Dan Schied doesn’t know everything about grounds management, and he knows it.
As director of grounds at Cornell University, Schied understands that his professional success means remaining open to new ideas, information and applications.
“You have to be looking and paying attention to trends and new ways of doing things,” Schied tells Assistant Editor Elaina Myers in her cover article that starts on page 6. “It’s all about being flexible and creative.”
That open-mindedness is an admirable trait in any profession, and the rapidly evolving grounds management profession is no exception. From staffing challenges and the role of chemicals to staying abreast of advances in grounds equipment technology, managers have their hands full overseeing daily operations while so many of their responsibilities are evolving rapidly.
To be fair, many professionals in facilities management have adopted a more open-minded approach, but the transition hasn’t been easy. The excuse, “That’s the way we’ve always done it,” is stubborn in facilities departments and remains the go-to explanation among more than a few managers who have difficulty embracing the future.
For that reason, it’s especially heartening to hear Schied talk about embracing new ways of doing things in grounds management. Successful facilities require managers who are willing to learn about new, more effective ways of managing, as well as updated strategies to help them do that.
Schied knows what he knows, and that includes knowing he needs to know more.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
