‘What’s the strangest request you’ve ever had as an FM?’

A few weeks ago I signed up for the 30 Day Twitter challenge – each day brings a new email with a new idea and action to take. Today was to ask a question of my Twitter followers, which would create content for my blog. It’s been hilarious!

My question was,

‘What’s the strangest request you’ve ever had as an FM?’

Here’s a selection of the best responses:

• Why don’t we get 12 types of tea? (There were 8 already available!)
• Could you 'just' move a 30 foot tree in a glass box in reception to make way for a party?
• Would it be safe for some Orcs on stilts to run around our marble reception?
• Could the Helpdesk stop car drivers peeping their horns outside the building?
• I was asked to dispose of the amputated leg of a polish sailor, we had the only waste incinerator on the islands - it took 4 days
• Put manure on new concrete to make it look older and of course transport the manure in my car!
• Please buy a purple hot air balloon to fly over our HQ and to illuminate it with purple laser lights
• Can we please have somewhere secure for the Robot Mime to store his day clothes?

Huge thanks to all who responded, especially to Julie Kortens, Michael Glass, Martin Pickard, Ismena Clout, Jason Gurd, Laura Gillespie and David Martinez. You can find them on Twitter @thefmguru @JKortens @JGurd @lozi41 @FEfacilitiesA @BIFM_Ismena @dmartinez_PhD

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever been asked? Please contact me Liz Kentish The FM Coach leave a comment below or on Twitter using hashtag #FMCoach – I look forward to hearing from you!

One year to the Olympics - the countdown begins

On 6 July 2005, we knew that London would be hosting the 2012 Olympic games. I remember being in the car in Brentwood, Essex, with my husband when the news was announced, and I punched the air with a loud 'Yes!'.

This week marks the one year countdown, and look how far we've come! As with the games themselves, making it happen has taken dedication, clear goals, deadlines, and most of all, teamwork.

I think the role of LOCOG is similar to that of a facilities management team - co-ordinating a myriad of functions - construction, transport, ticketing, acommodation, tourism - and at the same time building and maintaining a profile (or brand) that all stakeholders will recognise.

What can you and your team learn from the preparation for the 2012 Olympics? I'd imagine you are pretty good at delivering services, working effectively with suppliers and clients. But what about the profile of FM? Are you a bit like LOCOG with their ticketing? Do people only talk about the FM team when things go wrong?

Here are my seven steps for raising the profile of your FM team:

1. Understand the strategic value of your FM service
2. Understand your organization’s strategy and business objectives
3. Align FM to these objectives
4. Gather evidence – performance data that tells your story
5. Create a ‘one team approach’ with your service partners
6. Know your audience
7. Use a common language to communicate

If you'd like a copy of my full white paper on the seven steps, please drop me a line.

Liz Kentish The FM Coach coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call me on 01778 561326 / 07717 787077

Facilities Manager as Coach?

We should be clear about what is required of a manager when performing the role of coach in their organisation. Let's first look at all management activity of which there are three key areas.

Managing
Leading, and
Coaching

These three activities are complimentary and will help you achieve your business objectives, by enabling your team to perform at their best.

When you are leading, you create and share a vision of the future with the team and ensure their activities are consistent with that vision and making it happen.

When you are managing, you facilitate results by controlling the work of the team, by agreeing and measuring such things as client satisfaction, PPMs, budgets, timescales and so on.

When you are coaching, you support your team members in their learning, to enable them to develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to successfully deliver their job responsibilities and goals.

These three styles often overlap because some of the processes and skills that are used in one area are also key in another.

High performance is not achieved if the manager is not clear about which approach to use in a particular situation. For example, if you take a coaching approach when deadlines are tight or a crisis has arisen, time may be lost. If you take a management approach when one of your team has made a mistake, they may miss the chance to leanr from it.

Interested in coaching skills for yourself, or looking for some coaching support? Contact us now coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk 01778 561326 / 07717 787077

How a small group can change the world

Last week I had a meeting in Leeds, and was delighted to be offered use of the meeting facilities at BNY Mellon. In their meeting room was a poster featuring Margaret Mead, and she was quoted as saying,

'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.'

