Do you enjoy your work? I do. In fact, I often tell people that I feel like the little kid who grew up and didn't have to give up his Tonka toys. And I mean it. Sure, it's challenging and sometimes downright hard, but I love what I do.
Right now I am very thankful to have a place to go do it everyday. I've been bored and I've been busy. Busy is more fun and pays better.
I was reminded last week that not all toys are Tonka toys, be they big or small. If you're as left-brained as I am toys come in all kinds of forms. Last week it was a six sigma refresher course and man, did we have toys to play with! Fishbones, X-Y Matrix, FMEA sheets and on and on and on. Yeah, it was fun.
I've been thinking about my next car. Naturally I want it to be green but hey, I'm a speed freak too. What's a guy to do? How about this?
OK, a slight diversion here. What I really want for my commute is one of these. Not bad for a home built, eh?
Speaking of Continuous Improvement projects (we were, right?) I must admit to a failure. Last year I took on a large project mainly out of frustration with the status quo. The result was predictable. Any time you try to "boil the ocean" you shouldn't be too surprised when it doesn't work. And this project didn't deliver the goods. But, we still achieved a lot. Project checklists, design and building standards, a PM toolkit in our collaboration environment, staff who can now process map with the best, a shorter cycle time on major project provisioning processes. I'll take those results as a satisfactory "silver medal." And I will remember to check the size of my ego the next time.
I am thinking about my FM friends on the U.S. east coast and wishing you all well. I'll bet you've built up some pretty good arm strength these last three weeks with all the snow shoveling. Keep your chin up, Spring Training camps are open in Florida and Arizona - better days are just ahead.
I am helping a non-profit with a site search and have been playing around with GIS tools. We're not quite where we need to be in the shareware world yet but they are moving fast. Assuming you are familiar with Google Earth and Google Maps, try doing a batch upload of target information. There are a few sites that try, but none that I've found that do it well. Anyone have advice?
"The Age of Consumer Capitalism" by Roger Martin in the current issue of the Harvard Business Review suggests that corporate attention to shareholder value over the past three decades has actually hurt shareholder value. In a nutshell, "next quarter" decisions motivated to improve shareholder value often come at the expense of decisions that improve customer value. In the long run customers vote with their purchasing decisions and then....guess what happens to shareholder value. Seems so simple, doesn't it?
OK, that's enough for this week. Work hard, and enjoy it.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Practice What You Believe
Standing and perusing my bookshelf my eyes settled on an old friend. Max DuPree, the head of Herman Miller for many years wrote "Leadership is an Art." It has always been one of my favorites because it speaks to leadership principles with a simple yet compelling style. Looking at it on the shelf I recalled an illustration he used.
“The noted English architect, Sir Christopher Wren once built a structure in London. His employers claimed that a certain span Wren planned was too wide, that he would need another row of columns for support. Sir Christopher, after some discussion, acquiesced. He added a row of columns, but he left a space between the unnecessary columns and the beams above.
“The worthies of London could not see this space from the ground. To this day, the beam has not sagged. The columns still stand firm, supporting nothing but Wren’s conviction.”
It is easy to be moved by the crowd in most situations. In our culture it is often difficult to stand apart, to go against the grain, to buck the system. But sometimes it is the right thing to do regardless of its difficulty or risk. This doesn't require that you be a "leader," although you may be. It simply requires that you have the belief of your convictions and stand for what you believe is right.
Sometimes the crowd is wrong.
“The noted English architect, Sir Christopher Wren once built a structure in London. His employers claimed that a certain span Wren planned was too wide, that he would need another row of columns for support. Sir Christopher, after some discussion, acquiesced. He added a row of columns, but he left a space between the unnecessary columns and the beams above.
“The worthies of London could not see this space from the ground. To this day, the beam has not sagged. The columns still stand firm, supporting nothing but Wren’s conviction.”
It is easy to be moved by the crowd in most situations. In our culture it is often difficult to stand apart, to go against the grain, to buck the system. But sometimes it is the right thing to do regardless of its difficulty or risk. This doesn't require that you be a "leader," although you may be. It simply requires that you have the belief of your convictions and stand for what you believe is right.
