Managing a public facility requires a unique combination of industry knowledge, experience, leadership qualities, people skills, motivational techniques, political acumen and an understanding of media relations.

 

Having a great deal of Industry knowledge and experience are prerequisites to a capable and effective manager. Historically these skills would allow most facility managers to perform as expected. We can stipulate that these are critical but in the modern facility so much more is needed. They must have some knowledge of a wide assortment of disciplines because of the unique nature of the industry and the changing marketplace. Today’s facility manager must be knowledgeable in law, insurance, federal regulations, contractual agreements, personnel issues, marketing, food service, technical requirements and the upcoming technological advancements in the industry.

 

Additionally leadership skills must constantly be improved to manage a larger, more technical and more diverse work force. Today’s manager must be able to lead by example. They must be able to build team spirit, motivate, and continually train in technical disciplines, personal and managerial skills to their department heads, supervisors and line employees.

 

A successful manager today must have effective people skills. This starts with hiring the most qualified people not only with the kind of skills necessary to perform their job, but also with great attitudes. One should always try to hire people with goals and vision. A good manager will always strive to bring their team together with high spirits, goals, leadership and expectations clearly articulated. A good manager realizes that he can not do it all, therefore he must learn to delegate. They must learn not to solve people’s problems by making their decisions for them. They must teach them the process of problem solving.  A good manager seeks the opinions of all involved in the outcome of a decision or problem to reach a reasonable decision and have everyone accept ownership.

 

A great management tool not to be overlooked is the old business concept of MBWA or Management by Walking Around. Several times a day the manager should tour the facility greeting employees by their first names and showing interest in their jobs, their opinions and their personal lives. A good manager must be a “Good Finder” as he makes his daily tours he must make a special effort to find employees doing the right things and praise them for it.  

 

Today’s Facility manager must also continually sharpen his political skills and understand how to deal with the public bodies, the general public and the news media. Today’s manager must gain a better knowledge of the news media’s objectives, purposes and techniques, to better serve their employers and the general public for which they serve.

In the final analysis of what the smart manager must also learn is how to handle stress and find outlets for it. They should have outside interest and learn to enjoy their time off and not take the office home with them every night. They should exercise, learn to relieve stress and practice healthy habits. This concept should also be encouraged to all employees so as to keep enthusiasm high and burn out low.