Facility management requires a unique combination of different skills to achieve the highest possible level of expertise. Requests coming from all different directions challenge facility managers on a daily basis. These managers rely on their professional and interpersonal skills to respond to the best of their abilities.

Maintenance experience is essentially key for a facility manager as well as having substantial knowledge of construction, energy efficiency and sustainability but this is only the starting point. Great managers stands out for their talents like creativity, conflict resolution, communications and leadership.

Moderns building and constructions projects grow more complex every day turning into systems with multiple variables, interactions and possible scenarios that demand instant and constant coordination and adjustments. In this context, when it comes to operations communications skills form the facilities manager can either make or break the balance.

While in the past facility management was considered more of an isolated function and even strategically kept away from the executive arena, the current and sustainable approach suggests a clear integration practice with the company and the building as a whole. This means that the facilities manager must be up to the task, and sometimes even become the champion of issues that demand the attention and or persuasion of the entire corporate team.

Organization and maintenance schedules are key to the success of the system but also adaptation to unexpected situations. With problems that come up without warning and operations that keep changing on a daily bases, flexibility is especially valuable for facilities managers.

The ability to respond to emergencies separate a good facility manager from a great one.  Keeping calm, assessing each situation as it presents itself and inspire the confidence of the team to come up and implement the solution is essential to succeed.