We Need To Talk About Newcastle, or Reasons To Be Cheerful

Ok, I know, we’re boasting. But you see, it’s been emotional (to quote a certain footballer-turned-actor). And if you lived and worked in Newcastle you’d feel the same. I am of course referring to Newcastle United’s recent success on the field, lifting the club’s first silverware in living memory. In a city that was already football mad, you can only imagine the ensuing euphoria and the massive reception accorded to the team on their triumphant return to the Toon.
As something of an outsider – I originally hail from arch-rivals Middlesbrough – I have to confess that I found the whole thing….well….really sweet actually. You see, when you come here from somewhere else, the love and pride that Geordies have for their city and their team strikes you as a truly lovely thing. You can’t miss it. Visit the weekend market at Tynemouth metro station and you’ll be falling over artistic representations of our area at every turn, alongside the famed black and white scarves draped from anything – or indeed anyone – who stands still for more than two minutes. It’s everywhere. 
But there is another point to all of this. There’s a reason why people identify so strongly with their chosen team: as human beings, our need to belong to and identify with our ‘tribe’ is both primal and overwhelming. And when things are going well for our chosen people, it feeds us and sustains us. If you could bottle that sense of joy and optimism how much would it be worth?
Casting my mind back many years to the very first question on my Nebosh examination paper, it asked about what a poor workplace morale indicates regarding a company’s safety culture. The answer to that question isn’t a positive one. And how many workplaces have you known where Health & Safety is viewed as being all about catching people out, reporting them etc?
Now imagine a workplace where praise is widely used as a prime motivational tool. A company where the H&S team are seen as the good guys. What would that do for general morale and safety performance? We have a choice here, and I’m saying is let’s bring back optimism! Because there’s one thing I know – I want to be part of a happy team, one where we all win. 

Harry Gallagher specialises in Behavioural Safety, you can get in touch with him via harry@2macs.com.