How creative are you?
I'm not talking about singing, dancing or writing poetry, which are all fine activities. What I mean is, how resourceful and innovative are you when an unexpected challenge arises?
Creativity generally isn’t the first word that comes to mind when talking about facilities maintenance and engineering, but I wonder if managers might benefit from paying more attention to the right side of the brain, which is said to control creativity.
I came across the word in the announcement of our inaugural Facility Champion awards, which recognize eight recipients for their “leadership and creativity in facilities management.”
Resourcefulness and quick thinking to solve a problem might seem like a “MacGyver”-like gimmick, but obviously, I’m not talking about hairpins, bubble gum and shoestrings here.
Real, long-term success in facilities maintenance ultimately lies in a manager’s ability to implement a comprehensive, systematic and robust maintenance strategy that anticipates problems, gives technicians the essential resources to address them, and ensures facilities return to normal operations quickly. Proven strategies such as preventive, predictive and reliability-centered maintenance will remain pillars of successful facilities management.
But out-of-the-blue challenges related to budgeting, staffing, technology and the like will continue. In tough, unexpected situations, there’s something to be said for a manager with an open mind, a willingness to use non-traditional strategies and, yes, even a flair for the MacGyver.
To learn more about the 2022 Facility Champion awards, please click here.
