Strategic & Soft Skills for Safety Professionals

Technical expertise alone won't future-proof your safety career. Discover the strategic skills that now separate high-demand professionals from the rest. Are you developing what truly matters?

The leadership ladder demands new skills

The skills that propelled your early safety career are unlikely to be the same ones that will drive your future success. As safety professionals progress from technical roles to leadership positions, the balance shifts dramatically.

"As an advisor, you'll have very different conversations to what a manager will have or a senior executive," explains Stephen Coldicutt, Associate Director at The Safe Step, who has spent over 14 years guiding safety professionals through career transitions. "Your communication skills will evolve and will need to evolve."

Greg Lazzaro, drawing on 30 years of executive HSE leadership experience, adds, "When I started my career back in the 1990s, a lot of the skills were around compliance and regulation. But as I've gone through my career, that whole context has just changed."

Both industry veterans highlight a critical transition: as you climb the career ladder, technical expertise remains valuable, but strategic and interpersonal skills become increasingly essential. Those who recognise their strengths—and gaps—will be better positioned to adapt.

Let's explore the key skills that will separate tomorrow's safety leaders from those left behind.

Business partnerships drive influence

"Our profession has been asked to really compete at that business partnering level," reveals Lazzaro, whose career spans from chemical engineering in Oil & Gas to executive safety roles across multiple industries.

Today's organisations aren't hunting for compliance enforcers. They're seeking safety professionals who can navigate complex business challenges while driving transformative change.

How to build this skill:

• Join finance meetings even when not invited—ask to observe and learn
• Volunteer for business improvement projects outside safety
• Request 30-minute coffee chats with finance, IT, HR and operations leaders
• Practice translating safety proposals into financial terms before presenting them
• Be curious about how other departments operate and measure success

Financial literacy unlocks resources

Safety professionals who can't demonstrate value in dollars face an uphill battle at decision-making tables.

"Today's safety professionals must be able to write business cases and understand the financial implications of putting proposals in place," explains Lazzaro.

Mastering business language means developing:

• Budget management skills that resonate with executives
• ROI calculations that secure investment
• Strategic plans aligned with business objectives
• Business cases that demonstrate genuine value

Make it happen:

• Take a short financial literacy course designed for non-finance professionals
• Ask to shadow someone writing a successful business case
• Practice explaining safety initiatives purely in terms of business outcomes
• Build relationships with The Safe Step recruiters who understand what financial skills businesses value in candidates

Transform drowning in data to driving insights

With the rise of technology, the ability to translate raw data into meaningful narratives separates strategic leaders from technical practitioners.

"Employers are looking for capabilities around data analytics and AI knowledge," notes Coldicutt. "But it's not just the technical competency. It's actually guiding stakeholders to understand what that data is telling us."

Lazzaro emphasises: "I've talked to too many companies who are saying 'we're data rich and insights poor.'"

Practical upgrades:

• Start with a free data visualisation course (Tableau offers excellent ones)
• Practice creating one-page safety dashboards that tell a complete story
• Learn basic statistical concepts to separate signals from noise
• Join data communities in your organisation to learn from other departments
• Test and play with AI functionality within tools you already have
• Ask peers what data tools they're experimenting with and what they've learned

Human skills become your advantage

As automation handles more compliance monitoring, your uniquely human capabilities become your career insurance policy.

"This is moving beyond just being the subject matter technical expert. It's actually having the ability to coach and influence," explains Coldicutt about the "human-centric leadership skills" now essential.

Implementation blueprint:

• Record yourself explaining a safety concept, then ruthlessly edit for clarity
• Practice storytelling by reframing incidents as compelling narratives with lessons
• Seek feedback from peers about your influencing style—what works and what doesn't
• Join a communications specialist or consider programs like Toastmasters to sharpen skills

Mastering influence creates lasting change

When asked about improving influencing skills, Lazzaro exposes a common failure:

"How many times do we send an email out saying, 'Hey, next week we're implementing this change'... and expect this to magically occur? Then we go back the next week and nothing really changes."

The solution? "Enrolling people into a change, being part of the thinking behind why the change is important... once a person is enrolled, they will become the influencer for others."

