Every second day in Australia, someone at work has to have a difficult conversation.

They have to tell a family that someone they love is not coming home from work today.

“Mate, accidents happen”, some say afterward at the pub.

Well I say that even one accident is too many. They know it, too. So why is it so hard?

As a young sparkie I sat in too many toolbox safety talks, where the team spent the time joking around, too embarrassed to show that they were actually interested.

As a coach I’ve listened to too many stories of people covering up a mate’s antics, only to regret never having had the courage to speak up before it was too late.

And as an executive advisor I’ve helped too many business leaders overcome the frustration of navigating the long-lasting damage that came from someone’s split-second bad decision.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Accidents don’t just happen.

I believe that the trouble is this: Safety isn’t safe.

It’s not safe to talk about. It’s not safe to stand up.

Staying silent feels safer than watching out for a mate that would just shoot back: “Yeah, whatever, mum”.

Joking around feels safer than standing up and sharing a better way of doing things.

When a team feels they can’t stand up, they’re left sitting in their own frustration.

I can’t sit by, and they don’t have to.

They just need help unlocking their potential as a leader.

Leaders don’t turn up just because you put “leadership” in a job ad, they turn up in your own team when you create the environment that helps them rise.

That’s when they speak up.

That’s when they make the tough calls.

That’s when they have the confidence to know that the tough calls are the right calls, the calls that take the business further than it would have got on its own, and the calls that mean never having to make a tough call to a workmate’s loved ones.

I’m Anton Guinea, and I’m here to make safety safe!

“We all deserve to go home at the end of the day without harm to our emotional or physical selves. And, yes, that is possible!”

As the regional Queensland born founder of The Guinea Group, Anton Guinea (Dip Eng, BBA, Postgrad Dip) has become a valued resource for organisations, helping them to increase their psychological safety, and improve physical safety. An international best-selling author, and thought leader since 2005, Anton’s work transforms organisations and saves lives.

Anton is a Professional Member of the Australia’s Speaker Association, and is recognised widely as one of Australia’s pre-eminent safety leadership speakers. His presentations are thoroughly researched, highly energetic and engaging, always thought provoking and specifically tailored to the audience.

This is why BHP, Anglo American, Rio Tinto, Newmont among many others have turned to Anton over the years to help upskill their leaders and keep their people safe – his ability to translate thought leadership into actionable steps is unrivaled!

Anton has authored five books, including international best-seller Millionaires and Billionaires – Secrets Revealed. He founded The Guinea Group to extend his coaching offerings across leadership, safety and sales training. A believer that passion from life must also exist outside of work, Anton is a proud father, devoted husband and national representative triathlete.