Doesn't Trust Management

Posted by Kevin Burns on September 11, 2025

trained supervisors can still build trust when employees don't trust the company

Your supervisors are stuck between past company decisions and team members who distrust management. This distrust is showing up in your safety numbers, productivity metrics, and turnover rates. But trained supervisors know how to build individual trust even when company trust has been damaged. They use specific relationship skills to separate their leadership from past leadership and prove through actions that they're different.

Kevin Burns Blog

Leadership for frontline industrial supervisors.