Point of View
November 2006

“Whether you’re a food safety manager, a food safety leader, or hopefully both, IAFP can be of benefit to you ”
by Frank Yiannas, IAFP President        

As I started to write this month’s column, I performed an interesting exercise. I did an Internet search on the term food safety management using my favorite search engine. As you can imagine, I came up with numerous hits. Most of the sites I came across were related to food safety management systems, food safety management programs, and food safety management certifications. There were many.

I then performed a similar search using the term food safety leadership (instead of food safety management). The results were interesting. I came across a significant number of fewer sites and most were very different in content. They were mainly about awards and they were not very instructional.

This leads me to the topic of this month’s message – food safety leadership.

It’s interesting to note that in the field of food safety today, we often talk about food safety management. We rarely talk about food safety leadership. But management and leadership are different. According to leadership author Dr. John Maxwell, “the main difference between the two is that leadership is about influencing people to follow, while management focuses on maintaining systems and processes.”

Now please don’t get me wrong. I am not being critical of food safety management systems, nor of effective food safety managers. We need them both and they are both absolutely critical to protecting public health. However, I am suggesting that in order to make dramatic reductions in the global burden of foodborne disease, food safety management is not enough. We also need food safety leadership.

Although there are numerous differences between food safety management and food safety leader-ship, let me summarize three important ones below.

1. Food safety management focuses on the administration of set procedures within an established risk management system; food safety leadership focuses on the creation of new and enhanced risk reduction strategies, models, and processes. This quote by Stephen Covey illustrates this point quite well, “Management works in the system; leadership works on the system.” Food safety managers deal with planning, directing, and overseeing specific details of the system or program. Food safety leaders, in contrast, see the need for improvement, create a compelling vision for change, and inspire innovation, all which lead to even greater reductions in foodborne disease.

2. Food safety management relies on formal authority to accomplish its objectives; food safety leadership relies on the ability to influence others to achieve success. Food safety managers get others to follow them because they have authority over them
or their operation. They get things done by holding people and organizations account-able. In contrast, food safety leaders get others to do the right things, not because they’re being held account-able, but because they’ve been able to influence them to want to do so. They help others become responsible for food safety – not just accountable for food safety. There is a big difference between the two.

3. Food safety management involves working with others based on functional roles; food safety leadership involves working with others in a collaborative manner. Food safety managers work with others in traditional ways to accomplish their goals. Often times, whether visible or not, they are protecting their organization’s interests whether it be academia, regulatory, or industry. In contrast, food safety leaders seek genuine win-win opportunities for all stakeholders. They recognize that they can do more to advance food safety by working with others than by working alone.

Whether you’re a food safety manager, a food safety leader, or hopefully both, IAFP can be of benefit to you. By reading our journals and attending our meetings, you’ll be exposed to the latest scientific findings and tomorrow’s food safety solutions. Through our numerous networking opportunities, you can gain first-hand advice and collaborate with leading experts from around the world. And by getting involved with our professional development groups and committees, you can sharpen your influence skills and make a difference.

I encourage you to come join us and our members as we help lead the way in advancing food safety worldwide.