Doug Christensen Blog

I really like Steven Covey’s analogy on leadership versus management in the jungle. I will paraphrase what he said, but basically the manager is the person with the people plowing through the thick jungle with machetes.  The manager is motivating, evaluating performance, organizing shifts and groups to be the most effective and efficient as they plow through the jungle.  The leader of the group is the one that needs to get on a ladder high above the canopy to direct the efforts of the group and make sure they are headed in the right direction. In facilities management you need to be both leaders and managers in order to be the best organization possible.

Leadership in facilities centers around two key components which are people and solutions.  Getting the right people in the organization doing the job that makes the most sense for them is critical to your success and can reduce your emergencies and headaches. The right solutions can empower your people to be their best and maximize the information and processes of your organization.

Let me get into a little more detail on people.  People within your organization need five key things to achieve their potential within your organization.  The five keys are Learning, Growth, Tools, Development and Innovation. As you focus on each of these areas for your people you will see a significant change in how they perform their duties and how they interact with other employees and customers of your organization.

I have established goals for each of my employees each year for each of these items and then we review them often during the year. As your employees see your interest in their success they will in turn see the success they can develop.  This may seem like it takes a great deal of time, but the benefits will be immediate and substantial.

The second area of focus for leaders in facility management is providing the right solutions for the organization to help them work more efficiently and measure their performance. The core systems of a facility management organization are Work Management, Resource Management, Project Delivery, Capital Asset Management, Space Management and Administrative Management. Each of these items has their own specific purpose and function and they will benefit the organization individually.  Collectively they provide a synergy that will benefit the organization even more.

Evaluate each of your tools that you are using for these functions. Leadership in facility management is the business of serving people and providing good solutions and systems for your people.  Leadership is looking above the canopy to see the best practices available and adopting them into your organization.

Today I want to address facility stewardship and the two key elements associated with a good facility management operation.  I will first address management and then in a future entry I will focus on Leadership.

Management role is centered on four key principles: Resources, assets, expectations and space.  These four are critical to the Management of facilities.  Let me go into a little detail around each of the items.

First, Resources. There will always be limited resources related to a facilities operation. This is largely due to the competing interests of the organization and how they are addressing the needs of the organization to deliver on the mission and vision of the purpose of the organization.  The resources to draw from are simply placed in three categories.  These categories are Operating Budgets, Capital Budgets and Special projects. Your organization may call these different things and they may also break them down further into smaller buckets, but essentially they are the same.  The facility manager’s role is to optimize each of these budgets and provide the necessary services to the organization.

Second, Assets. The Assets of the organization in a facility management perspective are the property, infrastructure, structures and equipment. These assets each have a unique purpose to the organization and they all need to be identified and addressed to keep the standard of the facilities at an operating level. Effective management of each of these types of assets can extend their useful life and provide a solid return for the organization.

Third, Expectations.  Each facility manager knows that there is a constant stream of expectations bearing down on the organization.  These expectations come from internal forces such as the president and employees of the organization. The expectations also come from outside of the organization and become a part of the brand of the organization. The outside perception of the business can be linked to the facility and how well the facility is run can often reflect on a customer’s decision to purchase a product or attend a university etc. The main expectations on an organization are cleanliness, functionality, reliability, performance, value, timeliness and quality.  As a facility manager, if you can recognize the expectations placed on you and perform at your best to meet those expectations you will provide a positive atmosphere for your organization.

Fourth, Space. The space of an organization can be very efficient an meet the goals of the organization or it can be a detriment to success. Space needs to meet the needs of the organization by being functional and provide the correct environment for the desired purpose. Take some time to survey your organizations use of space and work with the people occupying the space to determine if it is meeting their needs.  Often some very minor tweaks in space utilization can greatly improve the productivity of various departments and also improve the overall experience of customers.

In closing as you utilize the resources at your disposal to meet the mission of your organization think about each of your asset types and how they interrelate and the unique needs associated with each one.  Facility management has a large number of expectations placed on them and there is a lot riding on the performance of the facility staff to meet those expectations that can have an impact within an organization and on the outside of an organization.

In my next blog entry I will address the leadership role of a facility manager and how it interrelates to the management role.