Engaged Managers Drive Maintenance Success

Part of managers’ efforts to engage their staff is to be engaged themselves. Have you ever been in conversation with someone who seems to be anywhere but with you?

Recently, I met with someone who kept checking their phone, regarding the screen contents intently to a point I wondered if the person had forgotten that I was right across the table. As irritated as I was, I fear that I have similarly offended someone. While these little moments can happen occasionally to many people, problems arise when they become part of a larger, practiced habit that ultimately leads to lack of engagement.

Here are five things managers can do right now to improve their engagement:

• Understand where you fit in the organization and what you must do to play your role most effectively.
• Focus on solutions.
• Focus on ways that you can contribute, and worry less about what you receive.
• Put away your cell phone during meetings.
• Turn off message alerts on computers and cell phones when meeting with others or when it is important to concentrate on a task.

An engaged workforce is essential to an effective, efficient facilities organization. Fostering that environment not only contributes to better performance and productivity. It is more rewarding and inspiring to be a part of and truly demonstrates facilities as an investment in organizational success.

Laurie Gilmer is vice president and chief operating officer of Facility Engineering Associates, www.feapc.com. Gilmer is a published author who has co-authored the International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) second manual in the Sustainability How-To-Guide Series, EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager. She is serving a term on IFMA’s Board of Directors, and she serves on the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council’s Building Operator Certification program advisory committee and the National Visiting Committee of Building Efficiency for a Sustainable Tomorrow Center.

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