Sometimes the crowd is wrong.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
We Have Choices to Make
My wife and I are expecting again. Well, to be honest, our son and daughter-in-law are expecting again but at this stage of life we get to share in the joy too. And a joy she (our first “she”) will be. It got me to thinking. Here I am about to welcome my fifth grandchild into the world. Me! It seems like the last time I checked I was twenty-something and about to teach the world a thing or two.
There has been a lot of teaching since then and I’ve been in the student’s seat for virtually all of it. I’ve learned new things about love, loyalty, sacrifice, and friendship. I’ve learned that life is rarely as difficult as it sometimes wants us to believe, as long as we believe. With a reservoir of faith and strength greater than our own we can and often do overcome and achieve, usually in spite of the obstacles. This is not to say that life is easy, but we often make it more complicated than it needs to be. It is not easy, but it is really very simple.
Right now the economy and its various forms of fallout have us spiraling. While we say we think it has begun to turn upward again no one expects an early return to the old normal. That may never come, and why should it? In fact, why would we want it to? After all, the old normal led us to the current normal and frankly, it’s not so great.
So I asked myself, what would create a new normal that would restore and renew us? The answer is very simple. People would do what they say. Decisions would not be based on greed. Everyone would know that they are accountable and what that means. Value would be attributed to those who create real benefit. We would focus more on the things that unify us than on the things that divide us. We would teach our children that life, not things, have value. We would understand that behavior has consequences. We would know that we are responsible for each other and accountable to each other. We would act with the knowledge that ideals are powerful and can change the way we behave, the way we love and yes, the way we do business.
An idealist, you say? Unabashedly so, but also a pragmatist. I’ve lived the life I’ve lived. I’ve seen technologies and the seduction of success come and go. I’ve witnessed countless “next best things” and movements. And what I see left is people. I see me and I see you. I see that we have power to make choices and the capacity to choose those ideals that are good and reject those that are not. I see that we have a wealth of experience and knowledge and that new horizons call to us. Horizons that will excite us, challenge us, and reward us. I see that we have the opportunity to create something new.
As I look to our collective past I am encouraged. We are not the first to suffer hardship and turmoil. The fact that we are only proves that we are humans living in an imperfect world. What matters most, I believe, is what we decide to do about it.
It really is simple. Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons. Give each other the freedom to hold our own beliefs. Celebrate a life in common. Have the courage to succeed.
Simple. Not easy. Vital.
There has been a lot of teaching since then and I’ve been in the student’s seat for virtually all of it. I’ve learned new things about love, loyalty, sacrifice, and friendship. I’ve learned that life is rarely as difficult as it sometimes wants us to believe, as long as we believe. With a reservoir of faith and strength greater than our own we can and often do overcome and achieve, usually in spite of the obstacles. This is not to say that life is easy, but we often make it more complicated than it needs to be. It is not easy, but it is really very simple.
Right now the economy and its various forms of fallout have us spiraling. While we say we think it has begun to turn upward again no one expects an early return to the old normal. That may never come, and why should it? In fact, why would we want it to? After all, the old normal led us to the current normal and frankly, it’s not so great.
So I asked myself, what would create a new normal that would restore and renew us? The answer is very simple. People would do what they say. Decisions would not be based on greed. Everyone would know that they are accountable and what that means. Value would be attributed to those who create real benefit. We would focus more on the things that unify us than on the things that divide us. We would teach our children that life, not things, have value. We would understand that behavior has consequences. We would know that we are responsible for each other and accountable to each other. We would act with the knowledge that ideals are powerful and can change the way we behave, the way we love and yes, the way we do business.
An idealist, you say? Unabashedly so, but also a pragmatist. I’ve lived the life I’ve lived. I’ve seen technologies and the seduction of success come and go. I’ve witnessed countless “next best things” and movements. And what I see left is people. I see me and I see you. I see that we have power to make choices and the capacity to choose those ideals that are good and reject those that are not. I see that we have a wealth of experience and knowledge and that new horizons call to us. Horizons that will excite us, challenge us, and reward us. I see that we have the opportunity to create something new.
