Editor's Note: To be a leader

This month, for the 18th year, Safety+Health presents the CEOs Who ‘Get It’ – the National Safety Council’s recognition of leaders who understand the importance of worker safety and health. As I look over the Q&As with the nine men and women selected for 2020 (the interviews have been edited for space in the magazine, but you can find them in full on the S+H website), one quote that stands out to me is from Paula Gold-Williams, president and CEO of CPS Energy in San Antonio:

“Opportunities will come, but our motivations cannot be primarily about job titles and delusions of grandeur. More importantly, it is about the substance and value that you bring to your role.”

She added, “I have learned that it is a true privilege to lead and to protect others from harm.”

Although your job may not carry an executive-level title, to be a safety professional is to be a leader – taking on the often unpopular task of promoting a safe working environment among some workers (and sometimes, unfortunately, members of the C-suite) who simply don’t want to hear it.

So while we at S+H are pleased to devote space every February to highlighting the philosophies and actions of CEOs and military leaders who have demonstrated their personal commitment to keeping workers safe, it’s also our privilege to showcase the stories and experiences of EHS pros in our monthly column, My Story.

The column, which debuted in February 2018, has proved popular, and we want to hear from even more of you. Please keep those stories coming. Email us at [email protected] with the subject line “My Story,” and yours could be published in an upcoming issue of S+H.