Facilities management is a demanding profession that requires a diverse set of facility manager skills in order to be successful. Facilities management can be defined as the tools and services that support the functionality, safety, and sustainability of buildings, grounds, infrastructure, and real estate. Facility Management is an organizational function which integrates people, place and process within the built environment with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business.
This combination of job responsibilities supports the operations of each organization to create an environment where the systems work together seamlessly, from the parking lot to the executive suite. Facility managers are the people who make sure we have the safest and best experience possible, by coordinating the processes that make the built environment succeed.
The consistent professional, interpersonal and even emotional demands that FMs face on a daily basis seem to fly from all directions and requires a diverse field of skills to manage them. The professional, interpersonal, and even emotional demands that FMs face every day are significant, and they can seem to come from all directions.
The object of this paper is to reflect on the strengths and facility manager skills that are most in-demand in the modern FM marketplace. They’re the Top Ten Attitudes & Aptitudes that’ll empower you to take on each day’s facilities management responsibilities like a champ.
10. Numerical Knowhow
Most FMs aren’t economists, mathematicians, or CPAs. But budgeting and financial planning are nevertheless important parts of the job. You need to know key facility management metrics and how to calculate them. The more financial insight you have, the more effectively you’ll be able to handle your facility management responsibilities. In addition to numerical know-how, one must employ analytical approach, a commitment to getting (and improving) results, and good old-fashioned business sense.
9. Workplace Optimization Experience
As a workplace leader, FMs are tasked with not only determining the ideal work environment for your workforce, but implementing those strategies. While this typically varies from company to company, a few things that reign true for all employee wish lists are proper lighting, effective workplace technology and the option to choose from various agile working options.
8. Workforce Insider’s Insight
Your organization’s individual workplace experience will vary depending on the type of work your workforce is doing, and your overall mission and building’s physical limitations, thus the need to be routinely asking your workforce for what they want, and adopting the ideas that make the most sense, not forgetting the ever-changing needs.
7. Flexibility
Leadership is intuitive, but good instincts can be learned through flexibility. Ours is a dynamic profession with each day different, problems pop up without warning and new facilities management responsibilities emerge as a result. At FM’s we are excited by uncertainties as it affords us the opportunity to learn new things and recalibrate our approach to the unknown.
6. Keeping Calm in Emergency
Part of our approach to going with the flow is keeping calm in an emergency. As a general rule, we stay “cool and collected,” being the most effective approach to even the direst emergency.
5. Project Leadership
Facility Managers often double as project managers by setting goals, motivating the workforce, monitor performance, and measure results.
4. IT Savvy
Our reality is that today’s FM world is more technology-reliant than ever. Everything from room reservation to asset management and facility maintenance is managed online (and, increasingly, on smartphones and tablets). IT plays an invaluable role in the way we communicate with our workforce, customers, and coworkers as well.
3. The Right Workplace Technology
The goal of facility manager is ultimately to improve the employee experience by perfecting the workplace experience. One component of an effective work environment is technology that makes the work day run more efficiently. From intelligent wayfinding tools to visitor management, cloud-based workplace technology helps your employees interact with their space from wherever they are. Employees are able to book for the use of facilities at their convenience through a mobile app.
2. Data Analysis
While implementing the best workplace technology for your organization is important, we are able to extract data from that technology and use it to better predict and plan for your workplace’s future.
1. People Skills
At the end of the day, facilities management responsibilities all relate to the people we serve. Our ability to connect with, engage, and inspire the others around us make the most determinative difference in our performance as an FM firm. Our tour team is trained continuously to easily acquire traits of people skills. These include respect, good communication, motivation, and commitment to forging a professional connection that inspires one to bring the good in others.
Culled from the internet.