Creating Influence as a Safety Leader
Stuart Slay
Safety leaders face a unique challenge: you’re accountable for safety, but much of what influences it is out of your direct control. To lead effectively you need to influence staff, supervisors, parents, and colleagues in other departments. When you can’t do this effectively, safety becomes dependent on you alone, which isn’t sustainable for anyone.
This session explores how safety leaders create and wield their influence to distribute responsibility and build shared ownership. Regardless of your role as a program director, manager, coordinator, or executive director, you’ll map the key stakeholders in your job, explore different influencing approaches, and apply them to the real challenges you are facing.
About Stuart
Stuart Slay is the Director of Slay Risk, a consulting and coaching practice that helps schools and outdoor programs build capability in safety leadership and risk management. Stuart spent nine years developing outdoor education programs at an international school in Korea. He has also served as a national risk management director for a large US-based non-profit, and has consulted with organizations across Asia and North America. Based in Taipei, Taiwan, he holds a master’s degree in adventure education from Prescott College, is an AEE accreditation reviewer, past chair of the Wilderness Risk Management Conference, and founding member of the Wilderness Climate Action Lab.