This got me thinking about facilities management, and the numerous debates going on in the sector about 'professionalisation' and 'collaboration'. Rather than segmenting the sector into clients/individuals/service providers/consultants and so on, isn't it time we started pulling together to make our industry an even more attractive place to work, develop and create revenue?

We need to consider:
• How will we achieve our goal for the facilities management sector?
• What will help us?
• What will hold us back?
• How will we overcome difficulties?
• How will we share success?
• When do things need to be done?
• Who will be responsible?
• How will we review progress?

So, next time you meet with someone who maybe doesn't share the same views as you on moving FM forward, why not consider how you can work together?

A vending solution for all seasons

Whether you are responsible for a single site, or multiple locations, having happy customers is the ultimate goal for any FM. Not only does it make for a quieter life, but it also gives reassurance that supplier services are delivering effectively.

Ensuring that the basic needs of employees and customers are met is a core part of that – providing a comfortable environment which includes a wide range of quality drinks and snacks to help keep people satisfied, on-track and motivated.

A research study has shown that 43% of employees say hot beverages specifically have a positive impact on their productivity, with 39% saying hot beverages help them to concentrate.

But it’s not as easy as just saying “let’s get a new coffee machine” and the perfect solution lands at your door. Further research has shown that 76% of decision makers believe there is a positive impact on morale based on the choice of an individual coffee system. Identifying the right solution to meet the needs of your organisation is essential, but can be a daunting task. It takes time, effort and budget – not always the simplest thing to achieve in a busy working day.

Even if a simple coffee machine is required, there are a variety of options available ranging from Bean 2 Cup where the beans are ground just before brewing, through to Pod solutions that provide a neat packaged solution. But a solution that satisfies more than just a drinks requirement can address a number of concerns all in one go.

Vending machines can be an effective option. Offering a readily available source of snacks and drinks, they can be introduced with the benefit of relatively low overheads. It also means out of hours areas are always catered for, which is beneficial where shift work is common or large sites require multiple machines.

If you feel in need of support when it comes to researching the best office vending machines to suit your customer needs, as well as for the installation and ongoing maintenance, it’s worth looking for companies that offer a fully managed service.

This service provides a one-stop-shop approach, as well as an additional level of consultancy. This ensures you get the vending requirements and support you need to deliver and maintain the best vending solution available for your environment.

So how do you know which suppliers will offer the best service? The key areas to look for are:

Reliability – effective account management and ongoing support
Efficiency – energy efficient machines saves money and supports sustainability goals of organisations
Service levels – having specific objectives in place that can be measured ensures all parties are clear about their roles and what success looks like.

It’s important to look for companies that are open about their products and services and are willing to commit to targets and availability in terms of customer service.

Selecting a vending machines provider that works with well-known and trusted brands also means you can be sure your customers will be able to enjoy consistently good quality drinks and snacks whenever they want them, leaving you to focus on your day job.




With thanks to thebluedoor and Mars Drinks for this guest blog.

Mars Drinks (marsdrinks.com) is a segment of Mars, Incorporated, a private, family-owned company founded in 1911 and employing 70,000 associates in 67 countries worldwide. The Mars Drinks brand of KLIX vending machines offers a fully managed service offering a single point of contact for all your drinks and snacks requirements working in conjunction with Mars Chocolate and Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Coaching Masterclass - what works?

Last week, I co-facilitated a Women in FM session, which allowed the audience to experience for themselves the power of coaching.

Using several fast, focused tools, we quickly identified what's going well and how to do more of it - and areas for focus during 2011, along with small, manageable steps to achieve our goals in those areas.

Here's some feedback from the event:

What our organisations gain from coaching
- the ability to listen to each other across structures (horizontal and vertical)
- it will help to ensure everyone is “playing the same game” – it will become 2nd nature
- improved negotiating skills
- use coaching to mentor and coach each other
- help management to understand staff strengths and helps organizations achieve their strategy
- coaching is part of any good organization and is a contribution to success
- coaching provides us all with a “mirror” – enables us to see and understand who we really are
- coaching is the key to talent management
- coaching is positive, it helps everyone develop for the right reasons

What we found useful and interesting from the activities
positive attitude – building on it
- recognition
- found parity with each other
- motivating when we get a “thank you”
- share your sparkling moment – it’s infectious
- pass it on
- a lot of honesty

Find out more about our one-day Coaching Masterclass for FMs by contacting Liz Kentish the FM Coach coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call us on 01778 561326 - 07717 787077

Top tips from people in your industry who have been there and done it!

