At NFMT 2019 in Baltimore, during a presentation on best practices for creating facility management organizations that lead to engaged teams, Stormy Friday, president of The Friday Group, discussed her four rules for effective facility managers.
First rule — The facility manager creates a safe zone for his or her employees. He or she never belittles his or her staff to superiors or other managers, and in general has their back for decisions made and actions taken.
Second rule — The facility manager knows when to break the rules. Rules are for normal operations and to avoid danger, says Friday. The rules are important to know and generally follow, but the facility manager should train the team to gain competency and confidence to be able to have an agile and independent thought process.
Third rule — The facility manager creates a legacy. This means instead of calcifying the team’s culture or enshrining the good ol’ days, the facility manager creates a strong organization with strong values that is sustainable into the future, even when the facility manager themselves is no longer with the organization.
Fourth rule — The facility manager leads. Management is not only about watching the metrics and putting out fires. It’s about leading a team of people. “Let the team take the spotlight when you could steal the spotlight,” says Friday. Facility managers should experiment and tinker with their leadership style, always striving to improve.
Naomi Millán is senior editor of Building Operating Management.
