Josh Caudill
President at Safety Leadership Innovators, LLC
Josh Caudill is one of the good guys that empowers women in the workplace. After leaving his corporate career, Josh and his wife, Kayla, partnered together to form a leadership and communication consulting company called Safety Leadership Innovators (SLI).
Josh is living the B-Word, Bridges, by authentically standing in his truth and breaking down longstanding barriers in the safety industry. Here is Josh's story.
Trials through transformation
Women in Construction Panel January 2020
I had the opportunity to meet Josh last year when I assembled a panel to discuss the challenges women face in construction. A female panelist had to back out and recommended Josh. At first, I was hesitant to include a "white guy" on the panel. But after a conversation about his leadership journey and commitment to authenticity that benefits everyone, I was sold. In January, we presented at the AGC National Surety and Risk Management Conference in South Florida, and Josh's message resonated with the mostly male audience. Had I asked Josh to participate on the panel just a few years earlier, his response may have been "no." He was a high-level executive at that time, working in an industry where weakness, vulnerability, and advocating for someone other than oneself was an anomaly. A few years later, there he was, a unicorn of sorts, as the only man speaking on an all-female panel about being an advocate for women in the workplace.
Transforming thought
Josh climbed the corporate ladder in the construction safety industry. He was very successful, earning a good salary and doing challenging, rewarding work. Josh chose safety because of the potential to make a difference and save lives. After rising to the highest ranks in his chosen industry, he realized while his career was thriving, his family life was not.
Josh did something that most men never think of doing. He left the comfort and security of his corporate career to spend more time with his family. "I went through an excruciating process that almost cost me my marriage to finally accept the conclusion that work-life balance does not exist. We can achieve it for a moment, but it is unsustainable. I had to let go of my definition of success to create one that worked for both my career and my family. Josh explains, "If you cannot be the same person at work, at home, when you're sleeping, something needs to change." Josh experienced the painful reality that problems are only solved by facing them and going through the pain.
Since leaving his career, Josh and his wife Kayla founded Safety Leadership Innovators. (SLI). In addition to safety leadership, SLI exists to help employers combat opioid addiction within their workplace, an epidemic that continues to grow as more people succumb to this addiction.
Josh and Kayla intentionally set up their business committed to an equal partnership structure. Neither Josh nor Kayla have more power. They work together as a unit, strategically using their unique strengths to exceed their client expectations. Josh fully admits, "We are very different, but we are building our business to embrace the differences and become stronger."
Turbulent transitions
The path of letting go of his corporate identity and security to embark on something new that better suited his family was a painful experience that Josh embraced. "People are afraid to go through pain, but pain is a great thing. It is a barometer to identify what is going on in the body and the mind. It alerts you when something is wrong. If you pay attention, you can feel your body healing from physical trauma or alert you when healthy stress becomes unhealthy anxiety. Yet humans tend to go to great lengths to avoid or mask the pain. That is why the opioid epidemic is of such magnificent proportions. The problem with pain avoidance is without going through pain; you never know if you recovered. You never evolve past the painful experience. Ignoring pain gives it power over you, creating the risk that it will never go away, and you will never heal.”
Josh and Kayla approach their methods to reduce opioid addiction as a natural complement to safety management. Safety is only successful when communication channels are open. Without open and honest communication, it's a matter of time before someone gets hurt. The symptoms that lead to opioid addiction are similar. By educating the workplace to identify the signs and recognize someone in pain, we can save a life.
The days of sweeping problems under the rug and hiding problems in the workplace are long gone. The only way we can create an atmosphere of positive change, however, is if we listen to everyone sitting at the table.
Treasuring the truths
Josh's partnership with Kayla is a visible sign of building bridges and empowering women in the workplace. Women bring a unique experience and skill-set to the table. When it comes to building trust and empowering communication, Josh has learned by watching Kayla. "Speaking at people, rather than with people, will never create a trusted, authentic culture. It takes listening skills and engagement in one-on-one, tough conversations to create an environment where trust can grow. When you're militant, and when you have a sharp spear, nobody wants to hear you."
Want to know more about Josh? Check out his business here https://sli.us.com/
Also, keep an eye out for the podcast he is starting with his wife: Married to Safety. You can find this on the streaming platform Safety FM.
