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The September 2004 Edition Northern Alberta Chapter
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Presidents Message |
 Presidents
MessageAs your new President, I am honored to be entrusted with carrying on the strong leadership that our Chapter has grown accustomed to. The shoes of our Johanna Wienert are proving to be difficult to fill, which may explain my limp. Johanna is a very committed and enthusiastic volunteer and has always been willing and eager to take on anything and everything. In her new role as Past-President, I'm sure she'll carve out a new niche and maybe complete some of those "Special Projects" that have been sitting on the back burner. Also returning to the board for another year of fun are Ron Muir, Treasurer and Veronica Wake, Sponsorship, both from Alberta Infrastructure. Welcome to new board members John Anderson from The Edmonton Economic Development Research Park who will serve as Secretary, and Brian Stephenson, ATCO-Itek who's taking on membership. Since we practice what we preach vis-a-vis recycling, welcome back to the board Ken Stepan, Acting Vice-President and responsible for Communications. We are still working on filling 2 more board positions for programs and education. As we all start a new fall season and fill our days with the rigors and routines of work, family and community, let us not forget our own professional development. While we may speak about "giving back to the community" isn't membership and participation in IFMA and similar organizations in our own self-interest? Whether we believe its "what you know" or "who you know" as the doorways to success, we can help each other forge the keys to unlock our potential in this crazy, changing and unforgiving part of the world we call facility management. Did you notice I said "we can help each other", not "we can help you"? Yes, we're in this together. The "we" is IFMA - Northern Alberta Chapter of which we are all members and have a stake in. The chapter is only as strong as the participating members and frankly, right now we're looking rather worn and tired, by the measures of membership, which is declining, program participation, which is stagnant, and board positions, which remain, unfilled. By other measures, the board is in good shape - financially sound and our member survey last spring indicated a relatively high level of satisfaction with programs and member services. As I've shared with the board, my priority this year is to support efforts to attract new members, and get them active in IFMA. Our chapter demographics mirror the national phenomenon of the baby boom bulge, so we particularly need to target young FM'er's to join IFMA. If we don't start this initiative soon, we risk the Chapter dying a slow and sure death. So, you're saying - so what - it doesn't involve me, I'm already a member. Ah, ha, but you can help re-energize the chapter, by helping recruit new members and if you don't feel comfortable doing this directly, simply pass on the names to myself (jmclaughlin@stantec.com) or to our Administrator, Vicki Hackl. I look forward to meeting all of you this coming season! John F. McLaughlin, CFM President 2004-2005
Be sure to see the contact information and pictures of the board members at http://www.ifma-nac.org/aboutus.html New MembersIFMA NAC welcomes our newest members: Jo-Louise Hug, Planner, Stantec Consulting Ltd Glenn Burke, Property & Initiatives Officer, Government of Northwest Territories Strategic Directions – Survey Says
Event attendance – membership indicated a low to moderate attendance. This is something for the Chapter to improve upon. Event time preference – After Work 30%, Lunch 30%, Breakfast 3%, a mix of after work and lunch 37%. Well, it does not look like breakfast is on for a little while and that the blended time preference is the direction that will be taken. Awareness of the Chapter – the good news is that 88% of the respondents were aware of the Chapter. That leaves 12% of members who were not aware of the Chapter – interesting when you think about it. Visited Website – Well 67% surveyed have surfed the NAC and the remaining, 33%, are still stuck on shore. We will undertake to make the Internet waters of the NAC more appealing to those that are still on shore and for those who are already out surfing please look for new features and links in the upcoming year. New member prospects – thanks to all those who suggested new member names and also suggested companies to contact for potential membership in the NAC. Suggested Program Topics – Green Buildings/LEED, Security, Contract Law and Litigation, Interior Design, Occupational Health and Safety, Facilities Management Industry. Thank you all for the suggestions – we are working on securing knowledgeable and relevant speakers to address these topics. Other suggestions – the number one other suggestion is more Tours. Okay we have heard you and that is what we are starting the year with at the Provincial Archives of Alberta –see you there on September 21, 004. Newsletter Content – thanks to those who volunteered their names as potential contributors. You can definitely expect a call in time for the December Edition of the NAC Newsletter. Compliments – Impressed with the website, local flavor of events, doing this survey, email communications. There you go, a quick 90-second report on the results of the membership survey. And, if you have any suggestions on how to improve the benefits for the Chapter membership please contact any member of the NAC board to let them know what you would like to see, hear and do. Ken E. Stepan, CFM Vice President
September 21, 2004
October 13, 2004 Quality and quantity of fresh water will be a key issue for the 21st century, both worldwide and in Canada. Alberta is developing a provincial water strategy and is considering charging (municipalities, industry, agriculture, etc.) for its use. More worrisome, the continued flow of river water - that we all depend on for drinking and industrial process, is at significant risk from the dual effects of global warming and man-made pollutants. We've got some big problems coming at us, soon! Some Friend and I Started Talking.... The following quotes are from “Turning to one another: Simple conversations to restore hope to the future” by Margaret J. Wheatly, 2002, ISBN 1-57675-145-7. This book is a good soft skill read about establishing conversations in which there are opportunities to establish the environment to speak and to listen such that we each feel heard. For those of you who refrain from the touchy feely side of things – get over it – read the book and start a conversation. And when you look back and are conversing with others about that fantastic idea that blossomed into an amazing success you will be able to say “Some friends and I started talking …”. Some words on the potential of uniqueness “It’s common for people to say that everyone is unique, that no two people are exactly the same. Yet how often do we forfeit our unique self-expression in order to claim an identity? When I identify myself as a white, American, middle-aged woman, of English and German heritage, how adequately do that describe me? These categories may give me a personal sense of location in the world, but over a lifetime, they aren’t nearly big enough to describe who I am. And if I restrain my self-expression to keep these few categories, I end up feeling constrained and disappointed. A.R. Ammons, an American poet, expressed this perfectly:
don’t establish the boundaries first, The Financials (June 30, 2004)
The Future Financials (Budget for 2004–2005)
Ron Muir, CFM Treasurer PSFC Interest Based Bargaining
What is it? Keys to Interest Based Bargaining Success
Suggested Ground Rules
Do not dig into areas you should not.