Part Five - Improving your FM knowledge

It's difficult to give a precise top tip, because of the breadth of Facilities management. Know your facility down to every last nook and cranny would be one, make sure your H&S maintenance is as impeccable as can be would be another.

It is better to know a lot of phone numbers of experts in many subjects rather than trying to know everything by yourself.

Always be aware of the bigger picture and where Facilities Management fits into it... Facilities Management is a support function which is there to enable the continuous function of the customer's core business. Continuous review of service should be undertaken to ensure that support function is maintained and that Facilities Management is not disrupting or detracting from the core business delivery.

This can only be achieved by fully understanding what the customer's core business function actually is and the most effective way of doing this is work shadowing or FM / Customer forums. FM isn't all about running round putting out fires, it's more about understanding why fires start in the first place and putting planned measures in place to prevent them happening.

For cross-border FM: use the EN 15221 standards defining FM, its quality, processes, taxonomy, service level agreement. This standard includes the official European Space Measurement standard!

Practice makes permanent not perfect.

FMs MUST feel & know that they are being supported by their management.
FMs must know the business requirements of the occupants of the facilities that they manage and focus upon partnering with those occupants in improving the function of their business.

FMs must be provided with the capability to support their contractors and this means payment of invoices without delay.

FMs must have the availability to select and source from multiple contractors for the provision of services and have a method of establishing that value for money and services is provided.

FMs should not be lazy and expect the contractors to fund their deficiencies in management (a good/poor example is the requirement of some FMs for contractors to pay a fee to be on their selection database - this is fraudulent as well as lazy).
FMs must own the problems given to them until it is resolved to the reasonable and responsible satisfaction of all parties.

FMs must provide feedback to those who initialised a call.

Why not share your top tips? Send them to Liz Kentish the FM Coach coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call us on 01778 561326

Horses for courses?

I have to confess, the nearest I’ve been to horse riding was on a donkey on the beach at Weston-super-Mare way back when... however, I was privileged to see the great Monty Roberts in action at the weekend, at Gleneagles. You will probably know him as the “Man Who Listens to Horses”. His goal is “to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people, too.”

I saw and heard so many parallels between good horsemanship and good leadership watching Monty in action. Here are the highlights I drew from the event:

Violence is never the answer – horses are like people – we all have a need for trust and partnership. (For violence, read bullying)

Monty starts by ‘Joining up’ with the ‘difficult’ horse – in people terms this is about getting in synch with the people you work with. Monty understands and uses the horse’s body language – if we ‘speak the same language’ at work, we’ll build rapport quickly. Talk to me if you’d like to understand more about different styles of communication.

When the horse gets something right, he gets instant reward/recognition; if it’s not right, he gets an instant reminder (shorter reins, certainly no violence).

When they get it right, you don’t take your hands off the reins - do it again and again until it becomes second nature.

One of the key things with horses is to keep on helping them learn – they have a huge capacity for learning, and if they're not stimulated they become bored and disruptive. Does this sound like some of the people you work with?

If you want to build High Performing Teams on your organisation, come and talk to the experts. Liz Kentish The FM Coach and the team will help you, using fast, effective solutions. Contact us today coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk 01778 561326 / 07717 787077

The man who took our bins away - creating the bin less office

I recently facilitated a course for FMs and afterwards we got involved in a fascinating conversation about the realities of creating a bin less office. One FM had just started trialling the removal of all office bins and introducing ‘central recycling stations’ which in his own words was creating ‘anarchy’. He asked the group what they’d tried to help convince colleagues to go this way. Here’s the top tips offered by the rest of the group:

1. Communicate, Communicate and Communicate, it’s essential if the project is to succeed. Promote the reasons you are doing it, and use as many methods as possible, e.g. email, articles in the company newsletter, posters on notice boards, etc.

