Richard Peterson shares how IFMA’s credentials, chapter involvement and mentorship accelerated his FM career, from earning the CFM to leading a global team.
In this episode of the Connected FM podcast, host Wayne Whitzell, second vice chair of IFMA's Global Board of Directors, speaks with Richard Peterson Senior Director of IFM at Cushman and Wakefield. They discuss how IFMA's educational opportunities, chapter meetings, networking, and credentialing, have significantly advanced their careers. They recount their journey through the CFM exam and the benefits of community and mentorship within IFMA. They also touch on the challenges and rewards of leading a global team in IFM and the value of mentorship programs.
Richard Peterson: [00:00:00] I don't think I would've, received the opportunities that I have. And would be where I'm at without ifma for sure. I spent the last decade taking advantage of all the chapter meetings, the networking opportunities, the educational opportunities. I think the education's great of course, but it also shows a level of engagement.
And anytime I've had an opportunity for advancement on the professional IFM side, I know that was a big differentiator for me. I mean, truly in terms of ROI complete no-brainer.
Host: Welcome to Connected fm, a podcast connecting you to the latest insights, tools, and resources to help you succeed in facility management. This podcast is brought to you by ifma, the leading professional association for facility managers. If you are ready to grow your network and advance in your career, go to ifma.org to get started.
In today's episode, we're exploring a question many facility managers face, what's the real impact of earning credentials and [00:01:00] getting involved with the IFMA community? Post Wayne Weitzell, the second vice chair of IF a's Global Board of directors. Sits down with Richard Peterson, the senior director of IFM at Cushman in Wakefield, about their shared journey through ifma S credentials, the value of chapter engagement and the power of mentorship.
They also reflect on the challenges and rewards of leading global FM teams and much more. Now, let's get into it.
Wayne Whitzell: Welcome to the Connected FM podcast. My name is Wayne Whitzell. I am the second vice chair of if a's executive committee on the global board. And I am very happy to be here today, joined by Richard Peterson. Who is, you're in so many different things. You're in the corporate facilities council as the secretary, you are the vice president of Silicon Valley or, or what are you? Vice
Richard Peterson: president of Silicon [00:02:00] Valley. Yeah, vice president of Silicon
Wayne Whitzell: Valley and numerous other things.
And most recently, you are now the, am I, is it the senior FM at Cushman and Wakefield on the Micron account?
Richard Peterson: That's right. Yeah. You got it.
Wayne Whitzell: Good. That's, it's a lot of things to say there. Richard and I go way back and one of the wonderful things that Richard and I did together was we passed our CFM exam together.
And that was in large part due to you starting a program at the Corporate Facilities Council. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Richard Peterson: Yeah. IFMA has been very great to me over the many years of involvement. I first won a scholarship for the SFP and FMP, and that helped build some momentum to go for the CFM.
I was sitting on the fences because like most of us, I playing zone defense in life with, you know, responsibilities on the home and the work front and the, the volunteering front at ifma. So it was just procrastinating and I thought it would be you know, motivating and fun to go through that process of obtaining your c fm with a friend.
So I [00:03:00] gave Wayne a call and he was kind of in a similar boat. He's checked a lot of the, you know, educational credentialing boxes over the years, but hadn't. You know, dug into that one. And you know, from that conversation we, we thought we would put it together as a program, as part of the corporate facility Council.
And during that process we filled up right away, you know, finding the first year we had over a dozen aspiring CFMs that wanted to go through that process in a community with like-minded individuals working on a shared mission. We were able to get sponsors through the CFC to help fund the strategy prep test course that we offered as part of that program.
But most importantly for me, it was, it made the process fun going through it together with a community. So yeah, that, that just happened from, you know, my own desire to do it and reaching out to a friend and it kind of grew
Wayne Whitzell: and we were pretty cruel to each other because I remember when you passed your exam, you called me up and didn't tell me.
You, you got on the phone and, and were very [00:04:00] sad and despondent. And you made me think you didn't pass, and then you, you rope a dove me and said, but I did the same thing back to you, so it's only fair it tease each other. That was a lot of fun. I'll, I'll
Richard Peterson: never forget that. Yeah. You were the first one I called and it was good to kind of joke with each other a little bit and kind of scare you.
But yeah, we both passed and encourage anybody to kind of go through that and we're around if you have any questions about it.
Wayne Whitzell: Yeah, well, I, I'll say that you, you, you know, you and I both have the trifecta, the F-M-P-S-F-P and CFM. All three of the things. I think we haven't taken essentials of fm. Maybe we should do that too, just for fun.
But I, I think, you know, we talk about IFMA success stories and there's so many people that are a success story in ifma, but I look at you and I really think, I mean, you are the poster child because you started out as an associate member. And you eventually said, oh, you know, I'm around all these people.
I want to be part of this thing. I, I, I, I want more opportunity. And you started getting involved in credentialing, and you started with, you know, your FMP by the way, you were scholarshiped for both your FMP and your SFP. Right? Right. [00:05:00] And the opportunities as soon as you got those, I just noticed in your career the opportunities just opened wide for you and you moved into outsourced IFM there.