As I look to our collective past I am encouraged. We are not the first to suffer hardship and turmoil. The fact that we are only proves that we are humans living in an imperfect world. What matters most, I believe, is what we decide to do about it.
It really is simple. Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons. Give each other the freedom to hold our own beliefs. Celebrate a life in common. Have the courage to succeed.
Simple. Not easy. Vital.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A Green Lease Cautionary Tale
Imagine developing a new LEED certified building only to have the investment and competitive future of the property negated by one clause in a tenant’s lease. Think it can’t happen, or that it didn’t happen? Think again.
The anchor tenant in a new building caused a clause to be inserted in the lease which read:
“Landlord shall not be required to impose on Tenant or any other tenant of the Building, requirements for Tenant or other tenants to comply with any certification requirements under the USGBC’s Green Building Rating System or other green or sustainable design elements.”
Sustainable building, LEED certification and social responsibility all continue to be important elements in the commercial property maket sector. Achieving LEED certification and having a good sustainability program enhances market value and competitive positioning. More and more tenants have sustainability as a requirement because they recognize the long term financial and social benefits of doing so.
However, there is an expectation in the marketplace that buildings will improve their sustainability profile over time as new technologies and competitive requirements dictate. Doing so requires capital investment which must be borne in part by tenants, and there’s the rub. In the case referenced above the anchor tenant forced a clause into their lease prohibiting the building from requiring any tenants in the building from complying with any sustainable project requirements. Presumably this stance was taken to insulate the tenant from lease increases associated with capitalization of these projects. Once the clause is in place the building and its owner are effectively held hostage until the clause is renegotiated or the lease terms out. During the time the clause is in effect the building owner alone is responsible for capitalizing all sustainability improvements. Improvement which will benefit tenants as well.
A more rational approach would be to recognize that sustainability improvements over time will benefit both owner and tenants. Instead of negotiating a hostage clause like the one above the parties could have chosen to agree on a governance mechanism that would allow joint participation in decision making and an equitable cost / benefit sharing formula.
For more on this tale see http://www.galleyecocapital.com/2009/12/the-little-clause-that-killed-a-green-building-sale/
The anchor tenant in a new building caused a clause to be inserted in the lease which read:
“Landlord shall not be required to impose on Tenant or any other tenant of the Building, requirements for Tenant or other tenants to comply with any certification requirements under the USGBC’s Green Building Rating System or other green or sustainable design elements.”
Sustainable building, LEED certification and social responsibility all continue to be important elements in the commercial property maket sector. Achieving LEED certification and having a good sustainability program enhances market value and competitive positioning. More and more tenants have sustainability as a requirement because they recognize the long term financial and social benefits of doing so.
However, there is an expectation in the marketplace that buildings will improve their sustainability profile over time as new technologies and competitive requirements dictate. Doing so requires capital investment which must be borne in part by tenants, and there’s the rub. In the case referenced above the anchor tenant forced a clause into their lease prohibiting the building from requiring any tenants in the building from complying with any sustainable project requirements. Presumably this stance was taken to insulate the tenant from lease increases associated with capitalization of these projects. Once the clause is in place the building and its owner are effectively held hostage until the clause is renegotiated or the lease terms out. During the time the clause is in effect the building owner alone is responsible for capitalizing all sustainability improvements. Improvement which will benefit tenants as well.
A more rational approach would be to recognize that sustainability improvements over time will benefit both owner and tenants. Instead of negotiating a hostage clause like the one above the parties could have chosen to agree on a governance mechanism that would allow joint participation in decision making and an equitable cost / benefit sharing formula.
For more on this tale see http://www.galleyecocapital.com/2009/12/the-little-clause-that-killed-a-green-building-sale/
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Data Interoperability – A Dream Coming True or an Elusive Quest?
As building operations have increased in complexity over the years so has the data available from building systems and the need to analyze the data and make fact-based decisions. Facility Managers (FM’s) and their cohorts are challenged to make sense of and synthesize data from different systems to present a complete and rational picture of operations. Not to say that we have arrived at a juncture of data and rationality, but at least we can see the intersection from where we are today.
