AN SVP BY STEALTH
When we presented the University of Sydney’s Safety Value Proposition (SVP) case study at the OHS Leaders Summit earlier this year, one of the first audience questions to Chief Health and Safety Officer Kim Grady was:
“How did you get buy-in for the project?”
Kim’s answer? “By stealth.”
Cheeky, yes — but also insightful.
One of the most common challenges we hear from safety leaders keen to elevate safety and wellbeing with an SVP is that just getting buy-in can feel, well, daunting. And after that? There’s still the build, the rollout, and the long game of embedding it.
So yes, perhaps an SVP isn’t for the faint-hearted. But we’re lucky to work with bold, committed leaders who are up for it — leaders who see the value of doing something meaningful, systemic, and lasting.
To seek buy-in? Or not to seek buy-in?
A Safety Value Proposition — an integrated, organisation-wide promise and operating model — can be a powerful shift. But its size and scope can also be a blocker.
Now, we’re not ones to sit on the fence, but we can see a case both for and against seeking executive buy-in right from the start. Ultimately, you know your organisation, your context and your execs best. So, go with your gut.
But humour us for a moment.
On one hand, for an SVP to truly live up to its potential — elevating safety and wellbeing to strategic priority and scaling a consistent safety experience — you’re going to need broad support. That includes buy-in from the Board, the CEO, and the broader executive. So yes, that buy-in absolutely matters.
We’ve seen it play out beautifully. One safety leader from one of Australia’s largest organisations rallied the Chief People Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and CEO around the vision for an SVP early on. That organisation dedicated serious internal resources to make it real, and it shows. We’re now finalising integration workshops for their SVP commitments, and the way they’re embedding it is genuinely inspiring.
On the other hand, not every SVP begins with fanfare and full exec endorsement. Kim Grady, for instance, knew the appetite for “yet another major initiative” might be limited, even if the idea was strong. So, she started within her sphere of control, using the SVP as a way to unify a fragmented safety and wellbeing function that had historically been school- or unit-specific. The SVP became the common language and intent to bridge the university’s complexity.
Of course, she kept key stakeholders in the loop — this is Kim we’re talking about — but much of the thinking, testing and development happened before she sought broader buy-in. And it worked.
So if you’re in an organisation that’s already at capacity but you’re drawn to the idea of an SVP to lift and unify your safety experience, here are three ways to start, quietly and effectively.
MAP YOUR SPHERE
Every safety leader has a sphere of control — people, budgets, systems or processes they can influence without a formal green light.
We’ve seen too many leaders wait for permission to take the first step toward transformation. But sometimes, that’s like Waiting for Godot.
Instead, map your sphere:
Where can you pilot or test elements of an SVP now?
What existing initiatives could be clarified or strengthened with an SVP-aligned promise?
Which teams or leaders are open to trying something new?
You don’t need to call it an SVP yet. Just start working with intent and influence.
Build it into the strategy
At the core of every SVP is a promise: a genuine, actionable commitment to safety and wellbeing. It’s not marketing spin — it’s a strategic tool to shape decisions, behaviours and culture.
SVPs are not comms campaigns. They’re long-term, systemic shifts. That makes them strategic investments — and like any investment, they land best when positioned as a response to real business needs.
So if you’re working on your one-, two- or three-year safety strategy, consider how you could make the case for an SVP:
Link it to talent and retention: A clear safety promise shows people — current and future — that you genuinely care.
Highlight risk mitigation: SVPs clarify expectations, reduce variability and embed accountability.
Connect it to performance: Safe organisations perform better. It’s that simple.
Frame it as a systems upgrade: An SVP is a safety operating system. It integrates language, leadership, learning and lived experience — the kind of alignment execs dream about, without the tech headaches.
Weave your SVP into your strategy’s business case. Don’t pitch it as an add-on — position it as a lever for cultural, commercial and people outcomes.
Show, don’t sell
A bit like Kim and her team at the University of Sydney, once the early work is done, the next step isn’t pitching, it’s storytelling.
Use real examples from the discovery phase to show how a safety promise and commitments can influence the outcomes that matter. We’ll help you find those everyday “moments that matter” and work with you to test how an SVP can integrate into them.
Start small, go quiet, build trust and momentum. Small wins are powerful when it comes to rallying support and unlocking formal buy-in.
The small matter of stakeholder engagement
Still breaking into a nervous sweat about stakeholder engagement? Deep breaths, we’ve got you.
We can help you shape the plan and the messaging for your most important audiences. And we’ll facilitate the conversations, workshops and focus groups that surface insights and build alignment while lightening your load.
We’re deeply committed to helping bring SVPs to life, which means we’ll be your biggest cheerleaders and staunchest supporters as you go through the process of discovering, defining, developing and delivering. We’ll even help with embedding, if and when the time is right.
We’ll eat the elephant one bite at a time.
Final thoughts
What we’ve learned is that with big, systemic change like SVPs, universal consensus at the start isn’t always possible, or necessary.
Buy-in doesn’t have to precede action. In fact, the right kind of action often creates buy-in. Especially when people see it working, see it helping, and see it reflecting values they already hold.
And if, one day in the future, someone asks how you got your SVP through?
Feel free to smile and say:
“By stealth.”
Still want to explore an SVP?
If we haven’t scared you off by naming the elephant in the room, we’d love to explore what an SVP could do for your organisation.
We’re partnering with complex, ambitious organisations to shape Safety Value Propositions that reflect their people, challenges and aspirations.
Book a call at a time that suits you.
