The ability to manage the day-to-day operations of a healthcare facility is a basic expectation for a facility manager (FM), but the ability to clearly communicate the needs of maintenance staff to the C suite and vice versa will set an FM apart, according to an article on the FacilityCare website.

Jack Gosselin, principal with healthcare recruiter Gosselin Associates, said that he was the “in-house expert on just about everything” in his first healthcare job. That experience can teach a person how to solve nearly any challenge a facility can throw out, but it doesn’t always prepare them to instruct others on how to solve these challenges.

“As you get up to the higher levels, such as chief facility officer, you have the ‘luxury’ of having a lot of people around you who know a lot of the technical aspects of the job,” said Jack Gosselin, CHFM, principal with healthcare recruiter Gosselin Associates. “That’s when leadership kicks in,” he said. “You need to be able to communicate at all levels.”

When working to build communication skills, it’s important to remember that communication is about more than telling someone what’s going on — it’s about making sure the listener understands. Broadening your exposure to corporate lingo is therefore key.

Read the article.