Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast Lessons in Safety Leadership: A Matter of Respect (Talking EHS)
7 snips
Dec 3, 2025 Caroline Johnson, an executive advisor at DEKRA and former F/A-18 pilot, shares invaluable lessons from her Navy days. She discusses high-stakes safety protocols and the critical role of risk management on aircraft carriers. Caroline emphasizes the importance of listening to frontline workers and fostering a culture of respect and curiosity to enhance safety. She also highlights the impact of everyday leaders in industry and encourages leaders to ask questions that promote critical thinking and ownership within teams.
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Carrier Flight Deck Lessons
- Caroline Johnson describes flying F-18 Super Hornets and managing a 25-person avionics crew on a deployed aircraft carrier.
- She emphasizes the constant high-risk environment on the flight deck and how that shaped her approach to safety.
Precision Landings Under Intense Forces
- Caroline Johnson explains launching and landing on a carrier, including a 0-to-150-mph catapult and catching arresting wires on a tiny target.
- She uses vivid numbers to show the intense forces involved and the precision required for every landing.
Consistency Beats Occasional Brilliance
- Consistency, perseverance, and resilience produce reliable performance under stress more than one-off brilliance.
- Caroline Johnson says doing the small things right every day enables peak outcomes when systems face problems.
