Practical Leadership Skills for Safety Professionals and Project Engineers

This book discusses the science of organizational behavior, and the author cites current social and psychological work on leadership and professional development in an effort to "jump start" the careers of project engineers and future safety professionals. The goal in writing this book is to quickly acclimate undergraduates and early-career professionals on a career path toward engineering and safety management because they are missing opportunities to work, read, travel, and prepare for the profession. This book includes leadership and professional development techniques so that graduates can go into the market with the leadership and communication skills needed.

For Future Leaders in Safety and Engineering

You’ve chosen to become a leader in occupational health and safety. Practical Leadership Skills for Safety Professionals and Project Engineers can show you how. Purposely oriented toward the art and science of leadership, this book is designed to provide insight and outline development techniques for the budding young professional. Aimed squarely at college students and early career professionals, it parallels the steps that a student or recent graduate needs to take (from pre-professional to professional); it moves the reader from the classroom and then on through to early managerial years.

The book covers basic office protocol and etiquette, understanding diversity and cultural nuance, and ethical considerations, and addresses most ABET-accredited engineering and safety programs with similar curricula. It also considers special cases that include toxic leadership; environmental stressors; increasing resilience; gender issues; international nuance; experiential training; and "depleted" leader development environments where upper management doesn’t seem to care. In addition, the author introduces stories, accumulated wisdom, and anecdotes from his own experience, balanced by supported research and data on outcomes.

Part empirical, part anecdotal, this book:

• Cites current social and psychological work on leadership and professional development
• References industry-related leader development research
• Breaks down what being a "professional" means; codes of ethics; dilemmas; case studies
• Explores leadership in the crisis and non-crisis modes
• Offers help with identifying and fighting toxic leadership, and more

Designed for both coursework and reference, Practical Leadership Skills for Safety Professionals and Project Engineers contains published research combined with the author’s own industry experience. This book provides a blueprint for the undergraduate or early-career professional in occupational health and safety, industrial hygiene, safety management, and related industries.