Miki Jackson

Way back in college, one of my professors sat down and shared an equation with me that has stuck with me ever since. The equation is: the perceived benefit minus the perceived cost equals your degree of motivation. This equation works whether it's in your career, your personal life, your finances, or even a move - it doesn't matter what it is. I have always looked at it that way, and it really helped me put into perspective a lot of things that I've done over my career and in my personal life. That was probably the one piece of advice that has stuck with me the longest.

Find a great mentor. I have a young man that works for me who has a degree in occupational safety and health, and even though he has that degree, being able to mentor him has done a lot of good. I'm also a WISE member - Women in Safety Excellence - through the American Society of Safety Professionals, and I mentor for them as well. I think that had I had somebody to mentor me through the first five years of my career, it would have made a huge difference. Even now, at the stage I'm in in my life, I still look to people to mentor me in learning new aspects. For example, I've never learned radiation previously, but I have mentors that do know how to work a radiation program, so they still mentor me. You never stop learning and you never stop needing guidance.

In safety, the biggest challenge is always overcoming that stigma that safety is one of those few departments that doesn't bring in money. That's how a lot of leadership sees our role - they think we just cost them money. But that's also the biggest opportunity, because we can prove them wrong. We can save companies millions if our job is done right - in workman's comp costs, in general liability costs, in all kinds of areas like insurance, and we can also help them gain a better reputation. So I guess our biggest opportunity is also our biggest challenge sometimes - it's just overcoming that stigma.

People. Whether it's in my work or through the volunteering and mentoring I do, it's always just the people that is one of my greatest values - treating people, helping people, treating them with respect no matter what the situation is. In my line of work, if I don't build those relationships with people, it doesn't really matter what rules I know. I could know a million different rules, but if I don't know how to treat people, they're not going to take it seriously. I always value people first, always.