How a Safety Specialist at Freeport-McMoRan Is Expanding His Impact with Leadership Edge Live
Client since
2009
Role
Safety Specialist
Industry
Mining, Safety
Courses Completed
20+ since July 2024
A Veteran’s Transition to Influence
Twelve-hour shifts, tight timelines, and a high-stakes, low-margin-for-error environmentÖ
Franus Tomkiewicz is used to pressure.
Born and raised in Detroit, Franus entered the military when college felt out of reach.
Today, he serves as one of twelve Safety Specialists at Freeport-McMoRan’s Safford mine,
with a clear mandate: keep people safe, ensure performance, and lead by example.
Freeport-McMoRan has been a long-standing partner of Leadership Edge Live (LEL),
providing its employees with access to professional development programs. Although
Franus initially enrolled to complete two required courses, he quickly found himself
coming back for more.
I can honestly say every LEL course I have experienced benefited me tremendously both on a professional and personal level.
From Taskmaster to Team-Builder
Franus is a checklist-driven, high-standards kind of teammate. He thrives on clarity and
action. What he hadnít expected was that managing safety had just as much to do with
people as it did with process. That is where LEL began to shift his perspective.
Two of the most challenging courses for him were The Art of Influence and Navigating
Organizational Politics. Coming from a military background, adjusting to corporate
ambiguity and subtle social dynamics wasnít easy. Direct feedback didnít always land, and
coworkers avoided deeper conversations.
Influencing others or blending in with organizational politics can be challenging for me at times due to my initiative-taker personality.
Fortunately, LELís 4P Personality Styles and Influence Without Authority courses gave him the frameworks needed to better understand those around him and adjust his approach to connect more effectively.
Understanding and adjusting yourself to the various personalities and thought processes of those around you plays an important role in your future successes
And what further deepened that self-awareness were the required Insight Reports
embedded in several LEL courses. These reports offer constructive and positive feedback
gathered from colleagues who know you well, as well as those who don't.
For Franus, and countless other learners, the insights they provide are eye-opening. They
clarify the improvements needed for continuous personal and professional development,
like how a direct tone can unintentionally shut down dialogue. This was a turning point for
Franusóit gave him the language to adjust how he speaks and listens on the job.
Growth on His Terms
Franus’ evolution is defined by a blend of humility, structure, and growth mindset. With
insights gained through LEL, he now approaches conversations more thoughtfully, even
when it isnít easy to do so in ever-evolving, high-stress environments.
Today, Franus continues to engage with LEL while juggling 12-hour shifts, travel, and a
clear goal to advance within the company. The flexibility to revisit recorded sessions has
made continued growth practical and sustainable.
When asked what kind of course he would design based on whatís helped him most, his
answer was immediate: “Influencing Effectively Using Greater Initiative and Performance
Standards."
And every day, he puts that philosophy into practice.
