Effective workplace safety requires more than technical expertise and regulatory knowledge. It demands the ability to influence behavior, build trust, and inspire action — skills rooted in emotional intelligence.
During a recent Risk Control Webinar, Camille Oakes, CEO and President of Better Safety, challenged a long-standing assumption in workplace safety: that technical expertise alone drives results. Instead, Oakes argued that emotional intelligence (EQ) is a critical leadership skill that directly influences safety outcomes, trust, and performance.
“EQ is not a personality trait,” Oakes said. “It’s a set of skills that can be learned, practiced, and improved.”
Drawing on real-world experience and research, Oakes explained how safety professionals can use EQ to communicate more effectively, influence behavior, and inspire meaningful action across organizations.
Continue reading for an overview of Oakes’ presentation.
Oakes began by defining emotions as neither good nor bad, but as information.
“If you are a human, you are emotional,” she said. “You might not be expressive, but emotions still drive how you act.”
EQ has two core components, she explained: managing your own emotions and recognizing, understanding, and influencing the emotions of others — a skill that’s especially critical in safety leadership.
“A good safety professional knows the regulations and fixes the hazard,” Oakes said. “A great safety professional can influence others to want to fix every hazard.”
Oakes structured her presentation around five core components of emotional intelligence.
The first component Oakes addressed was self-awareness. Leaders who understand their strengths, weaknesses, emotional triggers, and how others perceive them are better equipped to lead under pressure.
“People with self-awareness can say, I’m good at some things, and I’m not good at others — and I’m OK with that,” Oakes said.
She encouraged participants to expand their emotional vocabulary beyond “good” and “bad” to more precise language such as “frustrated,” “annoyed,” or “overwhelmed.” This clarity enables leaders to respond more intentionally and better understand the emotions of others.
Oakes also emphasized the importance of understanding how others perceive you.
“There’s power in addressing the elephant in the room,” she said, noting that credibility increases when leaders acknowledge assumptions or concerns directly.
The second component, self-regulation, builds on self-awareness by focusing on controlling emotional reactions, particularly in high-conflict situations. Losing control rarely yields positive results.
“Write the email, but don’t send it,” she said. “Draft is your best friend.”
She advised safety professionals to pause before responding emotionally, especially in writing. Clear, concise communication is more effective than emotionally charged messages, particularly given shrinking attention spans.
The third component, motivation, requires leaders to understand both their own purpose and the organization's priorities. Oakes urged safety professionals to reflect on why they do the work they do, especially during challenging moments.
“There will be days you get nothing but resistance,” she said. “You have to know what keeps you coming back.”
Equally important is understanding what motivates operations leaders.
“Operations is your customer,” Oakes said. “They care about safety, but they also care about budget, productivity, and deadlines.”
By aligning safety initiatives with operational goals, leaders can foster stronger partnerships and develop more compelling business cases.
The fourth component, empathy, is not about avoiding accountability, Oakes explained. Instead, it involves understanding others’ perspectives and using that insight to inform decisions.
“Emotions are information,” she said. “We use that information to choose the right response.”
She introduced empathy mapping as a practical tool to help teams understand what employees see, hear, think, and feel in their day-to-day work. This approach often reveals why unsafe behaviors persist and where interventions should focus.
“When you understand where people are coming from, your solutions change,” Oakes said.
The final component, social skills, focuses on relationship-building and influence. Oakes described it as being “friendly with a purpose.”
“Your mood is contagious,” she said. “You are the captain of the safety ship.”
Because safety leaders often become the face of safety culture, their demeanor shapes how safety is perceived throughout the organization. Simple actions such as building rapport, respecting time, and expressing genuine appreciation can significantly enhance engagement.
“People don’t have to do more than the bare minimum,” Oakes said. “When they do, say thank you — and mean it.”
Oakes concluded by reinforcing that emotional intelligence is not optional for safety leaders. It is a practical skill set that enhances credibility, influence, and results.
“If one of these skills resonated with you, work on it,” she said. “It can make your job easier and your impact stronger.”
When safety professionals combine technical expertise with emotional intelligence, they are better positioned to lead, influence, and protect the people they serve.
This presentation was part of Captive Resources’ Risk Control Webinar Series — regular installments of webinars to educate the group captive members we work with on topics like workplace safety, organizational leadership, and company performance. The thoughts and opinions expressed in these webinars are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect Captive Resources’ positions on any of the above topics.