2. Get senior management buy-in and make sure they understand what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, are advocates for the project and above-all set a good example.

3. Provide real facts such as landfill taxes, corporate responsibility, environmental benefits, etc. If you contact the recycling companies, most will be happy to send you posters and information/facts that will support your campaign.

4. Put posters above each bin giving examples of what packaging and products go into the different bins, e.g. plastic food cartons, cans, paper. Even consider colour coding them to match the bins. Expect that even the most intelligent of people will take time working out what should go where!

5. Some staff may protest by leaving their rubbish on their desks for the cleaners to pick up. One way around that is to inform the cleaners not to remove any such rubbish and people will soon get the message. Another is to provide small ‘personal desk-top recycling boxes’. They’re only for paper and it’s the responsibility of the staff to empty the contents into the main recycling point each day, but it helps with goodwill. They cost between £2-4 each.

6. Display recycling results for your building and/or business on notice boards or include them in your newsletter to help people see that the project has a purpose and show that it is being closely monitored.

7. Expect mayhem, at least for a while and some people may treat you like you’ve stolen their right arm and done it just for fun. But time is a healer and with this one, people will just have to accept it and get used to it.

8. Communicate, Communicate and Communicate. Did I say that already? Well it can’t be stressed enough. It’s the key to making it all work.

What can we learn from the World Cup?

I have to admit it, I got sucked into the excitement about the World Cup - I couldn't help myself! The whole nation seemed to create a groundswell of patriotism, support and rallying around our team. Then, as quickly as it began - it was over.

I see similarities in many workplaces - a new idea, a new manager, a new building - they can all set high expectations for the existing team; which can be dashed if we don't create momentum.

So what does that mean? Have someone act as your 'champion' of the cause, and encourage them to:

Shout about successes, even the small ones
Catch people doing things right - exhibiting the behaviours you want to encourage
Create a common language around success
Ensure the topic/project/theme is always on the agenda for your meetings and away days
Set objectives for everyone - common goals help us work together

Keep the momentum going and you are far more likely to succeed - be sure your managers, leaders, key players and supporters are all pulling in the same direction!

So, almost the end of the World Cup - rugby next I think!

Liz Kentish The FM Coach 07717 787077
coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk

Social networking can help your career

The corporate communication teams in organisations have for the longest time controlled what messages are put out into the world about the company and its people. Oftentimes only the most senior or glamorous get to become spokespeople and the real specialists are hidden away, never getting the chance to talk publicly about their subject or engage and debate with others, for the benefit of their peer group.

Social media changes all of that, allowing everyone to have a voice. Whilst it’s not suggested you do anything that contravenes your company’s communication policy, such as contacting the media directly with your point of view, you can use social media to build your profile for the good of your peer group, and your own career development. This article aims to give some practical advice about how it works and how to get started.

Whether you are employed within an organisation or are an independent consultant LinkedIn is an important tool for you. It helps you to make better use of your professional network and help the people that you trust and vice versa. On the site, you will connect with the people that you know now and the people that you’ve lost touch with, say from previous jobs. Once connected, you then have sight of all their contacts: their little black books. As you move around, you simply update your details and everyone in your network knows where you are and what you’re doing – a very clean database not previously available.

At the very least, this gives you a very soft route to contact people. There may be people that you wouldn’t dream of telephoning or emailing to enquire if they can help you in your job search, but connecting through LinkedIn is usually acceptable and allows for conversations that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. Although your direct contacts may not be in a position to offer you a new job, they may know someone that can.

Once on the site, there are a number of functions that can help you:
Recommendations - you can ask your contacts to recommend you. Their enthusiastic words will appear in the daily feed of your network so everyone will see what contribution you are making in your field.
Groups - there are literally thousands of groups covering all manner of subjects. Join some that are relevant to what you do and if you don’t find one that you like, set one up. Then join in the conversations that are taking place, be helpful and start to get yourself known.
Job search – companies now use LinkedIn to publish their vacancies. Search under the terms you’re interested in, and then it will give you information about who in your network works there, which may help you get the inside track. You can even look up details of the interviewer to get some background information on them, which may help the conversation flow in the interview.
Share – tell your network what you’re working on; provide links to interesting articles or examples of something you’ve created. The more useful you can be to your network, the more respected you will become.

