How do you keep your FM leadership and strategic thinking skills sharp?

Feedback should be regular and normal. It should be part of the culture. Its equally important to work on the feedback, if you agree with it. Its a part of continuous self-improvement and not performance review. As someone has rightly said- “feedback is the breakfast of champions!”

Feedback is not an option. It should be a critical step in any organization’s way of work. Learning is a key pillar to keep all aspects of the organization sharp and ready for internal and external demands. Strategic and leadership skills are two main drivers that will stay relevant and sharp through established continuous learning programs. Unfortunately, many managers wait until they see the need to stay sharp in these 2 skills before they act. Doing it this way carries a high cost to the organization. Make your organization a learning one where feedback is a step in your way of work.

What is working well? We are often wired to over index on the negative or weaknesses. There’s also tremendous value on building on the WINS to understand how to generate more!

In business, it is often necessary to try to change the perspective on the company or product from the inside to an outside view. From the inside: a clear understanding of the company's capabilities and limitations and thinking within the framework of familiar business boundaries. In this case, almost every idea is fit into the framework of what the company already has, familiar ideas about something, and clear prospects and risk minimization. From the outside: look around, find something promising and interesting, then understand what can be done with what already exists in the company, and what needs to be changed.

In my experience interacting with all members of the team and listening to their thoughts, concerns let Facility Manager expand their knowledge and experience since this methodology make the facility manager see the effects of their actions from different perspectives. Therefore, improving their planning process to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of those involved.

In my role as a Program Manager, I recognized the importance of continuous learning and sought guidance through a mentorship program offered by Athena Women Leadership of the Triangle partnered with Dress For Success. The program is highly recommended and it let me see different scenarios and experiences through the training and listening to my colleagues.

Perhaps seek out a mentor; even within organisations there are multiple levels and divisions which can add new perspectives. Your mentor could then become your advocate.

Continuous education is key to improving upon your leadership and strategic thinking skills. I am currently in a Culinary School program and have found the management courses to be most useful! My current course is Foodservice Management and I am finding that the assignments and discussion posts are actually helping me to identify where I have been less successful as a leader in the past and where my strengths lie. I have already begun applying these new insights and seen an improvement in my current relationships and interactions with others.

Staying focused is the real challenge. Without focus everything easily turns to chaos and a series of reacting instead of acting. Focus drives both team and organizational success. Lastly focus is the basis of strategic thinking and thus the most important element in your leadership arsenal.

In my experience, everyone has something to contribute. The more introverted need to be reminded that they need to speak up, contribute ideas in writing ahead of time if they don’t feel comfortable speaking up. The extroverts should not dominate contributing to thought at an organization. The best leaders, creatively seek feedback and contributions from everyone l.

"Get comfortable being uncomfortable." David Goggins Success in all things in life comes after getting through a tough situation. Many times in life and leadership we do not want to rock the boat either because we haven't been there long enough or for fear of upsetting people. The words "we have always done it this way" has stunted more growth of teams and companies than any other thought in history. Figuring out a new way to help yourself and your team growth comes from taking on new challenges. This can come in the form of new challenging/interesting projects or by taking a look at current processes and asking how can it be done better. Question thinking can and should be part of every team and provides great growth opportunities.

I believe in the T shaped leader where you need to have a broad understanding of many topics. I have challenged myself by working on projects where I am not the subject matter expert. It makes me more aware of the importance of leadership for me when I am not the sme, I have then to use many different strategies.

How you do things today can differ from how you did it yesterday. Don't be monotonous in your thinking. Always try to be innovative. Problems you solved yesterday don't make you an expert but rather the ability to solve them better, quicker and if possible with fewer resources tomorrow.

For me I have seen that leadership is a practice. You can only improve by doing which comes with learning how to adapt to situations. What has helped me over the years is working on projects that I can learn something different and return those learnings to my FM job. One example that I have was being involved in the development of a training programme in cocoa agronomy, I saw that there was a market for this and the facilities that I oversee needed to be commercialized more and design for additional labs and cocoa manufacturing. This project even though was not FM related I learned new ideas for changing some of the Facilities.

Never be afraid of going out on a limb quite literally. Subject matter experts are always willing to teach as long as you respect their time, take notes and ask good questions. Doing your research ahead of time and seeking guidance through thoughtful interview is also an excellent way to learn and grow.

The balanced scorecard is what I definitely promote Financial, Customer, Internal Process, and Learning and Growth. In all meetings I asked my team to reflect on all tasks planned and completed and how it contributed to the components of the scorecard. For e.g we had a task where we changed a supplier for janitorial services and staff looked how contributed to reduced spending satisfied staff, processes were improved and staff learned to use a new chemical.

There is always a place for the SWOT analysis. I use them daily in every aspect of my business and personal life. Goals need to be well thought out and the SMART system is the way to do this. Lofty unrealistic goals with no timeline will never get reached. It is wise to establish annual goals and low hanging fruit. Timeline things and stick to those timelines. Deprioritize and reprioritize on a weekly or biweekly basis.

We need more of this on our profession FM coaches. Just as you have leadership coaches there is a need for fm coaches especially with the changing demands of our industry.

In my role as a Program Manager, I recognized the importance of continuous learning and sought guidance through a mentorship program offered by Athena Women Leadership of the Triangle partnered with Dress For Success. I connected with a great coach who had extensive experience in complex facility management projects. Through regular meetings and discussions, my mentor provided valuable insights and offered constructive feedback on my strategies and decision-making. This mentorship not only enhanced my leadership and strategic thinking skills but also expanded my network within the community, enabling me to stay updated with the latest trends and approaches in the field. It was a valuable experience that positively impacted my career growth.

Everyone needs a coach. Even people who coach others for a living always have multiple mentors who they can bounce ideas off of. It is important to constantly be seeking (and providing) mentorship in times where one really needs it and in times where one doesn’t. You never know when that time is going to arise when you do need it and you want the relationship there. Also life is about give and take and the mentor becomes the mentee and Vice versa.

Improving leadership and improving strategy require different approaches, in my experience. Strategy requires an understanding of not only what is happening internally, but also in the other associated businesses and greater marketplace overall. Leadership improvement, on the other hand, must start internally. It’s critical to understand our personal strengths and weaknesses to improve. As leaders, we must create regular feedback loops to ensure this valuable information makes it to the person who can utilize it best. Asking teammates, employees, and others in your direct sphere of influence is a must to avoid bias. More often than not, leadership discussions will also uncover valuable suggestions related to strategy as well.

One thing that I have committed to that has proven successful is adopting a culture that is welcoming to change and committed to continuous improvement. Establishing such a culture has produced a sense of freedom to share, knowing that ideas and recommendations are valued. Understanding and encouraging "out of the box" thinking by all with a focus on the big picture has assisted in transforming programs. We all know that in order to stay relevant in any market you must be willing to accept that there are always opportunities to improve. If you don't capture and seize those opportunities you will swiftly lose relevance.