What experience teaches us about leadership, safety, and people

After more than two decades in the quarrying industry, I have learned that experience rarely arrives as a neat list of answers.

More often, it comes through decisions that looked straightforward at the time, conversations that should have happened earlier, risks that became normal through repetition, or moments when someone chose to speak up and changed the outcome. Some lessons were learned directly. Others came from watching, listening and learning from people who had already made the mistakes.

Assumptions are often where problems begin

One of the earliest lessons I learned was not to assume people know what they are doing.

That may sound harsh, but it is not about questioning someone’s capability or experience. It is about recognising that experience in one environment does not automatically translate to another. A person can be highly competent with a particular machine, process or task and still be unfamiliar with the specific application, sequence or conditions in front of them.

I have seen this firsthand.

On one occasion, a last-minute change meant a contractor was asked to fold a triple-deck screen. A supervisor had completed the task before, but one step in the sequence was missed and a cross member was damaged, resulting in a significant repair. In another case, an experienced excavator operator was brought in from another site. The operator knew the equipment, but not the particular application. While benching a stockpile of recycled asphalt pavement, material ended up over the tracks and through the windscreen, creating a high-potential incident.

In both situations, the people involved brought experience and good intentions. The issue was the assumption that previous experience covered the task at hand.

Competence needs context. As leaders, we need to ask the extra question, check understanding and create an environment where people can say, “I haven’t done it this way before.” That short conversation can prevent a much more difficult one later.

Listening is an active leadership skill

When I was a young manager, I still had a great deal to learn. Listening was not optional. It was how I developed a better understanding of the people, operations and risks around me.

There can be pressure on leaders to have an immediate answer or to demonstrate authority by speaking first. In practice, silence can be one of the most useful tools available to us.

People will often tell you what is happening if you give them the space. The challenge is to listen without interrupting, defending a position or rushing to provide a solution. That is particularly important when dealing with a difficult issue, because the first version of a story is rarely the entire story.

There are usually two sides to any situation. There may also be factors outside work that influence what is happening inside it. We need to ask questions before reaching conclusions and recognise that not every risk is immediately visible.

Listening does not mean avoiding accountability. It gives us the information needed to respond fairly, constructively and with a clearer understanding of the situation.

Leadership becomes visible in what we are prepared to do

A principle that has stayed with me is simple: do not ask someone to do something you would not be prepared to do yourself.

That does not mean leaders should take over every task or prove themselves by stepping into work unnecessarily. It means understanding what is being asked and demonstrating that leadership does not place you above the realities of the job.

The strongest leaders I have worked with are visible, interested, and prepared to walk in someone else’s shoes. They take the time to understand the task, the pressure and the constraints before making a judgement.

People notice that. They also notice the opposite.

Culture is not formed by a values statement alone. It is shaped by what leaders do, what they ignore and what they allow to become normal. The standard you walk past becomes the standard you accept, because inaction sends its own message.

Values only have meaning when they influence decisions and behaviour. It is easy to talk about respect, integrity, unity or loyalty when everything is going well. The real test comes when acting on those values is uncomfortable, inconvenient or personally difficult.

“It’s always been done this way” is a warning sign

One of the most dangerous phrases in any workplace is: “It’s okay. We’ve always done it this way.” It is okay until it is not.

I once dealt with an incident involving a boilermaker changing the moil in a rockbreaker. The equipment manual was open to a page that explicitly warned against putting a finger into the opening. Yet that was exactly what happened while checking tolerance and seating.

There was no intention to cause harm. The behaviour had simply become accepted practice.

That distinction matters. Unsafe behaviour is not always reckless, deliberate or dramatic. It can be routine. It can be passed from one person to another and reinforced every time nothing goes wrong.

The absence of an incident does not prove that a task is safe. It may only mean the consequences have not arrived yet.

This is why we must continue questioning familiar practices, even when they are undertaken by experienced people. Experience is valuable, but it should never make a process immune from scrutiny. We need systems that encourage people to challenge accepted practices without being dismissed as difficult or inexperienced.

One decision can change more than expected

Actions often have consequences beyond their original purpose.

At one site, a rule preventing trucks from entering before 6 am was intended to address a particular issue. Instead, trucks began queuing on a highway with limited visibility and a 100-kilometre-per-hour speed limit. Solving one problem had created another significant hazard.

The lesson was not that rules are unnecessary, it was that decisions need to be considered as part of a wider system.

Operational decisions rarely exist in isolation. A change to access, scheduling, production or process can affect traffic, workers, neighbours, and other parts of an operation. We need to look beyond the immediate objective and ask what the decision might shift elsewhere.

The positive side is that one well-considered action can also make a meaningful difference. Speaking up, challenging an assumption or changing a process can alter an outcome. We should never underestimate the influence of one person who is prepared to act.

Difficult conversations are part of the job

Good leadership is not about avoiding uncomfortable conversations. It is about preparing for them and approaching them with clarity and respect.

People often want feedback, even if the conversation itself is difficult. Avoiding the issue can create uncertainty and allow frustration or poor practice to continue. What matters is how the conversation is handled.

Preparation helps separate the facts from assumptions. Listening helps uncover the context. Focusing on the behaviour or issue, rather than attacking the person, gives the conversation a constructive purpose.

Positivity also matters here. Being positive does not mean ignoring problems or pretending circumstances are better than they are. It means approaching the issue with the belief that improvement is possible and that the conversation can lead somewhere useful.

That mindset takes effort, particularly under pressure, but the effort is worth it.

Leadership is not a solo pursuit. No one develops in isolation.

Some of the most valuable lessons in my career came through other people, including colleagues, mentors and people whose stories changed how I thought about leadership.

Surrounding yourself with good people does not remove responsibility for doing the work. It gives you better perspectives, stronger support and people who are willing to challenge you.

Relationships need to be built before they are needed. They depend on trust, and trust develops through consistency rather than a single interaction.

The same is true when developing others. Everyone has potential, but that potential is not always immediately visible. Sometimes it takes time, support and the right opportunity to find it. A leader’s role is not simply to identify the people who are already performing strongly. It is also to help others discover where they can contribute and grow.

Ultimately, each of us still has to do the work. We need to filter the information we receive, decide what is useful, ask questions and take responsibility for our own development. Advice can provide direction, but it cannot replace action.

Finding purpose in the work

Perhaps the most important lesson is to find your place, your purpose or your reason for doing the work.

When people find work they genuinely enjoy and an organisation where they fit, they tend to be more engaged and better positioned to succeed. Purpose provides direction when decisions are difficult and resilience when circumstances do not go to plan.

For me, the quarrying industry has provided a career, experiences, relationships and a second family. Sharing these lessons is one way of giving something back to an industry that has given me a great deal.

Twenty years of lessons do not provide a perfect formula for leadership. If anything, experience teaches us to be more cautious about believing we have all the answers.

The most effective leaders continue to listen. They question assumptions, confront accepted practices, have the difficult conversations and act on the values they claim to hold.

Most importantly, they remain willing to learn.