Issue link: http://digital.corporatepress.com/i/255499
16 | january/february 2014 | Facilities Manager enabling leadership History Lessons Evaluating the Past to Improve the Future By Joe Whitefield I t is amazing how history comes alive for me when I visit the site of an historic event. As my eyes process the sights, my mind's eye looks back and recreates the events search- ing for clues as to what took place and a deeper understanding of why. This was definitely the case when I recently visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, where President Kennedy was assas- sinated in 1963. I was able to look upon many areas that I had only read about in books or seen on television. Looking down on the motorcade route from a window on the sixth floor of the Book Depository (now a museum) was like looking through a lens on a scene from 50 years ago. The whole experience provided answers to some of my questions while it introduced me to new thoughts, curiosities, and questions. HINDSIGHT In a similar way, the facility managers typically are in the unique position of being on location with the facilities we manage and the constituents we serve. This is a tremen- dous advantage because we operate and maintain facilities and can measure their performance and functionality over time. Every day, I look at the campus foot- print—the facilities, infrastructure, tech- nology, people, etc.—and contemplate how to best provide the services under my responsibility. There is no doubt that the ease or difficulties in meeting today's obligations were heavily influenced, if not totally determined, by decisions made in the past. Being on location provides some historical perspective to the circumstances involved in yester- day's decisions. This contributes to the undervalued form of knowledge known as hindsight. LEGACY ISSUES All facilities managers are dealing with various issues associated with legacy systems. Older facilities often have poorly functioning systems that are some combination of inefficient, difficult to maintain, and costly to operate. As frus- trating as it can be for facilities person- nel to work on these systems, it is often worse for the building tenants who live with the consequences of these under- performing systems. In our struggle to deal with the problems, it is all too easy to criticize the designers and decision makers of the past. What could they have possibly been thinking? I have had that thought on more than one occasion. Perhaps it is time to do more than simply criticize those who have come before. Let me suggest we take an histori- cal view and consider three ways to take advantage of the benefits of hindsight that come from being on location. THE HISTORICAL VIEW First, learn the lessons of history. Decisions are always a result of a process of trade-offs. When inves- tigating the history of a problem, look to determine the conditions and con- straints that were present