When asked, Stef described his time as "Interim Facility Manager" as nothing less than a full-blown whirlwind.

In a little over 5 months Stef navigated a complex landscape of operational challenges, a shifting team dynamic and a bit of strategic planning. In this blog post, we'll dive into Stef's story by highlighting the most enriching observations.

The first shock: Interimming a role which is currently being (re)-defined

Stepping into an important role in any company is daunting, this was all the more true for Stef. Not only was he stepping into the important role of facility manager, a difficulty in its own right, but Stef was also stepping into a rapidly developing organization that, in haste, had passed up on some of the facility management aspects. To add insult to injury, the role of Facility manager was one of the few that were changing soon...

Undiscouraged, Stef stepped into this complex environment with facility management systems that weren't functioning, processes that weren't fully established yet, and a team with a rather large knowledge gap between members. His first challenge lay in quickly establishing his authority within the company by learning the existing Frontliners methodologies and earning the trust of his newfound colleagues.

Overcoming challenges - A constant balancing act

As you might imagine from the previous paragraphs, Stef's journey wasn't without challenges. Frontliners had just recently moved into the new building and not everything was working as intended yet, imagine a building full of excited software-building madmen without a functioning cooling system... no bueno.

Having a cooling system fixed was no biggy for someone as experienced as Stef however. By effectively outsourcing large parts of it he could focus on the other important things that Frontliners had thus far ran past in their pursuit of the perfect logistical software solution: Emergency Response (BHV) & Risk Identification & evaluation (RI&E).

To solve this Stef devised a strategic plan with a few simple steps:

Prioritize
Identify the most critical issues so you can tackle them right away
Effective communication
Sharing his vision with the entire Frontliners team to establish a backbone you can count on.
Use existing assets
Frontliners might've moved house, but they certainly took their experience, and some stuff, with them. Reusing these benefits everyone involved and further establishes mutual trust.
Building meaningful relations
The cornerstone of success. Interacting & maintaining relationships to get all the work done whilst minimizing the disruption.

Or, in Stef's words:

“One of the most valuable things that leads to successful facility management is creating and maintaining relationships with your coequals”

And establishing & maintaining meaningful relations he did... By building trust and working together with the team at Frontliners Stef was able to create a positive work environment around facility management which allowed him to meet goal after goal.

Strategizing for success: A guide for the future

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. And as Interim Facility Manager Stef only had a limited amount of time to "make it big".

As such he began strategizing on a plan for the future. He had to set up a guide for his replacement so that he/she could continue this upward trajectory that Stef initiated, he did so by defining 4 guiding pillars for his replacement:

Analyze existing processes
Be mindful of potential optimizations you can make, even in existing processes.
Define your vision
Clear and well-thought-out goals for the future of facility management will benefit both your, and Frontliners' roadmap.
Implement sustainable solutions
Sustainability is important. For the environment and the company. Small and sustainable will eventually surpass rapid & unsustainable.
An experience to remember
Strive for a worthwhile experience for everyone involved.

A love for lists & Stef's top 3 important takeaways

Before we hear from Stef's manager let's look at Stef's takeaways from his experience. In true Stef fashion, we have a concise, bullet-point, list:

Adaptability is key
Quickly adapting to your environment is an essential skill in facility management.
Effective communication is crucial
Again, building & maintaining relations with your peers is essential for success. Processes only work if communicated & followed correctly.
Strategize like your life depends on it
A plan, a guide, something to keep track of long-term goals will build trust and understanding that will accelerate short-term solutions.

Rick's experience: A refreshing, professional, but sadly short experience

Soon after Stef joined our company some of the reallocation changes I had prepared for our company went through, meaning I would be working with Stef directly instead of indirectly. And I'm glad it panned out like that.

Working with Stef has been amazing. Stef is just as stubborn, resourceful, and ingenious as many of our developers.... and I love it. Stef was organized, independent, thorough, and, above all, professional in some of the more delicate matters. The work Stef has done, and the groundwork he laid, will continue to benefit us for the foreseeable future.

Sadly, his work with us is done, Frontliners doesn't need a full-time facility manager and most smaller projects that had been left behind have been implemented by Stef already. Any future employer is lucky to have him though, I certainly would've kept him if we could keep him busy.

In closing

Stef's experiences emphasize the dynamic nature of facility management and the importance of effective leadership. By embracing challenge and focusing on results Stef managed to deliver a positive contribution to the organization. His journey with our company should prove to be a valuable lesson for any aspiring facility manager, hell, anyone who wants to make a positive impact on their career.

A whirlwind of challenges, triumphs and worthwhile experiences