I remember being asked this question a lot when I was dissatisfied with my career. My usual strategy would be to give a pat answer and immediately turn the question back on the person who asked it. My avoidance of the question wasn’t so much that I was considered unsuccessful…
I ran a training event yesterday on Resolving FM Communication Problems, and one of the hotly debated topics was when, how and whether to say ‘no’. A lot of people just don’t like the idea of having to tell people they can’t do something. Often they feel obligated when a…
Yesterday, an MD of a major FM company told me how difficult they find it to remember not just the names of their ever-growing team, but also their clients and those oh-so-important details about them all: their family, childrens’ names etc where they were going on holiday what they enjoy…
Last week I highlighted the main principles of giving feedback, now let’s look at some useful techniques we can use in feedback sessions: Open-ended questioning Use open-ended questions to allow and encourage the person to give more detail and elaborate. Use words like: What? How? Who? Tell me? Avoid closed…
Providing feedback to staff is always tough, but if it’s constructive, you not only get the message across, but, build a more cohesive and capable team as a result. Constructive feedback is the only way to learn and develop—both personally and professionally. That means, you as Manager, have a responsibility…
People aren’t your most important asset, the RIGHT people are I saw this headline today, it came from an FM recruitment company, and it got me thinking. How often do we recruit people into FM roles because they have ‘some’ experience – perhaps they have worked in an engineering role,…
I was at the BIFM members’ event and AGM yesterday, and I spent some time observing how people networked during the event. Having spent many years learning the hard way what works, and – more to the point – what doesn’t, I’ve put together some tips, which I hope will…
I spent time today with a friend who works as cabin crew on a major airline, and we were talking about how some people want to help all the time. She tells me what a battle it is to ensure parents fit their own oxygen mask before helping their children…
