Focusing on people over buildings, building your networks and the value of constantly asking questions emerged as the themes recurring most frequently in a series of interviews conducted by facilities management consultant Beth Goodyear.
The short ‘FM Experts’ video interviews, typically 10 minutes long, see specialists from across the sector asked to offer advice. The 40 interviews recorded thus far tackle everyday subjects ranging from asset management, catering, cleaning and procurement through to management, leadership and even dyslexia.
Goodyear says the series has emphasised the link between those who manage the workplace and the people they serve.
“Time and time again, the message has come across that FM is about enabling and empowering people to ‘do what they need to be doing’,” said Goodyear, “whether that is in a workplace, a stadium or currently to work at home. That is where FMs focus should be first. Ed Ehlers gave a great quote in his interview: ‘Good FMs build and maintain buildings, great FMs build and maintain relationships’.”
Another emerging theme was that “FM is a family, and you absolutely will come across people you worked with years ago in new roles or at events or webinars etc.”
Participants were also likely to emphasise the importance of asking for help and questioning.
“This point has been repeated and repeated,” added Goodyear. “FM is so broad, you will never be an expert in everything. But there is so much help available – from expertise from service partners to free resources and training on the internet, to asking for help within your network or on LinkedIn. FMs are happy to share their knowledge and none of us should be suffering alone.”
As for the video format of the interviews, “I think video really helps people to get to know someone better as it’s very personal, particularly now as people are filming from their homes!”
The series of interviews can be found here.