Every trade magazine uses an editorial advisory board. The board's members help the editors fine-tune article ideas and locate sources for articles, among other things.
But they contribute far more than that. They also let the editors tap into their expertise and experience in engineering and maintenance management with institutional and commercial facilities. They help us keep the magazine on the right track. In short, they give us peace of mind that if we are a little off track when trying to identify a trend or need a better sense of the evolving world of facilities, we can turn to them.
So who’s on your advisory board? It’s hard to imagine a manager who wouldn’t want to call or text or e-mail a peer for a slight course correction, or some mentoring, or a little motivation when the diverse challenges of facilities start to become chaotic.
Managers should not feel they have to take on these challenges alone, and there’s no need to. Creating and using an advisory board enables managers to expand the resources they have at their disposal to address whatever challenges arise, from technology implementation and regulatory compliance to personnel and budget management.
Who might you ask to be on your advisory board? Peers you respect, those who have proven reliable and resourceful in the past and demonstrated they understand your challenges and can help find answers. Who knows? Manufacturers and consultants might even be candidates.
The key to an effective advisory board is to find people you can trust to offer support and suggest direction. As with any profession, managers need all the help they can get.
Dan Hounsell offers observations about trends in maintenance and engineering management and the evolving role of managers in facilities. Agree? Disagree? Have something to say? We want to hear from you. Visit myfacilitiesnet.com/danhounsell, and start a conversation.