And how much of a role initially when you just had your FMP and SFP, did that play for you?
Richard Peterson: It was a huge role. I don't think I would've, you know, received the opportunities that I have and would be where I'm at without ifma for sure. I spent the last decade taking advantage of all the chapter meetings, the networking opportunities the educational opportunities.
I think the credentialing the education's great of course, but it also shows a level of engagement. And anytime I've had an opportunity for advancement on the professional IFM side I know that was a big differentiator for me. I mean, truly. So, in terms of RO, I complete no brainer. You know, it's been great.
Yeah.
Wayne Whitzell: I, I think if we look at, do we step back and look at all of the things that have influenced you in ifma it's the, the credentialing that you've had, it's the leadership skillset that you develop. Being in [00:06:00] component leadership. It's kind of a great incubator for how to motivate people, run a team, get things done, especially in a volunteer organization when really all you have is carrot and no stick.
So you have that skillset. But I think you, you said something to me. When you took on one of your biggest roles in IFM as you, you said to me, being around all of these people in ifma for a decade has, has. I, I think you used the word maybe osmosis or you were communicating that you picked up so much stuff just by being around this organization and being in the meetings and attending all of the education sessions, and it just has, you realize it now just flows out of you.
Can you talk a little bit about, about that how you feel and, and how that has come, come about?
Richard Peterson: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I started getting involved in ifma. I was relatively young. I was in my late twenties. And I think connecting with people and I think at that stage of my life I was mostly an individual contributor and for professional advancement.
To your point, Wayne those volunteer [00:07:00] positions and working your way up to chair of certain committees gives you a great opportunity if you're a young person or you haven't managed people to get some leadership experience. So I got that from my ifma engagement, and I, I think that helped in part, prepare me for, you know, career advancement when I had to manage people or, you know, larger portfolio of accounts and, and what have you.
But most of my friends are FM folks. It's, I have a lot of volunteer gigs. It's kinda my part-time job, but in my mind it's a hobby. So I enjoy it the vast majority of the time. Sometimes I stretch myself a little thin. But being able to speak that language, having a support system and just a bunch of friends in the industry that you can call when you need to brainstorm or you know, come up with some initiatives to show value.
It, it's, it's, it's just been invaluable. I would not be okay without IFMA so interesting. Truly.
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Wayne Whitzell: Well, I mean, it, it sounds like, you know, you're, you're, it's almost you're, you're preaching to a choir here with all the people here live on the floor. These are obviously people that value ifma enough to come to a, a conference like this.
But still, there's some of these people that are here that are not maybe involved in committees or not involved in their chapters, councils or communities. And, and maybe they might even be credentialed, but might not be taking advantage of some of those leadership opportunities with, within the, the components.
And those have a hundred percent carryover to your day job. And, and what you learn here to, so to your, to your point, being a chair of just a committee and, and maybe you're a young professional who doesn't have a leadership opportunity in their professional life yet, but you could [00:09:00] build those, that skillset within the components while you're getting your FMP or SFP, and now you all of a sudden you have a, a, a skillset that's gonna be recognized in your organization.
And, and now you're leading. So you've led committees, you've, you know, obviously you're leading components. Yeah, now you're leading a multinational team of fms. So what is that like? Because there's a lot of people in our industry that will, you know, stay domestic their entire career and, and, and not know, like, for example, example Linda Beney in, in our in our council.
You know, she knows what it's like to get up at 2:00 AM for this call, 4:00 AM for that call, and then work a full day in Chicago. What's it like for you now going global? What's that transition like?
Richard Peterson: Yeah, it's a lot. So we have 5 million, give or take, square feet. It's, we have a lot of sites over in apac and sites all over the country.
You're traveling quite a bit. You're working with people in different time zones and it, it's sometimes it can feel like a fire hose. [00:10:00] I think anything that I've done to help develop, being detail oriented being able to get your arms around things. Being able to build trust with your team and, you know, also develop a thick skin because these global IFM jobs are, they're very demanding.
They're, you constantly have to show value process improvements, cost reductions, but it's also really exciting because in an account like that, there's so much ample op opportunity. I mean, truly. So it, it's definitely a big commitment. I think it, it takes some level of personal sacrifice. And, you know, if that's what you wanna do, and you're at a, a stage in your life, in your career where that makes sense, you know, I, I say go for it.
Challenge yourself, stress your ability, stretch your abilities, and Yeah.
Wayne Whitzell: Yeah. I I think one of the things I've noticed about you is you, you are very diplomatic. You know what to say as well as what not to say in situations. And you do you exemplify that type of leader that. [00:11:00] Gives away all the credit, but takes all the grenades for, for their team.
And, and I, I think being in an outsourced IFM organization, there's a lot of crossfire that you, your team can be in, in in, in the throes of. And being a leader in that organization I think requires a certain level of dexterity, courage and and even hand on the, on the keel. And is, is that something that, you've experienced in, in, in moving into an outsourced situation?
