Just add water and two eggs, stir and voilà! You have a “homemade” cake! Of course it tastes better than a store bought cake because only YOU could add that specific amount of water exactly the way you did or select and crack the two perfect eggs and of course no one else can stir that batter with the same amount of love that you can.

When instant cake mixes that required the addition of eggs first came on the market they were a huge hit, not only because they tasted better than the original cake mixes that included powdered eggs but because it gave the cook more of a way to contribute to the success of the cake. Because the steps involved in making a cake mix were made simpler, the cook could concentrate on adding her own creative touches such as glazes, fancy decorations, and original fillings.  While many people believe that the cake mixes that required adding water and eggs were a hit because the cook felt like the cake was actually their own creation now, the success was really due to the extra time the mix provided to the housewife* to personalize it and make it her* own.

How can you make your safety programs similar to the “just add water and eggs” cake mixes? People tend to support projects and programs that they themselves created and somehow made “their own.” If you personally developed a new program and delivered it to your workforce, they will be less likely to be as excited as you are about it. It’s your baby and of course you love it.  How can you get your workforce or management to “add the water and eggs”? If you are responsible for multiple sites, can you offer a way for the various locations to make their own contributions? If they feel like they were part of the finished product, they will of course think it is better and are more likely to support it and be excited about implementing it.

Do you do this already or have some ideas for giving management, co-workers, union leaders, or other facility locations the opportunity to help create or improve upon your training content? Please share them in the comments section. Otherwise, check back tomorrow for the second part of this post where I will give you a few ideas.

 *I am not writing “housewife” or “her” because I believe that only women make cakes but back when the new “just add water and egg” mixes became popular (around 1950), this was likely the case.