Expanding beyond the building envelope, managing portfolios of multiple properties only increases the complexity of the equation and the challenge of reaching that desired intersection. While there have long been portfolio management systems and building management systems the two have not often worked hand in hand. Too often, in fact, they have not been viewed as part of the same equation. The real estate folks have their systems and the operations team has theirs. Seldom are they integrated.
In today’s world that simply is no longer acceptable.
Large portfolios represent large investments. Investments that must be optimized in all realms to support financial health and strength. That means that real estate portfolio management and operational systems management should be viewed as part of one whole, not two separates.
Corporate Real Estate (CRE) professionals care about strategic planning, forecasting requirements and business drivers. They understand the financials of the deal but not the life cycle operating costs of the deal. They need to track inventory, utilization, depreciation and implications to the corporate bottom line. Like FM’s, their operational cousins, they typically deal with a number of different systems to accomplish all of this.
FM’s who are focused on building or site operations deal with a different set of requirements, systems and data. On the building side of their domain they care about operating costs, risk mitigation, compliance issues, energy efficiency, lean processes and meeting service level agreements.
The two worlds seem different but are interdependent. New generations of software will integrate them in ways that improve operations on both sides of the equation, making the interdependencies visible and actionable. Portfolio information about asset management and utilization will help operators understand building profiles. Service KPI’s will be tracked across the enterprise and integrated with financials. Energy management will be dashboarded and enable financial modeling and troubleshooting using the same analytical tools.
One of the positive effects of the economic meltdown will be an increased focus on efficiency coming out of the experience. Capital investment will flow to programs and systems that help to lean operations, improve performance and increase efficiencies.
Tomorrow is on the horizon. It will not look like yesterday. It won’t feel like yesterday. It won’t be yesterday. Crisis always leads to innovation and this one is no different. But it will require that you change as your company, your priorities and the knowledge you need to be successful change.
Change. There’s that word again. Don’t ya just love it?
I hope so. It’s the key to your future.
Expanding beyond the building envelope, managing portfolios of multiple properties only increases the complexity of the equation and the challenge of reaching that desired intersection. While there have long been portfolio management systems and building management systems the two have not often worked hand in hand. Too often, in fact, they have not been viewed as part of the same equation. The real estate folks have their systems and the operations team has theirs. Seldom are they integrated.
In today’s world that simply is no longer acceptable.
Large portfolios represent large investments. Investments that must be optimized in all realms to support financial health and strength. That means that real estate portfolio management and operational systems management should be viewed as part of one whole, not two separates.
Corporate Real Estate (CRE) professionals care about strategic planning, forecasting requirements and business drivers. They understand the financials of the deal but not the life cycle operating costs of the deal. They need to track inventory, utilization, depreciation and implications to the corporate bottom line. Like FM’s, their operational cousins, they typically deal with a number of different systems to accomplish all of this.
FM’s who are focused on building or site operations deal with a different set of requirements, systems and data. On the building side of their domain they care about operating costs, risk mitigation, compliance issues, energy efficiency, lean processes and meeting service level agreements.
The two worlds seem different but are interdependent. New generations of software will integrate them in ways that improve operations on both sides of the equation, making the interdependencies visible and actionable. Portfolio information about asset management and utilization will help operators understand building profiles. Service KPI’s will be tracked across the enterprise and integrated with financials. Energy management will be dashboarded and enable financial modeling and troubleshooting using the same analytical tools.
One of the positive effects of the economic meltdown will be an increased focus on efficiency coming out of the experience. Capital investment will flow to programs and systems that help to lean operations, improve performance and increase efficiencies.
Tomorrow is on the horizon. It will not look like yesterday. It won’t feel like yesterday. It won’t be yesterday. Crisis always leads to innovation and this one is no different. But it will require that you change as your company, your priorities and the knowledge you need to be successful change.
Change. There’s that word again. Don’t ya just love it?
I hope so. It’s the key to your future.
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