IFMA's World Workplace 2011

Due to technology I'm staring this entry some ~39,000 feet above the earth, returning to the Bluegrass State from a week in Phoenix, AZ where there was some business meetings, some networking, some fun and a much learning at my professional organization's annual conference.

I am a member of the International Facility Management Association a.k.a. IFMA, and I hold the credential of Certified Facility Manager or CFM which is a certification earned through practice, knowledge and testing of all aspects of the built environment. I have been a member of the Louisville Chapter for 20 years or so.

My employer has been very supportive and encouraging about my ongoing membership and participation over the years and has supported me with annual dues the time to be active and participate through the many roles I've held over the years, from committees through all board positions. Financial support for travel and seminar fees has been valuable to me and I hope to them as well.

The conference is 3 to 4 days when facility managers from across the world gather to learn, from each other, from industry experts and to build networks of knowledge about the global workplace's similarities and differences. The experience was very well summed up by the associations current Chair when during her opening conference said "...it's a week when you can talk about space utilization... and people are really interested!"

I've had the opportunity to hear many great keynote speakers at these conferences, some well-known, some not so much, most were very interesting and this year was no exception. The closing keynote speaker this year was a gentleman by the name of Christopher Gardner not exactly a household name but a man with a captivating personal story. Chris recorded his story in the book "The Pursuit of HappYness" which was then made into the movie by the same name which starred Will Smith. I haven't seen the movie, even though I remember the trailer, I'm reading the book and plan to see the movie after that. What an amazing story, from homelessness to riches through perseverance, sacrifice, and dedication to one's dream but more than anything else, a promise he made to himself at a very young age... to be there for his kids, above all else.

A Beautiful Fall

Why does the changing of the leaves and the shortening of the day bring thoughts and memories of days gone gone by? My mind seems to be clearer and a little more open to reflection and a little less filled with work and worry.

Another year will soon be coming to a close. A year of tumultuous change, upheaval and stress in some ways, but exciting and rewarding in others.

The stress of being in an industry that has been under the microscope for sometime and the pressure of uncertainty along with departmental changes and large doses of outsourcing has been a challenge for me and many of my peers.

I have a good friend who talks about living in the moment and being fully engaged in whatever activity you doing and that's where the true state of happiness can be found, the perfect state... Zen. I don't know that I can find this place or ever truly be "in the moment" but I'm working on it... and it seems to help!

Health and Safety Duty



One of my distractions for the last 20 years of my life.

I often wonder why I'm still hanging in there when most Dads and Moms seem to find the exit when their son's achieve Eagle Scout... I think somebody forgot to give me the map! I just keep going back for more.

Those of us who've been around for a while and have found an extended family in the program know why we can't step away. We know you can't take the paychecks to the bank, you put them in a far safer place, a place where no one can ever take them from you. You can lose your money and your possessions, but your memories, like your knowledge and your dreams can never be taken from you.

One of my many Scouting hats allows me the opportunity to help our Council have safe camps and programs for everyone who participates and uses our facilities. Here is my latest article for our monthly leaders newsletter:

Health Safety & Risk Management

February 2010

DISTRACTED DRIVING
Your passenger’s health and safety... their very lives are in your hands when you are behind the wheel… understood?


Wikipedia.org Defines Distracted Driving As:

Distracted driving, a replacement title for the more popular terms "texting while driving" and "talking while driving", is the what occurs when a driver has something other than driving on his mind.[1] Driving becomes subsequent in importance to another activity that is happening inside the car, truck or cycle while the vehicle is in motion.


All areas of our Council are covered by some form of law that either restricts or forbids the drivers use of electronic communications. Do you know what they are and how they differ between Indiana and Kentucky? There are numerous resources that you can turn to find the specifics but the simplest thing to do is simply turn it off before you get behind the wheel.

Think about it, there are enough distractions inherent in the act of piloting a motor vehicle not to mention adding passengers and, in our case, many times they are excited Scouts and Scouters who are on the way to or from that “big adventure” we don’t need to add talking, texting or reading electronic minutia to the mix.

Think about it, it’s never OK! Never fool yourself, the laws of physics are hard and unbending, they apply to all of us, and they never take a day off. We found the following startling finding:

“Texting drivers took their eyes off the forward roadway for an average of 4.6 seconds during the 6-second interval surrounding a safety-critical event. At 55 mph (or 80.7 feet per second), this equates to a driver traveling 371 feet, the approximate length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the roadway. At 65 mph (or 95.3 feet per second), the driver would have traveled approximately 439 feet without looking at the roadway.”

We encourage you spend some time at http://distraction.gov/ you’ll find a wealth of information, like the fact above, that will convince you to turn it off until you take a break from driving or if you already do, it will give you ideas you can use to convince your friends to do it too!

Sustainability

What started as a job assignment led to a passion.

One of my favorite blogs is written by Marc Gunther who is a contributing writer to many publications including Fortune magazine. I read his blog on a regular basis and have learned that we must do things differently. The cartoon that follows is from Marc's first blog of 2011 where he shared some of his spotlights from 2010.

Regardless of where you are on the subject of climate change, doing things differently will produce so many positives, for us and... for generations to follow.

Christmas Memories

It is hard to believe that it's almost time to take down and store the Christmas decorations until the Holidays return again in 2011. It seems like they just went up! It has been a very short season this year since work has been very busy and the travel has been considerable since the first of November.

I guess for many of us, no matter how many Christmases we'll get... it'll never be enough. For me it is "the most wonderful time of the year!" I hate to see it end as we head into the remaining long dark days of winter.

Since it's New Years Eve I'm trying to get my last fix from the lights and ornaments filling the tree since in a matter of hours it will all be packed away again.

It's always amazing to me how many vivid memories and the stories connect to so many of the ornaments on our tree. Moments in time, places, people and events come flooding back with both the unpacking and re-wrapping on New Years Day.

Holiday Vacation

Why are vacations so short? You wait with anxious anticipation for the planned time away from work to begin and then suddenly you find yourself halfway through the week... and the return seems far too close.

I love the slower pace when out of the office, especially my annual Holiday get away when I get to spend more time with the family than at any other time of the year!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Milestones

Another milestone along my road to tomorrow, was passed today.

The little girl that came into my life only... yesterday I'm certain, submitted an application to attend Auburn Veterinary School next fall... can it be real? Is it possible that I will wake up any time now and find that it's all been a dream?

I am so proud of my daughter who from a very young age knew she wanted to be a Vet, we thought she'd change her mind a dozen times, like most kids do... not this one not once! She's had doubts, especially when buried by the science and math, and coming to the realization that other professions might provide an easier path, but she's always bounced back.

I found the following video, I think it holds many messages,

In My Daughter's Eyes

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes