Hi there,
Last week we took a look at the core business of an organisation – what it is and the fact that it is the role of facilities management to support it.
But why is that important to you?
It’s easy to forget, sometimes, when we’re bogged down in the nitty gritty, getting things fixed, making sure we’re compliant, planning and executing projects and checking up on our cleaners and caterers, just what it is that we’re doing this all for.
That’s why it’s important to know what the core business is. Because everything we do needs to be done in a way that best supports that business.
The same goes for all strategic FM concepts. It can be hard to focus on the long term strategy when we’re in the thick of the day job and the challenges it brings. But that’s fine. Strategy isn’t really something that should be a day-to-day focus.
However, it should be at the back of your mind the whole time. Whenever you’re making a decision – which contractor to use, which projects to allocate budget to etc. – the strategy should be there, in the back of your mind.
That way you can always be asking the question: How does this support the long term strategy and the core business of the organisation?
The story of the janitor at NASA in the early 60s has been repeated so often it’s almost a cliché (although if you haven’t heard it before, have a look at this article) and there is some debate about whether it’s even true.
However, it serves nicely as a business parable and highlights a good point. Even the ‘lowly’ janitor at NASA knew what the overall mission was, and how he was contributing to that. This meant that he was able to perform his job to the best of his ability with the overall mission in mind.
As a facilities manager in a decision-making role, you have way more scope to influence the potential success of a business, so it’s even more important that you understand what the core business and strategic goals of your company are.
That’s one of the factors that differentiate good FMs from great ones.
Be a great facilities manager, and have a great week!
Chris and the Xenon Team
P.S. If you haven’t already studied or started studying for an IWFM qualification, which will cover topics like this in depth and fully assess your understanding, you may want to have a look at our guide to the IWFM Qualifications which will give you a full breakdown of how they work and what’s involved in the different levels. You can download it here.
P.P.S. If you’re already considering taking a qualification but don’t know which level to go for, a good starting point is our One-Minute-Leveller tool, which will ask you a few questions and give you a recommendation based on the result. You can access it here.