Occasionally, I am asked, “What’s the best thing about being CEO of APM Terminals?” I don’t have to think for long. The best part of my job is when I do a GEMBA – a face-to-face, frontline walk – with my teammates, to listen to their experiences, concerns, perspectives, and new ideas.

In marking our APM Terminals’ Global Safety Awards today, I want to celebrate exactly that and take the opportunity to recognize and thank all my teammates around the world for their ideas, initiatives, and actions towards our mantra of safety, quality, delivery—before cost. We start with safety because it is, and will always be, the most important thing to us.

At APM Terminals, we aim to create an environment where all teammates are engaged, involved, and feel confident to contribute, speak up, raise questions, share their concerns, report errors, and present solutions to mitigate risks. That’s why our leaders walk the talk daily with humility, transparency, and a focus on being in GEMBA with their teammates. Often, they’re problem-solving our priorities of Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost. Engaging in Lean practices is a wonderful way to connect with each other and improve safety. It’s vital that the lessons which foster open communication help spread knowledge across APM Terminals.

We engage daily in these practices in GEMBA, working together to hear and implement improvement ideas. Swami  and his colleagues at Gateway Terminals India have provided us with a terrific example of how we can all make a difference. I’d like to thank Swami and all those recognized by the Global Safety Awards for speaking up and acting.

Whatever line of work you’re in, I encourage you to follow the example we’re setting at APM Terminals and to do the same.

Your voice matters!