Comments for Building & Facilities Operations http://blog.buildingengines.com Solving Problems for Building & Facilities Operations Professionals Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:33:19 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 Comment on ON MANAGEMENT: Benchmarking your way to the top by David Adams http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=509&cpage=1#comment-330 David Adams Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:33:19 +0000 http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=509#comment-330 Agreed, benchmarking is an effective way to analyze performance in order to identify opportunities to eliminate waste and improve process flow management. This results in increased operational efficiencies and higher levels of tenant (customer) satisfactions. Agreed, benchmarking is an effective way to analyze performance in order to identify opportunities to eliminate waste and improve process flow management. This results in increased operational efficiencies and higher levels of tenant (customer) satisfactions.

]]> Comment on New Year’s Resolutions by Tony Lockwood http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=395&cpage=1#comment-212 Tony Lockwood Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:42:23 +0000 http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=395#comment-212 A fine list - thank you One area that I think you should add focuses on Creating Valuable Partnerships - looking for complimentary suppliers of goods and services that can provide additional value add to your clients Tony A fine list – thank you
One area that I think you should add focuses on Creating Valuable Partnerships – looking for complimentary suppliers of goods and services that can provide additional value add to your clients

Tony

]]> Comment on Square Beat: Service Is At the Heart of Software System Success by Building & Facilities Operations » Customer Support: What Can your Phone Do for You? http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=301&cpage=1#comment-185 Building & Facilities Operations » Customer Support: What Can your Phone Do for You? Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:18:13 +0000 http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=301#comment-185 [...] perhaps an unfortunate past experience – but I don’t believe I’m alone in this feeling (see a recent post by my colleague relating to disheartening customer service). I’ve overheard people pondering on more than one occasion: How did anyone get any business done [...] [...] perhaps an unfortunate past experience – but I don’t believe I’m alone in this feeling (see a recent post by my colleague relating to disheartening customer service). I’ve overheard people pondering on more than one occasion: How did anyone get any business done [...]

]]> Comment on Managing People who Manage Buildings: Are you holding your team back? by Scott Sidman http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=313&cpage=1#comment-127 Scott Sidman Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:58:46 +0000 http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=313#comment-127 Stan, thanks for some really terrific additional insight into this problem. In particular, I think your comment about making staff stakeholders is right on the mark. We actually suggest this to our clients as well. Additionally, openness, clarity and clearly setting expectations all add to successfully embracing and adopting technology. Thank you again for contributing to the conversation. Stan, thanks for some really terrific additional insight into this problem. In particular, I think your comment about making staff stakeholders is right on the mark. We actually suggest this to our clients as well. Additionally, openness, clarity and clearly setting expectations all add to successfully embracing and adopting technology. Thank you again for contributing to the conversation.

]]> Comment on Managing People who Manage Buildings: Are you holding your team back? by Linda Day Harrison http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=313&cpage=1#comment-126 Linda Day Harrison Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:14:47 +0000 http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=313#comment-126 I agree that it is not a good attitude to have, but it is a real-life example of what is going on out there. Our industry is behind because of this type of thinking. Often this thinking is at even higher levels than the manager level. It is extremely common to hear, "if it ain't broke don't fix it". This is definitely a marching order for many folks. Sad, but true. We have a LinkedIn group that we would like more PM/FM professionals to join. Here is our group link: http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1858850 Thanks, Linda@ManagerLabs.com I agree that it is not a good attitude to have, but it is a real-life example of what is going on out there. Our industry is behind because of this type of thinking. Often this thinking is at even higher levels than the manager level. It is extremely common to hear, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. This is definitely a marching order for many folks. Sad, but true. We have a LinkedIn group that we would like more PM/FM professionals to join. Here is our group link:
http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1858850

Thanks,
Linda@ManagerLabs.com

]]> Comment on Managing People who Manage Buildings: Are you holding your team back? by Stan Cappe http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=313&cpage=1#comment-123 Stan Cappe Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:54:22 +0000 http://blog.buildingengines.com/?p=313#comment-123 Change and innovation can be be uncomfortable and comfort is always a compelling attraction. "If it isn't broken, don't fix it" can be a useful operating practice and it is a valid option in many instances. However, when innovation can demonstrate provable (if not proven) results it has to be given due consideration. It is not simply the managers' job to find capable people. It is their job to improve their personnel's capabilities. It is their job to get their people to "buy in" to innovation. Not everyone likes to take on new processes and skills. This involves learning and, by definition, learning is change, which is not necessarily comfortable. But all people are capable of learning. The managers' job is to bring out those capabilities. How do we do that? Management must have clarity of vision and depth of understanding. There must be a clear purpose for the innovation that can be easily comprehended by those who will have to deal with it. If managers are unclear or not confident it will not inspire loyalty to the concept(s) being advanced. Management must also be fully conversant with all operative aspects of it. Managers have to demonstrate expertise to transmit it to subordinates. Managers must be the knowledge resource for their staff. This, of course, requires managers to learn, which as I mentioned above, not everyone likes to do. I have successfully implemented techlogical and management changes in several scenarios. The only reasons for my success was my clarity and understanding. I did not have to rely on any outside resource because I knew the results I want to achieve, transmitted those to my people and became the knowledge resource for them to go to. One further key is to make the staff stakeholders. Compensatory rewards based on the success of the innovation should be structured in a reasonable manner to provide further motivation for the staff. Progress in goal attainment should be regularly disseminated to maintain their interest. This is another area that can be difficult. Too many businesses tend to value secrecy rather than openness in dissemination of performance information to employees. It's hard to get people to "buy in" when they do not know what they are buying into. Change and innovation can be be uncomfortable and comfort is always a compelling attraction. “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” can be a useful operating practice and it is a valid option in many instances. However, when innovation can demonstrate provable (if not proven) results it has to be given due consideration.

It is not simply the managers’ job to find capable people. It is their job to improve their personnel’s capabilities. It is their job to get their people to “buy in” to innovation. Not everyone likes to take on new processes and skills. This involves learning and, by definition, learning is change, which is not necessarily comfortable. But all people are capable of learning. The managers’ job is to bring out those capabilities.

How do we do that?

Management must have clarity of vision and depth of understanding. There must be a clear purpose for the innovation that can be easily comprehended by those who will have to deal with it. If managers are unclear or not confident it will not inspire loyalty to the concept(s) being advanced.

Management must also be fully conversant with all operative aspects of it. Managers have to demonstrate expertise to transmit it to subordinates. Managers must be the knowledge resource for their staff. This, of course, requires managers to learn, which as I mentioned above, not everyone likes to do.

I have successfully implemented techlogical and management changes in several scenarios. The only reasons for my success was my clarity and understanding. I did not have to rely on any outside resource because I knew the results I want to achieve, transmitted those to my people and became the knowledge resource for them to go to.

One further key is to make the staff stakeholders. Compensatory rewards based on the success of the innovation should be structured in a reasonable manner to provide further motivation for the staff. Progress in goal attainment should be regularly disseminated to maintain their interest.

This is another area that can be difficult. Too many businesses tend to value secrecy rather than openness in dissemination of performance information to employees. It’s hard to get people to “buy in” when they do not know what they are buying into.

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