ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses several areas of leadership, and particularly how it relates to teams that work in high-hazard and/or high-stress environments. It also discusses ways that employees at multiple levels within an organization may become leaders, even if they are not performing specific leadership jobs. While leadership and management often include unique types of duties, when they are simply viewed as distinctly separate functions, opportunities for improvement at the organizational level and the operational team level may be missed. Although leadership and management are different, there are often times when the lines get blurred and leadership and management actions intersect and cross over. While there are challenges associated with developing and implementing programs and policies that encourage distributed leadership, there are numerous benefits to be gained in multiple organizational performance areas, including production and safety. From a safety standpoint, leadership offers organizations opportunities to bring performance to new levels.
