I was interviewed and featured in a National Post article (a national Canadian newspaper) on the 28th of August, the same day as World FM Day, sponsored by Global FM (an alliance of FM organizations) along with IFMA, BIFM, AFE, FMA, SAFMA, ABRAFAC, HFMS and FM Arena.
The focus of the article was on the role of Facility Managers in green management of facilities. I was interviewed to give my perspective on the overall role of FM.
The article discussed the increasingly complex role of Facilities Management and the changing face of FM as a result. I sort of stumbled into the profession like many others, but the new crop of FM’s are being educated specifically to be Facility Managers. I specifically mentioned the program at Conestoga College, but there are many others. In fact, I would like to hear from you about other diploma or degree courses by Colleges or Universities in Facility Management.
Here are a few quotes from the article:
“When you think about it, 99% of the time things go right in the buildings we work in, so most of us don’t notice that someone is making that happen”
“Facilities management is becoming more professional in its scope and the range of skill sets an individual needs to manage a building in modern times”
“People have been managing the roof over our heads for along time, but we have evolved to the point wher eyou need a facilities professional who understands a lot more and has a broader perspective”
My approach to FM has always been to improve the management and leadership skills to augment the technical skills most FM’s already have. That’s been the focus of most of the training I do and an element of the consulting my company handles.
Related to this issue is selling yourself to your employer. I’m delivering a seminar for the Toronto IIDEX/Neocon conference September 24th this year titled “Why Your Company Needs a Professional FM – Promoting Your Role in Your Organization.
A related article I wrote, available on my company website, is called “Top Nine reasons your company needs a Facility Management Professional like you”. Read it here.
If you would like to read the full National Post article, it’s on-line here. For those of you who are interested, the picture was taken at One Stone Road in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. I’m standing in the middle of the flower bed. I use to manage the building as part of a large portfolio I was responsible for when I was working for SNC-Lavalin ProFac.
