CMM - January 2012
Its Cleaning And A Whole Lot More I work environment where you feel like part of a team that is doing something good will go to those with the most current education and skills Thats simply the way it works in any field JanSan or otherwise And its not like education and information isnt available because it is far more so than ever before There is so much information available today about cleaning that I cant even keep up with it and thats all I do from sunrise to sunset I recently spoke to a salesperson for a local distributor asking him if he attended the recent ISSA INTERCLEAN trade show in Las Vegas His response was No Our company didnt send anybody this year This same company in its heyday 10 15 years ago used to send 30 or 40 people Sure the company has been bought and sold a couple of times and is now part of a large corporation but thats no excuse for the company not sending its staff or for the salesperson for not attending on his own To me it appears to be the beginning of the end for both parties I could tell he was a little frustrated and it made me sad This brings me to my second point Did you attend the recent ISSA INTERCLEAN trade show or were you like my salesman friend and stayed home because no one would pay your way You Snooze You Lose If you missed the recent ISSA INTERCLEAN trade show you really missed out on a golden opportunity to grow 2011 was the best ISSA trade show Ive ever attended There was so much to do that you really couldnt get to it all even if you tried It used to be that if you were a janitor or a custodian your job was to sweep the floor vacuum the carpet dump the trash clean the restrooms and go home Today we still do those things but cleaning is now so much more We have to use the right products and procedures we must be aware of security concerns and along with recycling and energy and resource conservation we have to know about indoor environmental quality green cleaning quality control and computers And thats just a partial list It seems as though our responsibilities and the need to know more about things we might not have even known existed keeps growing on a daily basis That brings me to my first point Our jobs today are cleaning and a whole lot more The Expanding Role For someone to be truly successful as a professional cleaner custodian or janitor they have to get an education and then keep on learning about all the new stuff that impacts what we really do on the job each day You just cant afford to say or think that you know what youre doing anymore unless you spend at least some of your time and energy researching and learning new things You may know what you used to do but if you arent reading monitoring the chats and attending seminars or trade shows for several different industry segments on a regular basis you are out of touch behind the times and at risk of being replaced by someone who does stay on top of what is changing in the workplace and the world There will probably always be a job for someone who does a good job of cleaning but the really good jobs in the new prestige buildings where they pay the best wages and benefits and have the latest equipment and The exhibits were excellent Aisle after aisle of the latest chemicals equipment and products to make your work easier and your cleaning more effective There was so much new stuff that to me it was mind boggling I wish I could have spent another day or two finding new things and learning from the people I talked to The seminars and presentations were topnotch Tom Peters wooed the crowd as he paced from one side of the stage to the other What energy that guy has only he can get away yelling at the top of voice and calling it a presentation Bottom line The opportunities for success are often right in front of us yet we look the other way and find excuses for our failures to take advantage of them You cant make more money give better service or get a better job by looking the other way Heres my third and final point There will be an ISSA INTERCLEAN trade show in Chicago next year Where will you be Will you be at the show learning and preparing for a better and more prosperous future or once again missing out and making excuses Do yourself and your industry a favor Plan now to attend the 2012 ISSA INTERCLEAN trade show in Chicago October 16 19 CM Bill Griffin is president of the International Custodial Advisors Network Inc ICAN and owner of Cleaning Consultant Services Inc ICAN is a non profit association comprised of industry consultants with a wide range of expertise in building management indoor environmental and service disciplines This network provides free janitorial and building maintenance consultation service to the industry through the Cleaning Management Institute CMI Comments to Griffin are welcome 206 848 0179 WGriffin@ CleaningConsultants com consultants corner Brought to you by ICAN By Bill Griffin www cmmonline com 13
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