Don’t laugh, facility executives, but we have a lot in common.
We both manage staff and budgets. We both plan to ensure that our buildings (for me, media products) are positioned for future success. But recently, I realized the similarities don’t stop there.
Last month, I gained a whole new appreciation for something else facility leaders do – respond to the unexpected.
During our NFMT East show in Charlotte, an education session on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was going to be canceled due to a health setback with the presenter. We learned about the crisis 20 minutes before the session was set to begin.
Not wanting to disappoint our attendees who registered and with no immediate options as a replacement, I blurted out, “I’ll do the session,” realizing minutes later that I’m filling in for someone whose entire career is based on ADA. In basketball comparisons, it would be like asking a JV player to step in for Michael Jordan.
For those who don’t understand, leading an education session involves hours of preparation. In addition to researching the subject, presenters must compose a script, define talking points for the audience, generate a PowerPoint and find creative ways to keep the audience engaged.
And when ADA is the subject, the information can’t be wrong. So, when two colleagues and I decided to “wing it” for the session, we were upfront and honest. We never claimed to be ADA experts. We went through the presentation slides and gave our thoughts and experiences on ADA that we’ve learned through interaction with readers and experts.
The experience was a success. Attendees said they were appreciative of our efforts to adjust on the fly and still benefited from the discussions we helped spark.
As one of the attendees said about the change in plans, “We’re facility managers. We find a way.”
As we ended the session, it occurred to me that we just did something facility leaders do all the time – we found a way — and a solution to a surprise issue.
Dave Lubach is the chief editor of the facilities market. He has 10 years of experience writing about facilities management and maintenance issues.