Your personal brand
You will need to develop your online profile and once done, make sure you use it consistently across all social networks. Employers do use social networking sites to check potential candidates, so make sure everything adds up. As an aside, watch out for Facebook. This is the place where you express yourself to your friends which may be very different from your professional persona. Be careful about who you accept into your Facebook network and ensure you set your account so only your friends see your information.

When developing your online profile, consider what it is you do and who you serve. We can be our own harshest critics so it’s good to ask business associates how they view you and what they consider are your strengths.

Choose a picture or avatar (a graphical representation of yourself) and use it across all networks. This isn’t the place for your favourite bikini shot; this should reflect your professional image. It will effectively become your logo and people will come to recognise it as your part of your personal brand.

Building your brand
Choose your specialist subject. For example, you may consider yourself an authority on cleaning systems. Search for people that are already talking about the subject, perhaps through their blogs and subscribe to their feeds through Google Reader, or similar. This will provide you with material and comment about the subject. Combining what you find with your own material, get active online. Talk about your subject in online groups and forums, write regular blogs (at least two a month), record PodCasts, place great presentations on SlideShare, make short instructional films and place on your own YouTube channel and broadcast links to these and other’s materials through Twitter.

This type of activity will, over time, make you the ‘go to’ person for cleaning systems, or whatever your subject is. You’ll start to get known, you’ll build a following and people will start to recommend you. Your brand equity will rise and your access to opportunities will increase.

Of course social media is just part of your toolkit when it comes to your career development, but think if you get started now, and become a valuable contributor to your network, you may within a matter of months be perceived as the expert on your subject. Not bad eh?

One final note, please check your company’s policy when it comes to you using social media and ensure you work within the set out boundaries.

Article by: Liz Kentish and Christine Jones
Liz Kentish, the FM Coach for Liz Kentish Coaching – www.lizkentishcoaching.co.uk
Christine Jones, Director of Tiger Mouth, communications consultancy – www.tigermouth.co.uk

This article was published by FM World 6 May 2010 www.fm-world.co.uk

The power of networking, and social media insights

Yesterday Women in FM hosted an event 'Social Media and You' with Iain Murray of Connected FM and Christine Jones of Tiger Mouth.

There was great advice about creating 'The Brand of You' as well as how to get started on Twitter and the tools available to track your brand online. This got me thinking about some of the people I follow on Twitter - some are for business reasons (e.g. people working in facilities management or coaching) and some for pleasure (hobbies I indulge in, films I enjoy etc). I took some time this morning to review content form the business people I follow and realised how frustrated I get when their publicly aired views become less about business and more about their political views for example. Then I looked at some of my own posts and saw that, although I am running a business, I also have made some postings that really aren't relevant to my business goals. So, Facebook for social stuff in future I think!

As always, one of the main benefits of the event last night (according to those who attended) was the opportunity to network. If you haven't yet been to one of our events, get in touch and I'll send you a personal invite to our next one, to be held in London on 2 June, 'Keeping it Real' - how FM can learn from the hospitality sector.

E-mail coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk or call Liz Kentish the FM Coach on 07717 787077

Leadership according to Sir Chris Bonington

I had the pleasure yesterday of speaking at the BIFM conference, which had Chris Bonington as its guest speaker. Chris shared with the audience his renowned exhibitions, particularly to Everest, and he drew many parallels with the corporate world.



Here are just some of the highlights:

A true leader listens, consults, then makes firm, clear decisions.

A true leader knows when it's time to turn back.

Leadership is like a ball that you pass among the team, then the leader picks up the reins at the right moment, in a firm, decisive and tactful way.

Trust is what holds teams together.

A true leader acknowledges their wider team, they are all as important to the success of the organisation.

Want to improve your own leadership? Then let's talk 07717 787077

Are you a Manager or a Leader?

What would your team say – are you a Manager or a Leader?

What’s the difference between management and leadership?
How would you say they differ in terms of:
• Power
• Focus
• Risk profile?

This is an age-old question, and one that I have been asked many times, and one that I believe can be answered in several different ways. The main difference between a manager and a leader is how they motivate the people around them.

