Latest News
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October 2011
The FM Coach highly commended finalist for communications and marketing award
Liz Kentish was recognised at BIFM's awards this week in the category communications and marketing. One of three finalists, Liz was highly commended for her campaign to position herself as a key person of influence within the facilities management industry.
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August 2011
Seven key steps for successfully communicating the strategic value of FM to executive management
In today's Facilities Management world, FM professionals are taking on the new role of communicator. Successful FMs are harnessing the power of their network to influence and leverage the power of key internal and external stakeholders. Through successful management of these networks, FMs are finding they are increasing the satisfaction of internal customers, better managing external stakeholders and ultimately wielding more power in the boardroom.
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August 2011
Finding your ideal career
Here's a taster of my eBook The Hunt is On, with the first chapter: Finding your ideal career, provided here free of charge.
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June 2011
ILM calls for coaching to be made available to all staff, not the select few
Despite being acutely aware of the benefits of coaching, only half of UK companies actively coach all of their staff, according to research by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).
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April 2011
Is Coaching for You?
Have you ever wondered if coaching is for you or your team? Here some of Liz's clients open up to give an honest account of why they got involved in coaching, what it has done for themand also give some insight into what it's like working with Liz.
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April 2011
How coaching has helped me post-redundancy, by Helen Versloot
My recent redundancy meant I had to face up to what I'd always perceived to be my greatest fear - the lack of a monthly paycheck landing on the mat. This is one of the main reasons I'd always dismissed becoming self-employed or setting up a business. I'm not risk adverse, I just like having the security of knowing that the mortgage is paid and that I can run my car and pay my bills.
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April 2011
How to build a high performing work team
Car maintenance?
No thanks. What does that have to do with high performing teams? Well, a great deal actually. A car only runs effectively if all the parts are in good working order - if one part fails, that can impact on the whole vehicle. If you're not a mechanic, then you'll need the assistance of your local garage or breakdown service to get you back on the road.
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April 2011
5 steps to successful coaching in Facilities Management
Would you benefit from learning practical ways to overcome some of the difficulties you face managing your teams in another year of challenges?
Effective organisations ensure that their managers coach often and coach well. To do this, they provide an environment where coaching is seen by all as important, where everyone understands what coaching is, and where managers are supported and encouraged to coach as part of their normal role.
Coaching is a vital tool for anyone that wants to get the best out of their team. This session has been developed to provide you with a structured approach to coaching in the workplace. The key aim of the course is to ensure you as a leader drive results by supporting your team members in their learning, enabling them to develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to successfully deliver their objectives.
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April 2011
A vending solution for all seasons
Whether you are responsible for a single site, or multiple locations, having happy customers is the ultimate goal for any FM. Not only does it make for a quieter life, but it also gives reassurance that supplier services are delivering effectively.
Read more of this guest blog ...
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March 2011
Coaching skills on tour
Liz Kentish, the FM Coach and director of Liz Kentish Coaching, has a number of forthcoming speaking engagements, that you can attend and learn about how to a range of skills to help with your career in Facilities Management, as detailed below:
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January 2011
Liz Kentish launches new eBook: The Hunt is On
Liz Kentish, The FM Coach, has today launched a new eBook entitled The Hunt is On, a supportive guide to finding a new job for people working in facilities management.
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December 2010
Women in FM - What's coming up in 2011
2010 has been a great year for the Women in FM (WiFM) Special Interest Group.
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November 2010
Dealing with conflict during change
When dealing with colleagues or anyone else who may be coming from a different perspective to us, there is always potential for conflict. Clashes of personality, styles, and expectations can lead to anything from innocent misunderstandings to inappropriate behaviour and open hostility.
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November 2010
How to support staff who challenge difficult customer behaviour
Who is responsible for creating angry customer behaviour such as swearing, being patronising, sexist, sarcastic, aggressive, condescending or rude? This question can often be baffling for staff. Frequently they answer by saying they themselves or their organisation create the behaviour. The logic operating is that if we provided the service properly the customer would not react in this way. In other words, we are responsible for the customer behaving in this way.
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September 2010
Liz Kentish elected Non-Executive Director of BIFM
At BIFM's (British Institute of Facilities Managers) Member's Council in August 2010, Liz Kentish was elected to the post of Non-Executive Director, to represent the best interests of the institute as a whole.
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September 2010
Oxford and Cherwell Valley College
David Lodge is the Facilities Manager for Oxford and Cherwell Valley College. Together with his fellow Business Support Managers, their team of 30 staff are responsible for the running of the college's buildings which are spread across four campuses.
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July 2010
Case study: John Laing Integrated Services
Liz Kentish has been working with John Laing Integrated Services for several years. At the end of 2008, Rebecca and Liz recognised the need to create a dedicated course aimed at up and coming middle managers to help with their development.
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June 2010
Useful questions for effective conversations in FM
This article, by Liz Kentish the FM Coach, appeared in June's edition of FMX magazine
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June 2010
Keeping it real: what FMs can learn from the hospitality industry and vice versa
The Holiday Inn in Kensington, part of the Inter-Continental Group, is the largest Holiday Inn in the world and the fourth largest hotel in London. It boasts 906 bedrooms, 11 conference rooms, five food and beverage outlets over 27 floors, with around 280 staff (180 full time staff and a further 100 outsourced), and has an annual turnover of £30m.
Robert Flinter, a graduate in hotel management, has worked in large hotels throughout his career. He was the winner of Catering Magazine's Acorn Award in 2009.
Robert spoke at a Women in FM event in June 2010 about the work Holiday Inn has undertaken to improve their customer experience.
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February 2010
Career Success Through Managing Your Own Personal Brand
What matters most to you?
What are the core values that matter most to you? What happens if your own personal values don't match the values of the organization or department you are working for, or the one you want to work for?
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January 2010
Make it Personal - Bethan Jones talks about personal energy
Why shouldn't sustainability apply to people as much as workspaces? After all, without people power the building simply will not run. Bethan Jones shares her tools for sustaining your teams.
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January 2010
Making A Difference - Women in FM forum
Making a Difference? The final Women in FM (WiFM) round table event for 2009, hosted by Channel 4 on 16 December took a look at the Third Sector and how through everyday activities and compliance with current legislation Facilities Managers can provide charities with targeted support. A lively interactive and informative evening with plenty of discussion was the intent, to demonstrate to attendees the influence a Facilities Manager has and how they can make a difference in 2010.
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September 2009
Architects, Engineers, Constructors
Recently Liz Kentish attended her first AEC Network meeting - Architects, Engineers, Constructors - at The Building Centre in London. Liz went along because she wanted to see 'the other side' of the built environment. Liz tells us more.
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September 2009
Are you a Woman in FM?
So, you're working in FM and you just happen to be a woman - so what? Are things really any different for you than they are for any man working in the same sector? Well, you tell me. Coaching both men and women in FM has led me to believe women have a different perspective on the world of work. Read on and let me know if this sounds familiar...
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September 2009
The European Professional Women's Network search for new Committee Members
The European Professional Women's Network (EPWN) London Branch is looking for new steering committee members to help it develop further.
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June 2009
Facilities Management Womens perspective, 3 June 2009, London
"Women are severely under-represented in the construction industry - our latest research has shown that there is a high demand for more communication channels between them" Dr Lisa Worrell (Salford University).
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