Are we officially post-pandemic yet? No? One thing we are past is everything we used to know and understand about corporate real estate and how people use the space their companies provide to them. If headlines are any indication, workers are not returning to offices as expected. Companies require a return (Apple x2, Goldman, Tesla)…
I have struggled to get back into writing. Can I rip the bandage off and just go again…?
I thought I was going to be back in April. That was almost five months ago. Before that, I thought I was going to be back in August 2021 with my 10-year anniversary of writing. That did not work out either. My 11th anniversary came and went in a pandemic-era blur. Multiple people have asked…
Moving homes after a decade feels a bit odd but exciting.
I have contemplated moving from a WordPress-hosted blog to one on a URL I control for nearly five years now. I have spent more time than I care to admit contemplating it back and forth before always deciding to hold ground on where I had been the whole time. There is something comforting in the…
10 years ago today I wrote my very first blog post…I don’t even know how to react to this realization
I can just barely remember getting the idea to start writing a blog. It was part of a new organizational change that was going on with the company I worked for at the time. They were embarking on a new thought leadership initiative and I thought I could add value through writing. I was a…
It’s not about being either office or remote…but hybrid and flexible aren’t the right terms either.
This is the age of awful, awkward workplace operations conversations! Topping the list of language we will all one day cringe at are these lovelies: Hybrid working Flexible working Agile workplace Remote versus virtual Hoteling and hot-desking Monday/Friday in-office “How many days are right in the office?” Personas There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of…
A few musings on the nature of uncertainty and real estate delivery
If I had to pick one word that would summarize the last 15 or so months for me, it would be uncertainty. I find it interesting the impact uncertainty has on different individuals. Do you know that sensation that most people feel when there is a long, awkward pause in a conversation – that feeling…
Applying Systems Engineering to Corporate Real Estate
When most people think of engineering, they think of building things – machines, buildings, bridges, factories, roads, dams, etc. In fact, the Wikipedia article for engineering starts off saying just as much. Industrial and Systems engineering is the oft forgotten field of engineering that the “real engineers” call imaginary. Systems engineering is all about optimizing…
Never lose sight of the good things that have come out of this pandemic.
Pick as many curses as you want to describe the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to the creativity that is still to come to describe this shared period we’ve all lived through and endured. It hasn’t been easy personally or professionally. In fact, I’d argue that even for those that had it fairly easy (and…
Always separate the commercial real estate market from how you approach your occupied portfolio. The relationship between the two is tenuous at best.
The purpose of a corporate real estate function is to provide the space that a company uses to execute its business strategy. This is not to be confused with business models focused on investing in real estate as a separate profit seeking venture. Corporate real estate is about providing space for people, products, customers, and…
Workplace Experience has a new definition in 2021 that means you have to think about real estate more intensely.
It’s been awhile since I posted because this has been a strange year. On one side, the pandemic situation has completely upended the industry I work in. On the other, there’s professional things going on that tie right back in and make it a challenge to think through as well. Because I try to keep…