For years, I’ve argued that EHS professionals are among the best leaders in the world. I might be biased, but I can make a good case. EHS people have the capacity for the kind of leadership organisations need today because the nature of their work demands the skills needed. They lead without fanfare, without ideology and because people’s lives and wellbeing depend on it.
In all but the most backward-looking organisations, EHS has evolved in the past decade into something much more significant than a compliance function. Enlightened businesses, like those I have been privileged to work in, see it as strategic capability. Prioritising employee safety, health and wellbeing fosters resilience, it boosts performance and it builds strong culture. And it is leadership in its purest form.
In this article I’ll make the case that EHS professionals are already positioned to lead, that they must develop their leadership skills and that a strengths‑based approach such can accelerate their impact.
Leadership is influence; not hierarchy, not job title — influence. And EHS professionals influence people every day, across every level of the organisation in a way that few other functional professionals do. They persuade senior executives to make decisions that protect people and reputation, they coach managers to own safety rather than trying to make it someone else’s responsibility and they build trust with frontline teams who respect authenticity, not slogans. Their ability to translate risk technicalities into operational clarity and to stay calm and clear-sighted when others panic is real leadership. The kind that is earned, not granted.
The access-all-areas nature of EHS leaders’ work, working in functions from manufacturing, R&D and administration to purchasing, quality and sustainability, allows them to see the whole business, not just a part of it. They understand how culture works in practice, rather than in management theory. They know how people respond under pressure and they know how systems fail. Few roles have such breadth and depth, and require such humanity.
Business needs EHS leaders to lead
The business environment has changed and is still changing at pace. If we thought we dealt in complex trading conditions 10 years ago, we were innocents then. Complexity builds on complexity, with increasingly frequently disturbed supply chains and the great disruptor coming that is automation and artificial intelligence. Expectations have risen from customers, investors and employees. Organisations need leaders who can simplify messages, humanise communications, and mobilise employees to meet those challenges. The best EHS leaders do this instinctively.
Culture is now a strategic asset. Safety culture, wellbeing, psychologically safe workplaces, in which people feel confident to challenge unsafe and unproductive conditions: these are not “nice to have.” They drive productivity, engagement, retention, and brand trust. EHS leaders are culture shapers. They know how to influence behaviour at scale, how to build trust, and how to create environments where people thrive.
Regulatory complexity is growing. EHS may no longer just be about compliance but its practitioners have to navigate an increasingly crowded legislative landscape, with growing sustainability reporting requirements, supplemented by semi-regulatory standards such as ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 which are demanded of businesses by suppliers and investors. Organisations need leaders who can anticipate change and its risks and opportunities, and guide teams through uncertainty. EHS leaders already do this daily.
Performance and protection must coexist. EHS leaders enable performance, they remove friction and help design and refine systems that work for teams who have to operate them. I’ve worked with thousands of EHS professionals across continents, cultures, and industries and I’ve seen a consistent pattern: EHS leaders deliver impact quietly, consistently, and without ego. They don’t chase ideology and they don’t wait for perfect conditions, they are experts in the art of the possible, they work with constraints — limited resources but unlimited expectations. They listen; they influence and they build trust. They build networks and they lead with empathy and discipline — they promote the essence of the Hummingbird philosophy: small, intentional actions repeated over time create lasting change. They translate complexity into clarity, which is a rare leadership superpower.
This is why I say EHS leaders are the best leaders in the world. Because they lead where it matters most: in the real world, with real people, under real pressure.
How EHS leaders must develop
Being naturally positioned for leadership through skills and experience is not enough. Fulfilling that potential demands development on EHS professionals’ part. Based on my work and the leadership themes I see in successful organisations, I believe EHS professionals must strengthen several capabilities.
- Visible felt leadership – Presence matters, so do listening and authenticity. EHS leaders must be present physically and emotionally to influence behaviour positively.
- Strategic storytelling – EHS professionals must connect safety to business values, purpose, and culture. They must learn to tell stories that move hearts and minds.
- Systems thinking – EHS leaders must develop the ability to see patterns, anticipate unintended consequences, and design frameworks that can be scaled up.
- Coaching skills – Operational managers must own safety. EHS leaders should coach, not control.
- Data literacy and digital fluency — AI, predictive analytics, and digital tools are transforming risk management. Leaders must be able to use the faster flowing streams of data confidently but critically.
- Cross‑functional collaboration — EHS must partner with HR, operations, purchasing, quality, sustainability — not operate in isolation.
- Courageous communication – Speaking truth to power is part of the job. Leaders must do it with clarity, respect, and conviction.
- Resilience and adaptability — If the recent past has taught us anything it is that crises will come and change will continue to accelerate. Leaders must remain calm, methodical and compassionate in the face of these challenges.
- A global mindset — Consistency matters across different parts of an organisation, but local nuance also matters. EHS leaders need to balance both.
Strengths‑based leadership
Leadership development works best when it nurtures strengths, rather than dwelling on deficits and “fixing” weaknesses. EHS leaders already possess many natural leadership traits, and a strengths-based approach helps them amplify those qualities. One of the best-known examples is CliftonStrengths, developed by the research and analytics organisation Gallup, which focuses on identifying and building individual strengths rather than correcting perceived weaknesses.
The main strength domains reflected in this methodology include:
- Responsibility – aligning with EHS leaders’ commitment to owning and improving safety outcomes.
- Empathy – supporting wellbeing, engagement and psychological safety.
- Analytical thinking – understanding risk, interpreting data and identifying the root causes of failures.
- Relationship building – a core EHS capability, enabling trust and credibility with both frontline teams and senior leaders.
- Strategic thinking – understanding how safety, health and wellbeing contribute to broader organisational goals and long-term success.
This strengths-based approach, which focuses on developing natural talents while building teams with complementary capabilities, succeeds because it enables leaders to lead authentically rather than imitate generic leadership models.
A call to action
The future of EHS is leadership. Not compliance, not policing, but leadership. EHS professionals are already among the strongest leaders in business because they work every day at the intersection of people, performance, culture and risk.
Organisations need leaders who can simplify complexity, build trust and mobilise people through uncertainty. EHS professionals are uniquely prepared to do that. But they must recognise their potential and organisations must invest in developing it.
I believe the next generation of great business leaders may come from the EHS profession. Few functions provide such a broad perspective on people, culture, risk, performance and change. We should stop seeing EHS as a destination career and start seeing it as a leadership proving ground.
The organisations that recognise that will develop not only stronger EHS teams, but stronger leaders.
