How do you persuade difficult FM stakeholders?

A facility manager at some point of time will surely come across difficult stakeholders. Need to stay calm and listen to their concerns. This will help you make out their concerns are genuine and to be addressed or unrealistic demands. All genuine requests make sure to act with out delay. Once they feel valued, heard and appreciated the trust in you will grow. When encountering unrealistic demands from stakeholders don’t get emotional or take things personal,be objective and always talk with data and facts. Make them understand the process, provide them evidence and alternatives, try to understand the motive, that will help you resolve the issue amicably. A good and healthy relationship is important as stakeholder’s satisfaction matters.

The challenge lies in one's perception of what a FM manager is and how they were taught or shown what a FM manager is. Echoes of bias against those in trades still remain in the minds of many in the business world today. If one was taught that a FM manager is a low-skill, low-class individual not capable of anything other than scheduling or performing manual labor, their behavior almost always reflects that bias. Those who saw or knew their access to anything of value while young depended on those exact jobs disdained by others, are able to see FM not only as a worthy profession but also become relentless advocates on their behalf.

Knowing your stakeholders and getting time to interact and engage them helps you get an overview of the community you are dealing with.With this comes your knowledge of the community,their values and norms

FM services faces difficulties yes! However, as a manager, there is need to understand the two categories i.e. beneficiary and benefactors. Then you need to understand their needs and how to acquire their needs with their very close involvement. Project management principles and knowledge areas play very critical role in enhancing FM's performance. Stakeholder analysis and communication predominantly are key tools among others which can be used meticulously. Through my years of experience in FM, I found that selecting the right stakeholders and knowing how best to communicate with them facilitated delivery of correct answers/solutions to their needs. However, each FM may find other tools or knowledge areas work better for them.

I provide technology solutions and if I want a buy in with a FM company than I first need to understand the challenges that the FM company is facing. Next I would see if I can provide any solutions to their current offerings, if so, I would engage with the decision maker within the FM company of the solutions I can provide and how the FM company would benefit. It's always a continuous process of improvement for the FM Company and its existing client base.

Building trust with your stalkholders in my point of view divides into 2 important points First point is how to gain their trust when it comes to getting the job done and that you can achieve their needs and requirements properly , that you're always ready to handle emergencies and crisis , that you have a plan for any unexpected situation and solution for every issue That you have the needed information and knowledge and always ready to provide them whenever needed The second important point is that you're always honest and transparent, not afraid of discussing your flaws, (we all have them)and always willing to fix them by reducing resistance and accepting positive criticism

Building trust with stakeholders is imperative. In the dynamic field of FM, projects or initiative heavily relies on the support and cooperation of various stakeholders. By gaining their trust, we can that ensure that our goals are aligned, and solutions can be implemented. Fostering trust requires effective communication. Trust and communication also paves the way for collaboration, enabling stakeholders to work together towards common goals. Building trust with stakeholders is essential to build a strong foundation and long-term relationships with stakeholders and have direct impact to the success of any projects.

Surely, wining trust from stakeholders is a strong bridge to success. Key aspects to wining trust will include objectivity in what FM do. With clear performance objectives of FM service provision on any need, interactive communication can be possible with any difficult stakeholder. Spare time to understand difficult stakeholders and know how to influence their support. Yes, they may be branded difficult but could be that they have a different understanding of things and require another way of catching their buy-in!! As Facilities Manager, a mix of knowledge areas is required but most importantly: Managerial and Leadership qualities will help to create breakthroughs. I win by being assertive, consistent, transparent, rapporteur of results..

Here are some effective strategies to persuade difficult FM stakeholders: Build strong relationships Use data and evidence Address their concerns Communicate clearly Be persistent By implementing these strategies, you can tailor your message to their needs, demonstrate the benefits of your proposal, and increase your chances of achieving your goals. Remember to be respectful, professional, and persistent in your efforts.

Persuasion is superpower! However, as the fore technical advisor in FM services, there is need to have updated facts about the suggested solutions at hand. Navigating around cajoling a stakeholder does not mean you provide unrealistic solutions. The solutions must remain sound in all ways as required by standards. In persuasion, the objective is clear: to unblock misunderstanding, remove fear, build confidence in the proposals, create unmoved ownership and assure responsibility taking, among others. In the ultimate win, the stakeholder's opinions, values, virtues, etc. should be accommodated and objectively respected.

In 1937, Dale Carnegie published "How to Win Friends and Influence People". In over 80 years since, people really have not changed, and the principles in the book are still effective. One of my favorite ones -- "Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view." In other words, put yourself in his shoes. What is important to her, etc. You have to explain how your proposals support the others' goals.

