Being a manager is not easy. It demands hard as well as soft skills. And this is equally true for Facility Managers.
Maintenance and Facility Managers play an important role in the efficient running of an organization. They are responsible for upkeeping the company’s properties and preventing any issue from affecting the productivity of the company.
So if you are looking for a successful career in the field, then here are the top 9 skills that you must know about.
1. Leadership Skills
To be a successful maintenance manager, you must be a natural leader. You must be self-motivated, organized, trustworthy, compassionate, and upbeat.
It is essential to have a clear vision of where you want the maintenance team to go and to set a positive example that others will follow.
You should know how to:
- Communicate effectively with anyone
- Know when and how to delegate work
- Spot and resolve conflicts between team members
- Handle different temperatures
Remember it is your enthusiasm and confidence that spreads throughout the team, resulting in a healthy and productive work environment.
2. Organizational Skills
Managers in this position are expected to plan maintenance activities, which necessitates excellent organizational and management skills. You are expected to create and implement maintenance procedures. Also, It is critical to complete tasks on time because unresolved issues can be dangerous.
As a result, this position necessitates a high level of organizational skills. The ability to prioritize tasks is essential. So you must train yourself to be a master of managing tasks, projects, resources, time, team, communication, clients, and so on.
3. Problem-Solving Skills
Problem-solving may appear to be a simple skill to have, but it is one of the most complex intellectual abilities. Good critical thinkers can think clearly and rationally, solve problems methodically, and make sound decisions quickly.
Facility managers must be both skilled critical thinkers and problem solvers to manage a maintenance budget, supervise a team of technicians, prioritize work based on need, manage maintenance metrics, and keep up with the latest technologies.
To do so, the most skilled asset managers will examine the data, interpret it, evaluate all the alternatives, and consider their top priorities before making a recommendation or solution.
Steps for Solving a Problem:
1. Determine the nature of the problem
2. Compile information and devise a strategy
3. Put your solution to the test to see if it worked or not
4. If unsuccessful, revisit step 2
4. Interpersonal & Communication Skills
The ability to communicate clearly and concisely with those around you is one of the most important skills for all managers to have.
Employers specifically prefer candidates with strong interpersonal skills, as they can communicate effectively and maintain positive relationships. Since, maintenance managers need to negotiate with subordinates, management, suppliers, contractors, machine operators, and project managers daily, effective communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
Furthermore, listening is not synonymous with hearing. When you communicate, you spend 45% of your time listening, so take the time to hear what others say. And be properly vocal and assertive about what you want from your team or when delivering instructions to avoid any misunderstandings.
5. Time management
It’s no secret that juggling multiple tasks can be difficult. That is why it is critical for a maintenance professional to excel at time management.
A good time management professional understands how much time to devote to each task and how to prioritize project responsibilities to meet deadlines. In a nutshell, maintenance managers understand how to work smarter.
Using the right time management tools such as SmartTask, TimeCamp, Clockify, etc allows managers to manage and complete their tasks effectively while adhering to deadlines and benefiting the organization.
6. Technical Knowledge
Maintenance Managers are expected to understand basic operating principles, safety regulations, and technical specifications. Having this technical expertise allows you to effectively inspect, troubleshoot, and rectify issues that may arise during the workday.
Given the integration of technology into maintenance roles, it is also becoming increasingly important for professionals to develop strong computer skills. Multiple condition monitoring sensors, a complex communication infrastructure, an analytical dashboard, and a database are all standard features in modern facilities.
Understanding and operating these solutions requires a thorough understanding of computer applications. Developing these skills speeds up decision-making processes, allows for proactive maintenance strategies, and improves collaboration across departments.
7. Adaptability
If you look around, you will realize — change is inevitable!
Everything keeps changing rapidly, and as a modern maintenance manager, you should be able to adapt quickly to these scenario changes. You need to be open to new ideas, methods of operation, and technologies and learn to thrive in an ever-changing and uncertain environment.
To become more adaptable, you must step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. You must constantly develop, improve, and try new things. Learn new skills, adopt new technologies, and reinvent yourself regularly. Challenge the status quo, show openness to new ideas, and let go of rigidity.
Accept new ways of doing everyday tasks or ways to improve existing work processes.
Adaptability makes you more approachable and improves your ability to communicate with others. It also improves your ability to deal with change when it occurs.
8. Teamwork Skills
Teamwork is viewed as the most efficient way to get things done in any organization. The results obtained by the entire team outperform the sum of the results obtained by the individuals.
Why? For starters, when individuals collaborate as a team rather than going it alone, they can bounce ideas off each other and arrive at the best solution faster. Many hands also make work light, allowing deadlines to be met sooner. Teamwork frequently results in better decisions, products, or services.
As a successful facility manager, you need to promote teamwork skills. You must also recognize the various strengths of each team member and then form teams of people who complement each other and work well together.
9. Stress Management
Stress can have an impact on productivity, emotions, work quality, and physical and mental health. The accumulation of stress, whether professional or personal, consumes the individual over time.
As a Maintenance Manager, the ability to cope with stress may not be a major barrier, but it can mean the difference between project success and failure.
Managing stress does not imply taking a deep breath and moving forward. Controlling the situations around you, on the other hand, means reducing stress. Having the ability to control your stress and maintain a positive attitude will have a positive impact on those around you.
In a nutshell…
If you aim to become a Maintenance or Facility manager, master these skills, and you will be good to go. If you are already in a management position, developing and honing these skills will help you get the most out of your team, gain more respect from company executives, and provide more opportunities for career advancement.
As you will see, some of these skills overlap, and perfecting one will have an impact on the others as well. It is critical to continue to improve. While many of the mentioned skills come naturally to some people, not to others. Thus, it might require additional effort to learn them.
Ultimately, mastering these skills will aid in the creation of a healthy environment in which employees will be motivated to do their best, accept more responsibilities, and take on new challenges.
