Put safety first, Sibanye

Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman and his managers should read a 2012 book by C Duhigg, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change (Sibanye-Stillwater mourns seven miners who died in quake, May 5). More specifically, they should read the story of Paul O’Neill, the former CEO of Alcoa, the American aluminium company that was struggling to keep its employees safe in the workplace.

During the delivery of his maiden results as CEO, O’Neill surprised everyone by announcing that his report was going to focus on safety in its entirety. He consciously chose not to talk about the financial indicators that matter most to investors. Instead, he focused all his attention on the safety of Alcoa workers.

During his tenure O’Neill’s vision paid off handsomely. The company’s relationship with the unions improved greatly. He multiplied the shareholder value five times.

Now that is what I call leadership.

Mpumelelo Ncwadi Cape Town