Richard Peterson: 1000%. It's, it's definitely an interesting topic. It's, it's something of an occupational hazard and I think in the position I'm now, it's, it's always a bit of a hot seat. And you, for me, that what's been helpful is figuring out a way, whatever that way is for you to let go of fear of failure.
Because there is, there is some crossfire that happens. You know, we're all humans and you know, so you have to. At least from, from my perspective, I think it's really critical that the team feels secure. And a, again, to your point, you know, it's, it's an everyday battle and [00:12:00] the, the chess board resets every day, but I really do try to pass the accolades down to the team and then take the arrows when they inevitably come.
And that's easier said than done because you know, most of us have a mortgage and things and that can kind of influence your. The way you handle things. But I think if you can do that and, and stand firm and, and dig in and do the work, and, you know, I think the clients will respect that and ultimately it, it's a better way to go.
Yeah. There's lots of different ways to approach that, but yeah, it, it's tough. I, you know, one day all along to be an individual contributor. Again but right now I'm in a stage in my life where I kind of wanna hit the gas pedal and, you know. Yeah. Yeah. See where it goes.
Wayne Whitzell: Well, well, tell me a, in this journey, how important has mentoring been to you?
Because. I don't know. Even IFMA builds a lot of wonderful tools sometimes that I don't think enough people take advantage of, such as the mentor match program that we have. And that's, well, let me start by saying some chapters, especially some of the larger chapters with resources, have mentoring programs within their chapter, like Silicon Valley chapter.
I know Denver has a, has [00:13:00] one. And there's a way to really get that at your local chapter, but there's so many people that don't have access to that, that ifma built, the Mentor Match program where people can log on as either a mentor or mentee and get matched. And that's, and to me, you know, the, the people that are on that list of mentors are some serious ifma heavy hitters that you have access to.
How, how important has that been in your journey to have mentoring as part of that process?
Richard Peterson: It, it, it's been critical. I put you in that box, Wayne. I've, I've known you many years and you, you're definitely the first person that I go to. But yeah, I think mentorship is really, really important. A, a again, it's to my earlier point, having friends that are in the FM community and you know, might have a little bit more years under their belt and can see around more corners than you I think it's wonderful to have relationships like that in your life.
And you can have a sounding board. I'm going through an interesting kind of corner now because I, I think I'm getting to a stage. We haven't had time to talk about this, but I'm starting to get those calls and requests and, you know, what you've done for me in the past. I'm [00:14:00] starting to pay it forward and have opportunities to do that.
So I think it's really important. I, I do think, you know, you tend to get back in life what you put in. So, and also it's an act of service. I think the, the fastest way to misery is. Kind of focusing inward. So anytime that I've been able to serve others or ifma or at work, that's kind of my happy place.
So long as I'm able to get everything done, sometimes I might overcommit a little bit, but Yeah.
Wayne Whitzell: Right. No, I I you're, you're preaching to a choir here. I, I totally appreciate that. So, one thing I, I would be remiss to, to, to mention, not mention here is. You're famous now because you've been on the mic, DJ Mikey p podcast, and you did something that was pretty interesting. You, for those of you that are fans of Star Wars and science fiction there's a, what would you call it? A, a creation called The Death Star in the Star Wars movies, this big giant thing that the evil people would use to destroy planets.
Yeah. Richard, you [00:15:00] decided to write a was this an o and m policy manual for how to manage the Death Stars Preventive Maintenance program?
Richard Peterson: That's pretty close. Yeah. So a few years ago before AI came around, I was, I had a slow weekend and I was bored and I thought it would be fun to price out a custodial program for the Dust star.
And you, you can actually source, you know, Canon material to pull enough information to do that. So anywho, I did that and I thought I would kinda share my findings on LinkedIn and some people thought it was funny and I think I got on Mike's radar because he's a Star Wars fan. Years later, AI was around and I thought, another, another slow Saturday.
Let me see if I can, you know, put together a complete i fm program. And it, it did and it was 11 pages long and it, it was entertaining. If you're a Star Wars. Enthusiasts so, and fm, so, yeah. Oh, so whatever makes your job fun. You know? It's gotta get silly sometimes.
Wayne Whitzell: Hey, you gotta blow off some steam somehow.
Yeah.
Richard Peterson: Yeah. That was a good, yeah, you could, you could do worse, you [00:16:00] know? I felt it was a healthy outlet. Yes. Yes.
Wayne Whitzell: Alright, well, well, look, you know, Richard, I've, I've known you for a long time and, and to see the arc in your career and how you've grown and, and you've taken full advantage of not only the IFMA credentials, but the IFMA leadership opportunities and components, mentoring, connecting with other people.
I truly believe you're going to be one of the FM greats in our industry. And, and I'm, I'm proud to know you.
Richard Peterson: Thank you, Wayne. I really appreciate your friendship and mentorship. If that happens, it's, you know, a lot of credit would come your way and you've been very helpful and supportive. So thank you.
Thanks
Wayne Whitzell: buddy. Thank you.
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