Do you have to be one or the other? Most of us fulfill both roles, moving from manager to leader when we realize we have to win the hearts and minds of those we want to follow us.

• Managers have subordinates As a line manager you command a certain amount of respect from those who report to you, and you tell them what to do. They do what they are instructed (usually!), because they receive their salary for doing so.
• Manager’s focus As a manager you get paid to make things happen, usually to budget and to deadlines. The actual tasks are usually delegated.
• Managers and risk As a manager you are expected to follow the company’s policies and procedures, without making any substantial changes. Generally this is comfortable for you, as it gives a structure to your role.

• Leaders have followers When you are a leader you don’t have direct reports (although you may still have them in your management role). When you want to lead, you are seeking followers, who follow you because they choose to, not because they are paid to.
• Leader’s focus Telling people what to do does not inspire them to follow you. You need to find out what drives them and show how following you will satisfy their needs. This could be a need for recognition, status, reward, a feeling of ‘giving back’ – as leader you need to know what it is. As a leader you always give credit where it’s due, and avoid blaming others when things go wrong.As a leader you will certainly demonstrate charisma, but this doesn’t mean you have to be friends with everyone, or even be liked by them. Some of the most effective leaders are often seen as ‘loners’.
• Leaders and risk As a leader you expect to face issues and problems, which need to be overcome. You are happy to take measured risks, and follow ‘the path less trodden’, to achieve your vision. People admire your courage – it’s important this is not seen by others as ‘bravado’.

In facilities management, a manager:
• Understands the contract requirements and business plan
• Is confident, a good listener, asks questions, is innovative
• Makes decisions according to the rules
• Customer- and service-focused – gets results by managing tasks
• Meets deadlines, and is focused on short-term results
• Is generally reactive
• Ensures staff understand their responsibilities
• Provides clear guidance to staff – tells them what to do
• Communicates effectively with teams
• Provides regular constructive feedback
• Encourages staff to improve their performance
• Addresses performance issues
• Encourages staff to offer ideas to improve performance

In facilities management, a leader:
• Is consistent in their own style, yet welcomes change and challenges the status quo
• Comes up with new, often radical, ideas
• Breaks the rules
• Generate new ideas and build a vision
• Focuses on long terms results
• Exploits their own strengths, and those of others
• Is aware of their own, and others’ weaknesses
• Pushes people to do and be the best they can
• Speaks in positive terms

So, where do you stand? For a no obligation 30 minute telephone session to identify your leadership strengths and how you can be even more effective, call Liz Kentish The FM Coach on 01778 561326 / 07717 787077 or coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk

Plain English day!

Tuesday 8 December is Plain English Day! Here's a great example of how-not-to-do-it...

A ‘research team’ proceeded towards the apex of a natural geological
protuberance. The purpose of their expedition – the procurement of a sample
of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact size of which was
unspecified.

One member of the team precipitately descended sustaining severe fractural
damage to the upper cranial portion of his anatomical structure. Subsequently, the second member of the team performed a self rotational translation
orientated in the direction taken by the first member.

So who are these mysterious people? Jack and Jill of course!

Liz Kentish the FM Coach is an expert in resolving communication problems for FMs. Call her now on 07717 787077 or email coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk for a free copy of Effective Communication Skills for FM Professionals.

Sustainability applies to people too!

I’m worried. It seems to me that our sector is becoming more concerned about the effectiveness of our buildings and plant, and less concerned about our people. If you find something unexpected with, for example a chiller unit, what do you do? Take action! Why? Because it’s critical to the running of the building, right? You might call in an engineer, increase the number of checks, replace a filter – you do whatever is needed to get the chiller unit working effectively again.

But what do we do for our people?

Pressure is a typical aspect of modern life and particularly in the work environment. We ask a lot of the people who work for us - continuous improvement, commitment, long hours, loyalty, innovation, creativity. Things are no easier outside work with most people juggling the demands of their job with family, hobbies, friends and numerous other commitments.

