FM newsroom – facility management. Whether promoted or hired. new facility managers need to start on day one to establish their leadership. Here are the fundamental steps to leading to lasting success.
New facility managers need to start on day one to establish their leadership. Stormy Friday, member of the Professional Facility Management Institute and contributing writer for Facilities Net listed the essential elements of a facility manager’s first 100 days’ action plan. These steps are key to achieving lasting success in a new manager’s first days. Once you’ve covered the first few elements, read on for the next steps on your way to becoming a successful facilities manager.
Managing milestones
Mapping and tracking how individuals and the organization overall are performing against designated milestones is an essential element of the 100-day plan. Now that companies are creating more flexible work environments the secret to this element is focusing on outcomes rather than inputs. That means creating an atmosphere of trust for facility staff to ensure they are not judged by how much time and effort they put into task accomplishment but how well the outcome or product works and is received.
Facility staff needs to have feedback on a regular basis to measure progress against goals. Whether the new facility manager meets with teams in person, via teleconference, or has phone calls, regular reinforcement of expectations is necessary to strengthen the relationship between staff members and how their work furthers the achievement of the overall goals.
Do not pretend, fix it!
Sometimes even the best of plans just does not work and one of the biggest mistakes new facility managers make is to pretend everything is working and forge ahead with a flawed plan. Acknowledging that a plan is defective in whole or in part is not a sign of a weak manager but rather a strong one.
The key is to pull the staff together, admit there is a problem with the plan, solicit input on potential solutions and act quickly and decisively to alter the plan. In a facility management organization under new leadership, the facility manager must be cognizant of the fact that staff may be afraid of speaking out. It is important for new managers to create a psychological safety zone, so staff feel comfortable discussing real mistakes associated with a plan that isn’t working. This safety zone has a positive impact on staff performance.
Solicit Frequent Feedback from Your Boss
Since so many corporate executives now participate in flexible work schedules, facility managers often feel their ability to access their bosses is more limited. New facility managers must work harder and from day one need to establish a precedent for spending time with their bosses. The “what I did in school today” approach applies to facility managers who need one-on-one interaction with their bosses. Having access to senior management is the lifeblood of a successful facility manager.
From the first day new facility managers must have a review meeting, even if the boss does not schedule one. A precedent needs to be established for how the manager will be updated on a regular basis, what method will be used to obtain current information on corporate direction and strategic initiatives, and the most appropriate means to maintain an information flow on performance expectations and issues.