Negotiation and compromise are important skill set expected of an FM professional. It is not uncommon for FM professional to be put in situations that require them to manage difficult stakeholders expectations. It is important for facility managers listen and understand the stakeholders' needs, before any attempt to align the solutions. Brainstorming, bargaining, and open discussion can help generate mutually beneficial options, fostering a sense of collaboration and shared value. Additionally, practicing concession, reciprocity, and ensuring fairness throughout the negotiation process can help to strike a balance between satisfy stakeholder needs, and protecting the organisation interest.

When negotiating, remember Habit 4: Think Win-Win. There is much wise advice in Covey's book, and I recommend it for anyone in a leadership position.

I agree, but feel identifying common goals should be the 2nd or 3rd step for difficult parties; once there is a common goal to be had, compromise on smaller issues can be easier as it’s no longer one party giving without return. The key part here is difficult parties.

Negotiation and compromise is a sound process in stakeholder involvement. As the norm of negotiation skill stipulates, there will be objectives to reach a common ground. As FM service providers, we negotiate with considerations of acceptable principles in mind as we strike common grounds with the stakes. To reach fairness, proposals must meet industrial set standards, expendable sustainable costs, and above all serve the purpose of satisfying the needs of the stakeholders. This then, can be a commensurate win!!

From my experience, I believe setting the Tune for operation is the key: not being difficult yourself, but trying to educate stakeholders of a cultural practice and the results it will bring. Now, know this, No one, except God is omnipotent, meaning no one knows it all be ready to compromise instructions "safely" because at the end of the day, safety is the key. Everyone is there to earn a living and not to die on the job. So if stakeholders tilt towards compromising your safety standards, or chose to undermine organisational policies to the detriment of the entire organisation then, I think it is safe to draw the line. Standards are to be maintained. That is why it is very important to build and to have FM policy statement.

Sharing progress reports on earlier commitments builds more trust with stakeholders and indicates proper accountability and transparency of FM undertakings and this is a reliable tool for creating a better rapport with difficult stakeholders. Reporting back is also a proof that collective efforts with the stakeholders have resulted to problem solving or not and provides room for corrective measures together(if necessary). Continuously interacting with stakeholders brings them closer and becomes easier to communicate effectively. Reporting provides room for better understanding of the medium of communication that works best with which stakeholders: some prefer verbal, others written, others prefer open discussions; enhancing FM work method.

Consistent follow ups and follow throughs demonstrate a high level of engagement and a desire to fulfill the needs and interests of your stakeholders. It is always critical to maintain good communication when engaging with a difficult stakeholders. This will help them to build confidence in your ability to resolve their concerns.

As an FM professional, I strongly believe in the need for continuous learning and enhancement, it is not merely a concluding step but an important aspect in managing stakeholder expectations. Stakeholder expectations and organizational needs are dynamic and subject to changes. Learning from experiences, and improving how we handle things is imperative. Continuous learning and improvement will fortify our stakeholder management strategies, ensuring they remain resilient adaptable, and relevant over time.

Commence engagement with an ice breaker like a positivity talk or safety/health moment to start getting them on your side. Have easy to understand technical facts and presentations. Scaled simple drawings of your concepts to illustrate your arguments is invaluable. Be professional in your presentations, cover the key content yet be brief - no one has time for long presentations or many slides. Have a listening ear for discerning insights. Be happy if they prove you wrong - your role is to find the best solution. Make them feel superior while driving home your points for rapid approvals. Be outcome and not activity focused. Be thankful for their support. Finally document and share the resolutions to the parties.

Never over the look the ‘hill you want to die on’ philosophy. If you have a stakeholder you regularly deal with that can be hard to negotiate with, look to giving them some small wins that don’t compromise your business. This will build favour that will be returned when needed. Conceding a few small wins may be what tips them over giving you a bigger one…..

Dealing with people is sometimes a hard and ungrateful task; however it is, perhaps, the most important part of any manager’s work. To build relationships based upon trust, transparency, honesty, and professionalism is the key for your success as a manager.

One thing that I have found helpful is the concept of a people friendly facility. No matter the requirements for the facility appearance, which may at times not be accommodative to some stakeholders, Facility Managers should ensure that the reception area and meeting rooms are very welcoming. This may entail the aeration, lighting, color of wall painting used, provision of basic needs like drinking water at a strategic position, spacing of the chairs to avoid overcrowding, sitting arrangements should make the engagement more interactive. Etc