Pressure in itself is not however inherently bad. It’s when pressure goes beyond our ability to cope that problems arise. When our people are in their ‘stretch zone’ rather than their ‘comfort zone’ they are usually highly engaged, innovative, productive and, as long as they are not permanently stretched in one single direction, highly satisfied and motivated. Most organisations understand this, but are not so able to recognise when teams are sliding from ‘stretch’ into ‘panic’. At this point their performance starts to diminish rapidly.

Often employers are not aware that there is a problem until pressure has increased to a level where the employee feels overwhelmed, by which time the situation is more obvious but harder to recover from.

So, if you again compare the faulty chiller unit with the people working for you, we need a way to check in before the pressure is too much to bear.

One of the quickest and most productive ways of doing this is by having ‘leadership conversations’ with your people. You need to gain a clear understanding of their performance and find out which ‘zone’ they are spending most time in.

We can do this for you, as it’s often easier to bring in outside experts to assess how effective your people are in terms of their coping mechanisms. But if you want to make a start yourself, here are some sample questions to ask yourself and your teams:

• Which teams are coping well? How do they approach their issues? How can other teams learn from their experience?
• How can we help individuals change their approach and so get better outcomes for them personally and for the team?
• What else would improve as a result?
• What knowledge, experience, resources do you already have in the organisation to help?
• What might be the first small step?

To find out more about ensuring high performance without pushing your people into 'panic' contact Liz Kentish The FM Coach now on 01778 561326 / 07717 787077 coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk

Defining FM

Here I am in Edinburgh, facilitating the Professional Facilities Manager Module 2, and once again the topic has come up about how to promote FM as a profession, and as a career.

My delegates this week come from so many different organisations, and not one of their roles is the same. Here's what the Asset Skills Council says about Facilities Management...

"Facilities Management (FM) relies on people with excellent management and communications skills, combined with specialist know-how.

The Facilities Manager provides the services that ensure the smooth running of the environments people encounter in their working and personal lives.

They may have a range of job titles but they form a vital management function. They work behind the scenes supporting all operations from building maintenance through to catering, cleaning, reception and security.

The FM is the person who introduces service innovations in office buildings, shopping centres, hospitals, educational establishments or big sports stadiums.

In many cases the Facilities Manager will also be responsible for environmental management, business continuity planning, risk management and sustainability.

If there is a problem, it is the FM's job to solve it while minimising disruption to the daily business of the organisation."

For me, this is the key phrase, 'They may have a range of job titles but they form a vital management function'.

If you want to ensure your organisation recognises the role FM can play in strategic business objectives, talk to Liz Kentish The FM Coach 01778 561326 / 07717 787077 coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk

Traits of the Nation

I want to share with you this interesting research from OnePoll, and would like to hear your views - do you agree?

"Talking about the weather, sarcasm and being great at queueing were yesterday (Sun) hailed as the top traits which makes us British.

The characteristics emerged in a study of a 5,000 adults which asked them to pick out the things - good and bad - they believe makes us unique as a nation.

An obsession with soap operas such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Eastenders was number four in the list.

And, worryingly, getting drunk was also named and shamed as a fundamental part of being a Brit, regardless of time, day, location or reason.

A spokesman for global research company www.onepoll.com, which conducted the poll said: ''This is a brilliant list of characteristics and some of the observations are absolutely spot on.

''You can't go anywhere or do anything in Britain without someone talking about the weather, and we're almost proud of the fact that we get more rain than anywhere else.

''What this poll demonstrates really well is how proud we are to be British - more than two thirds of respondents said they felt honoured to be a part of this country.''

Researchers found 58 per cent of people like nothing more than chatting about the forecast.

More than half also said we are the politest nation when it comes to queueing and 48 per cent considered sarcasm as the highest form of wit for Brits.

A staggering 44 per cent of people enjoy escaping from reality to a world of the ridiculous with soap operas, and 43 per cent say binge drinking is one of their guilty pleasures.

Sixth place went to our love of a bargain, whether it be red label shopping in supermarkets, buy one get one free offers or money off coupons, 42 per cent of folk can't resist splashing out on something cut price.

At number seven was our love of curtain twitching with 41 per cent of people admitting they can't help adopting the role of the nosy neighbour.

Loving trash television, moaning and being obsessed with class all appear in the top 10 of things which make us 'Typically British'.

