Solid leadership is important in any field of endeavor. Whether it’s education, sports, government, or any kind of business or organization, your valuable employees need proper guidance. Everyone needs to be on the same page, working together to accomplish company goals.
Your facility team management is among the most important of any supervisory roles. This team is charged with planning, designing, maintaining, and operating your organization’s infrastructure and physical assets. This includes buildings, grounds, and equipment. It’s easy to understand the need for solid facility management and why it calls for a well-managed team.
Facility Team Management
Leading a facility management team is a big job. Personnel assigned to this vital task are in a complex and multifaceted role that requires a wide variety of skills and knowledge. The entire physical organization, from the grounds it sits on to the roof that covers it, is included in this job.
In addition to basic maintenance, landscaping, and care for the physical assets, facility management is in charge of security, overseeing budgets and contracts, and making sure the company is in compliance with all regulations.
A leader must be able to build a facility team culture in which all members support one another, utilizing creativity and innovation.
Essential Traits for Effective Facilities Team Management
Effective leaders of the facility management team share certain traits and characteristics:
- Problem-solving skills: Good facility team management requires the ability to quickly identify problems and find viable solutions. This means having strong analytic skills and being able to think creatively and act innovatively.
- Paying attention to detail: Facilities management leaders must be able to see the smallest details in order to recognize a problem in its infancy and correct it before it becomes major. This goes a long way toward keeping everything running smoothly.
- Ability to communicate: Essential to any leadership role is the ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Team members cannot properly carry out tasks if they don’t completely understand what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to do it. Communication also involves being a good listener to understand the concerns and needs of your team.
- Being adaptable: There are always new technologies becoming available and new challenges that pop up in facility team management. Leaders must be able to adapt quickly to the changing landscape. Being able to change on a dime and change strategies is essential as is building a culture of learning in which team members continue to learn new skills and grow.
- Maintaining solid relationships: Facility management leaders must be able to build and maintain solid relationships with many people. In addition to interacting with team members, they must also be on good terms with other department heads and stakeholders.
These are some of the skills that facilities team managers must possess if they are to lead their teams effectively.
The Key to Effective Facility Team Management
On top of all the necessary skills leaders of facility management teams must have, there is one more key element: to be a part of the team. Placing yourself above the other members and acting from a position of power can cause problems. Team members may become resentful if they feel they are being pushed around.
Lead from a position of influence. Be ready and willing to jump in if the team is short-handed and could use additional help. Be supportive, ready to teach new skills, and act as a role model. If the team sees their boss putting in the effort, they will, too.
It’s also important to be respectful. Facility team members have challenging jobs and work hard at what they do. Show appreciation and never hesitate to say thank you. A little acknowledgment of a job well done can go a long way.
Finally, be fair and just. Treat every member of the team equally and offer no special favors to anyone. This will earn their trust, which you must have to lead effectively.
Leaders Set the Tone
Employees are only as good as their facility team management. Strong, intelligent, and supportive leaders set the tone for a team that effectively completes its tasks. For quality installation, repair, and maintenance of your building’s roof, contact Benton Roofing, with the expertise and experience to keep the highest level of your organization in tip-top shape.