Four Principals
Five Assumptions
The above is from Interest Based Bargaining – a Public Sector Facilities Council presentation by Ed Buonaccorsi, CFM, City of Santa Rosa, CA, August 26, 2004. Two things about Facility ManagementOne - it is about people. FM Outlink – Unstuck at http://www.unstuck.com
Do you think you might be stuck? Maybe it's only been for a day. Maybe it's a sneaking suspicion you've had for a while. You've come to the right place! You've started to admit that you might be stuck. So, what do you do with that admission? How can you cut through the fog, the politics, the loss of optimism that comes from hitting a wall? How can you move forward when everything seems to be heading in reverse? Spend some time thinking about your symptoms. If it helps, write your thoughts. Why does it seem you can't forge ahead? Are you stuck on something? With something? In something? With someone? Everyone (and I mean everyone) gets stuck. So take a moment reread the above and hit the link and learn. Knowledge Management Retro-Innovation - Time and Values (based on the 10 Werndl ‘C’s) Your office space. The place of interaction, production, thought, evaluation, vision, implementation, clarity, fun and mayhem. It is your space and you have the ability to make the most of it any given time, even when you are not there. The whole idea of office space has seen revolutions of thought, function and application. From suits to sandals, boomers to thumbers, open to closed, cityscapes to beach shores and we have not yet really done the outer space office thing yet. All in all there are some constants that provide relevant guidelines (not rules) for the establishment of the functional workplace. The functional workplace takes advantage of: Cost efficiency – economic use of space through the utilization of smart office furnishings that offer multi-taking functionality. Sharing of the work surfaces, mobile situations, residential and location solutions. Collaboration – the promotion of interaction, teamwork and project group activities. Fostered through the availability of team space and support space that brings people and ideas together for evaluation and implementation. Collaboration also requires that human resources are available to support the coordination of teams and individuals. Communication – can you hear/see me now? The application of a balance that allows for the interaction is created through environments of interactivity that support teams and projects. Think open space, meeting areas, and collaborative intersections. Concentration – privacy, solitary space, visual and acoustical screening, quiet intense thinking, the personal zone where the individual can functionally contribute to the greater community. Think shelter zones, quiet space, Zen gardens and personal vistas. Complexity – Standard workstations for standard functions – not anymore. Look to multifunctional workstations that are suitable for adaptability by the users – nothing less and nothing more. Change – the only real true constant even if it remains the same. The elements of the workspace are flexible, mobile and linked through purpose towards function and implementation of activity. Creativity – the workspace will provide the atmosphere and ambience that stimulates both the group and the individual. Innovation and emotion blended to foster an environment of fresh thinking. Comfort – ergonomics, ergoquality, ergowellness, ergocomfort. It is about people and accommodating their needs through the quality of office life Connectivity – access, connection, knowledge resources, cable, fibre, airwaves and bandwidth. Bring it all together because you will need it all and then some. Culture – reflective of the corporate, the organization and the individual all blended together to achieve the right spirit that embodies the values of the overall business objectives. Easy to say, critical to do, and one of the key elements to the success of any business venture. So…..where and how to do you work best? Does your current workspace situation and environment support you to achieve the goals and spirit of success? Think about it? - And if your workspace does not meet the spirit of success then change for the better and invoke the power of the opportunity to create the appropriate ambience and atmosphere. NAC Contest – September 2004 Edition
Mark your calendars
Aeron® Chair named a “Design of the Decade” by IDSA.
Sometimes taking the greatest risks has the biggest pay-off. That's certainly the case with the Aeron chair. When it was introduced in 1994, nobody had ever seen a chair like it. One of its primary materials, the Pellicle® suspension, didn't even exist before it was developed for the Aeron chair. Today, the chair stands as one of the greatest success stories in the history of seating.
"Everybody knows that Herman Miller isn't afraid of taking risks," says Bill Stumpf, who teamed with Don Chadwick to design the chair. "And Aeron is another example of what can happen when you dare to try what no one else has." "We knew it would be a major breakthrough," Chadwick says, "but we couldn't anticipate how well it would be received." The Aeron chair has been so well received, it's now receiving an extraordinary honor: a Gold award in the Industrial Designers Society of America's Designs of the Decade competition. The Aeron® Chair is available at Omega Business Furnishings a Gold Sponsor of the IFMA Northern Alberta Chapter, http://www.omegabfl.com.
Whoa! It’s Fall. How did that happen? I was just, you know, at the beach, fishing, sailing, reading and burning all that scrap wood in the fire pit and now I am in city. Aaahhhhh!!!! - I am wearing socks and shoes (business attire for me) and I am indoors and the birds are already migrating south from the Kluane. There is only one thing to do and that is to get out of this place and head to Salt Lake City for WWP2004, October 17-19, 2004. If you would like to have your articles or comments presented in the Newsletter please email me at ken.stepan@pwgsc.gc.ca. Thanks.
Ken E. Stepan, CFM |