A spokesman for www.onepoll.com continues: "In the main part the traits listed in the top 50 are illustrative and definitive of who we are as a nation.

"There is the odd inclusion of bad behaviour - such as drinking a bit too much or having a moan - but every normal person has their little vices.

"I would conclude that we are a very accepting, proud and strong country."

Other British traits include our obsession with traffic and asking people about their journeys, leaving things to the last minute, being unhappy with our weight and loving all things deep fried.

True Brits also have a real love and sense of loyalty for the Royal Family, and admit to emulating the life and style of celebrities.

And showing a humourous side, 21 per cent can't help taking the mickey out of their mates, 30 per cent enjoy other people's misfortune and 22 per cent aren't afraid to laugh at themselves.

TOP 50 'TYPICALLY BRITISH' TRAITS
1. Talking about the weather
2. Great at queueing
3. Sarcasm
4. Watching soaps
5. Getting drunk
6. A love of bargains
7. A love of curtain twitching
8. Stiff upper lip
9. Love of all television
10. Moaning
11. Obsession with class
12. Gossiping with neighbours over the garden fence
13. Obsession with the traffic
14. Enjoying other people's misfortune
15. Inability to complain
16. Love of cheap foreign holidays
17. Working long hours
18. A soothing cup of tea to ease worries
19. Eating meat and two veg
20. Looking uncomfortable on the dance floor
21. Feeling uncomfortable when people talk about their emotions
22. Clever sense of humour
23. Obsession with property values
24. Pandering to political correctness
25. Road rage
26. Being unhappy with our weight
27. Wanting a good tan
28. Being proud of where we live
29. Not saying what we mean
30. The ability to laugh at ourselves
31. Washing the car on a Sunday
32. Taking the mickey out of others
33. Asking people about their journey
34. Inability not to comment on how other people bring up their children
35. Jealousy of wealth and success
36. Being overly polite
37. Texting instead of calling
38. An inability to express our emotions
39. Obsession with the Royal Family
40. Fondness for mowing the lawn
41. Love of rambling through the countryside
42. A love of all things deep fried
43. Emulating celebrity lifestyles
44. Leaving things to the last minute
45. Irony
46. Keeping our homes neat and tidy
47. Take decisions and accept the consequences
48. Achieving against all odds
49. Wanting our sportsmen / teams to fail
50. DIY on a Bank Holiday"

Research conducted by global market research company www.onepoll.com

So, what do you think? Email your comments to Liz Kentish the FM Coach coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk

Architects, Engineers, Constructors

This week I attended my first AEC Network meeting - Architects, Engineers, Constructors - at The Building Centre in London. I went along because I wanted to see 'the other side' of the built environment. What do I mean by that? Well, many of you working in FM tell me how tough it is to be a handed a new or refurbished building that a) is impossible to manage in terms of M&E etc and/or b) doesn't meet the needs of the end user.

I was delighted to hear Don Ward of Constructing Excellence http://www.constructingexcellence.org.uk/ suggest that architects might like to run buildings for a year once they are handed over! Don also advocates collaborative working from the very start of a project - so why don't more FMs get involved? Is it because we don't have a 'common language'? You tell me.

The other speaker at the event was Richard White, the Accidental Salesman, who ran an interactive session on Storytelling for business. Amazing; you should check out his website where there are loads of free resources for those among us who are not 'natural salespeople'! http://www.theaccidentalsalesman.com/ One of Richard's first questions was to ask the audience who was in a sales role - and of course, we all are, no matter what we do; we are always 'seliing'.

All in all, a useful and productive meeting, and one I will definitely go to again. Thinking beyond pure FM has given me an insight into the problems others face in our wider sector, and plenty of food for thought!

Let me know your thoughts on networking outside your core business sector coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk and if you'd like some advice on networking for business development call Liz Kentish The FM Coach on 01778 561326

First recognition award for the Women in FM special interest group

As the new Chair of Women in FM, I was very proud this evening to collect the first ever BIFM award for ‘Best Sector Forum/Special Interest Group’ on behalf of Women in FM.

You can find out more about the group, and the events we are running, at www.bifm.org.uk or call Liz Kentish The FM Coach for more details 07717 787077 coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk