Are You Managing Risk—or Just Managing Chaos?

Ever feel like no matter how well you plan, you’re still running from one urgent issue to the next? A last-minute compliance check, an incident report that needs immediate attention, or a deadline that sneaks up out of nowhere. It’s like there’s never enough time to get ahead because you’re too busy just keeping up.

I get it. I’ve been there. For years, I thought being flat out was just part of the job. The quick decisions, the high-pressure environment—I told myself that’s just how it is. And honestly, I kind of loved it.

Until I realised that constantly operating in crisis mode wasn’t actually making me better at my job. It was just making me exhausted.

That’s when I came across Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix, and let me tell you—it hit me like a tonne of bricks.

If you work in safety, you probably live in Quadrant I. Urgent problems, tight deadlines, risks that need fixing right now. Sound familiar?

But here’s the thing—Quadrant I isn’t meant to be a lifestyle. It’s a warning sign.

I learned that the hard way.

For years, I was so busy handling immediate issues that I wasn’t making time to step back and focus on why they were happening in the first place. I told myself I’d get to the proactive stuff—training, process improvements, culture-building—once I had “a bit more time.” (Spoiler alert: that never happened.)

The real game-changer? Shifting into Quadrant II, where the best safety professionals operate:

✅ Prevention over reaction – Addressing risks before they turn into incidents. 

✅ Investing in people – Engaging teams, building a culture of safety, and strengthening relationships before a crisis happens. 

✅ Focusing on long-term impact – Because good safety management isn’t about how many reports you file—it’s about reducing the need for those reports in the first place.

Covey nailed it: “The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

That’s where real leadership in safety happens.

So, be honest—where are you spending most of your time? Stuck in reaction mode, constantly firefighting? Or making space to focus on the things that will actually move the needle?

If this hits home, you’re not alone. I’ve lived that reality myself. And I know how to get out of it. 

This is exactly the kind of conversation I bring to the table—because once you see the trap, you can step out of it. You can take back control. And you can finally stop feeling like there’s never enough time.

So, what’s next?

If you’re ready to stop chasing problems and start preventing them, let’s chat. Reach out, and let’s talk about how you can make this shift today.