Actionable techniques:

• Before announcing changes, gather informal input from key stakeholders
• Create change champions in each department before rolling out initiatives
• Frame safety changes in terms of what matters to each stakeholder group
• Run pilot programs with volunteers who can become ambassadors

Cross-functional collaboration expands horizons

The future belongs to boundary-crossers. Coldicutt's recruitment trends confirm it:

"I'm actively recruiting a new role, which is actually a workplace safety and ER [employee relations] manager combined... to cross-pollinate their way of thinking."

Stephen often advises safety professionals to "look for opportunities to speak from and learn from others in the organisation - finance, IT, HR, operations." This cross-pollination of ideas creates valuable insights that siloed professionals miss.

Cross-pollination tactics:

• Join projects that force collaboration with other departments
• Attend industry events outside the safety bubble
• Consider programs like HSE Amplify offered by The Safe Step to build multidisciplinary networks
• Shadow colleagues in HR, operations or quality for a day each quarter
• Be curious and read widely outside your field
• Ask peers what they're learning and experimenting with in their organisations

Excellence outperforms impatience

While it’s good to have career goals and ambitions, don’t be in a rush to jump straight to the finish Lazzaro's advice is balance drive with patience. Some capabilities take time to strengthen and develop: "Be patient with your ability to demonstrate your value... If you do this stuff really well, you won't have to ask for that next role, they'll come to you."

Excellence framework:

• Identify one aspect of your current role you can truly master
• Seek specific feedback on what "excellent" looks like in your organisation
• Document your successes and improvements methodically
• Regularly consult with The Safe Step recruiters for objective benchmarking of your performance

Mentors accelerate development

"What influenced me the most was understanding good leadership and being inspired by leaders who were really the top of their game," shares Lazzaro. His surprising discovery? "You'd be amazed how generous our profession is."

Mentor acquisition strategy:

• Identify three safety leaders whose careers you admire
• Reach out with specific, time-limited requests (15-minute calls work better than open-ended mentorship)
• Prepare thoughtful questions that respect their expertise
• Reciprocate by offering your own unique insights or assistance

Embrace continuous learning

The finished safety professional is a fiction. As Lazzaro jokes, "Look for those who think they've mastered this craft and know everything about health and safety... I want to talk to you because I want to learn from you."

His real message? "There is never a day that we should be saying, 'I've got this.' We need to learn every day about different things."

Continuous improvement tactics:

• Block weekly learning time in your calendar—treat it as non-negotiable
• Join professional communities where knowledge sharing happens organically
• Create a personal learning roadmap that balances technical and strategic skills
• Build relationships with specialist recruiters who can identify emerging skill requirements

The safety profession's rapid evolution

"The safety profession is evolving, it's looking very different today than what it did five years ago, little alone 10 years ago," warns Coldicutt.

This revolution is driven by:

• Technological transformation: AI and automation reshaping safety management fundamentals
• Multigenerational workplaces: Different attitudes toward safety across age groups
• Workplace reinvention: Hybrid and remote models creating unprecedented challenges
• Crisis preparedness needs: From pandemics to climate disasters to supply chain disruptions, "COVID taught us a lot about being prepared for large-scale crises," notes Coldicutt
• Regulatory evolution: Compliance requirements changing faster than ever
• Strategic integration: Safety moving from afterthought to central business function

The safety professionals who thrive won't just react to these changes—they'll lead them.

Claim your ESG territory

Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives represent career expansion opportunities for savvy safety professionals.

"I'm seeing health and safety professionals being given accountability for the ESG agenda," says Lazzaro. "Health and safety professionals are in pole position to take on this accountability."

His advice? "Put their hand up and actually be proactive" in this space, seeing it as "a natural evolution" that allows safety professionals to guide integration across business functions.

ESG career moves:

• Speak to peers and colleagues working on Safety and ESG initiatives
• Volunteer to represent safety on any existing ESG committees
• Map how current safety initiatives already support ESG goals
• Upskill on environmental compliance and social responsibility metrics
• Partner with a specialist recruiter who can highlight your ESG experience to potential employers

Shape the future of safety

The safety profession stands at an inflection point. The choice is yours.

By developing this strategic toolkit, you position yourself not as a compliance enforcer but as an indispensable business partner who shapes safer, more resilient organisations.

If you're ready to take the next step in your safety career, consider speaking with The Safe Step about finding the right role—one where you'll achieve great things for yourself and your organisation while positioning yourself for future advancement. Their specialist recruiters understand the evolving safety landscape and can help match your developing skills with opportunities that value them.

The question isn't whether these changes will happen—it's whether you'll lead them or follow them.