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Following Your Passion for Professional Development

Quotes:

“It’s up to us as leaders in this industry to really recognize that, [The Great Resignation] step up, and say, ‘You know what, we’re going to train this next generation, or look at people who have the right qualities as managers and leaders and employees.’ And really take the time to invest in those guys.”

(14:00) – Shawn Black

“Training… It just puts you in a better position to perform your job. We’re not going to know everything, but having that training to fall back on definitely helps you in this world.”

(17:18) – Michael Thomas

“We have to be a good steward of the company’s resources and be that partner. Whether it’s for our employer or the client.”

(20:03) – Michael Thomas

“To be able to have individuals get through the program, and that have a positive impact and deliver value to their organizations and to deliver value to the world is very satisfying.”

(20:43) – Randy Olson

Following Your Passion for Professional Development

Before stepping into 2022, we wanted to dedicate an episode on pursuing professional development. As the clock strikes 12 on December 31st, many will begin their list of New Year’s resolutions. Maybe this was a goal you set for yourself this year, and this episode can help remind you of where you started. Perhaps you have always wanted to improve professionally but did not know where to begin. Wherever you land, we are excited to have Randy Olson of ProFMI and Michael Thomas of JLL on to discuss their own journeys and give advice for all of us!

Today’s episode discussed everything from the Great Resignation to investing in your team to initiating self-assessment to practical ways to pursue development in the new year. Both Randy and Michael have a ton of advice on the subject, along with applicable warnings about remaining stagnant as both employer and employee.

Randy has had many conversations with businesses about the growing reach of the Great Resignation. If you are not familiar with the term, this is the statistics that began in early 2021, showing that employees chose to resign from their jobs in larger numbers than ever. This voluntary “Big Quit” has toppled businesses into some of the most arduous recovery periods if they recover at all. With that anxiety whirling around, many companies now ask how to retain their employees or hire the correct ones in the future. Randy and Michael both agree that it is professional development.

Employers must set the example by seeking out development for themselves. By creating a culture that desires to be developing, the employees should follow. Alongside that, the company must give time, resources, and think into how they help their employees find the right programs and classes to continue their FM education. Michaell met Randy by using his paid time off to go to the most recent NFMT Conference in Orlando, FL. Although you cannot force your employees to value and seek further development, there are ways within your company structure that can help them achieve it with as few stumbling blocks as possible.

“It’s an important time for organizations to invest in their people.”
(11:37) – Randy Olson

Michael had previously served as a United States Marine before stepping into facility maintenance and management. Wanting a job where he would be challenged and have the ability to learn, he has loved every bit of professional development courses that he could find. During 2020, with the extra amount of time he had on his hands, he decided it was time to get certified in ProFMI credential courses. The courses not only trained him in the areas he desired but helped him learn about scenarios and wisdom that he may have never even encountered.

For 2022, Michael recommends for any and everyone to take the free Map Your Gap assessment. This is what helped highlight any blind spots he had in the areas in which he would want to further his development. Alongside that, those in FM should cultivate a hunger to want to learn. This can look like getting magazine subscriptions about FM, applying for courses, attending conferences, or scheduling time with those you want to learn from. It all starts with the internal desire to learn and grow; from there, you will continue to find new avenues to do so.

Randy and the ProFM program use a holistic, integrated approach to both upscale the employee and bring value to their organization as a whole. He and his team learned that most people want all their training from one place and want many ways to consume this information. This leads to a structure with both in-person and virtual classes with hands-on and visual or auditory elements. Long-term courses and breakout sessions are all available and can be beneficial for those in their first year, to those in their 5th, 10th, or 30th, and beyond in FM.

With the flexibility of remote, working from home, and virtual classes, now is the time to take that next step in your professional development!

Maybe you are now searching for a job within FM and believe you may not have all the skill sets; seeking programs and courses like this are another great way to prepare. Companies are looking for people who can come in and hit the ground running. Total quality management jobs need to hire people who want to get things taken care of and have the confidence to spearhead them without much hand-holding.

If you are interested in investing in yourself or your employees, then look no further than ProFM. Classes, programs, and conferences will show your staff that you want to benefit them in the long run, not just to get today’s job done. If you would like to know more about the classes spoken of in today’s episode be sure to visit profmi.org/evolution and learn more about the ProFM’s credential course.

The FM evolution podcast is brought to you by CGP Maintenance & Construction Services. We’ll ensure consistently great performance to help keep your business running smoothly. For more information, visit CGPconstruction.com.

Summary

Michael had previously served as a United States Marine before stepping into facility maintenance and management. Wanting a job where he would be challenged and have the ability to learn, he has loved every bit of professional development courses that he could find. During 2020, with the extra amount of time he had on his hands, he decided it was time to get certified in ProFMI credential courses. The courses not only trained him in the areas he desired but helped him learn about scenarios and wisdom that he may have never even encountered.

For 2022, Michael recommends for any and everyone to take the free Map Your Gap assessment. This is what helped highlight any blind spots he had in the areas in which he would want to further his development. Alongside that, those in FM should cultivate a hunger to want to learn. This can look like getting magazine subscriptions about FM, applying for courses, attending conferences, or scheduling time with those you want to learn from. It all starts with the internal desire to learn and grow; from there, you will continue to find new avenues to do so.

Shownotes:

  • (3:06) Introducing Randy Olson and Michael Thomas
  • (6:20) What Are You Reading?
  • (10:07) Why FM’s Should Focus on Professional Development in 2022
  • (14:20) The Impact of Going Through the ProFM Program
  • (18:36) Challenges with Professional Development
  • (14:11) Top Focus For FM’s In 2022
  • (24:15) ProFM Credential Topics
  • (27:41) Training and Educating FM’s in 2022
  • (34:03) What Started Randy in ProFm
  • (38:32) Wrap Up

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