by Rob Murchison

Remember the movie, Jerry Maguire? Tom Cruise played a sports agent who was fired because he sent a 25-page vision of “Fewer Clients. Less Money,” which went against his employer’s agency business model. His colleagues and boss felt threatened by an idea that could permanently disrupt the status quo and potentially worsen their economic situation, and therefore, Jerry (Tom) was viewed as a rogue rather than a brilliant mind.

“Let us work less hard to sign the clients that we know won’t matter in the long run and work twice as hard to keep the ones who will. I believe in these words, and while they may not yet be true for you, they are true for me. And I ask that you read this with that in mind. I am dictating not what I want us to be but what I wish us to be. There is a difference. You can only get there if I have written this correctly and if you are inspired.”

Jerry’s boss and colleague were mistaken when they fired him. Jerry initially had a great opportunity to gain followers, but every movie needs a main character with a problem…

In today’s commercial real estate industry, maximizing returns increasingly depends on incomplete and imperfect information, which creates risk. Operational technology (OT) provides a plethora of data on real-time occupancy, dwell times, and operational carbon emissions, to name a few. Post-pandemic disruption in our lives has also transformed our work, living arrangements, shopping habits, and social interactions and is now forcing us to rethink how we increasingly leverage these building technology systems to interact with the physical environment in the same way as HVAC, lighting, and physical access control.

In built environments, a self-checkout system uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to provide automated shopping experiences. This allows us to pick up items at a convenience store and instantly scan and process payment without interacting with a person. Advanced technologies regulate the feel of the air on our skin by controlling humidity and temperature. They adjust light brightness and hue to optimize productivity in line with our natural/circadian rhythms. Laser sensors can also map out space by detecting a person’s unique cardiac signature from up to 200 meters away, helping optimize desks and real estate square footage. This allows for better use of space for businesses. There are incredible opportunities in every direction.

Unfortunately, applying technology to the unique snowflake of building OT and IT systems that characterize many of our buildings and portfolios isn’t straightforward. It’s a bit like a South African lion tracker saying…“I don’t know where we are going, but I know exactly how to get there.”

Vendors barrage us, selling us solutions to problems we didn’t even know existed. Most don’t have certain and clear outcomes other than surety that they, the vendor, will be paid. Defining a clear technology strategy to evolve a portfolio can take many directions and, for certain, many resources. Convincing people that the desired strategy will achieve the outcome is important to securing commitment, support, and resources. People must trust you. Getting the right vision and strategy is important, too. Yet you always must start somewhere.

For stuff to get done and for leadership to be effective, you must convince others to follow you. Derek Sivers’ TEDTalk, “How to Start a Movement,” is a great example of how to do this. For me, to follow a leader toward their vision of success, I need to understand and be able to answer a few select questions like, “Hey, where are you going?” I need to believe in their mission that we are doing good, and I need to know that along the way, our effort to succeed will be guided by defining concepts and tools that help guide our decision-making and behavior—the organization’s tone.

I recently read the article ‘How Great Leaders Inspire Followership” by Lin Grensing-Pophal. She wrote about a concept taken from two authors, Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall, who wrote in their upcoming book Nine Lies About Work, “The act of following is a barter … We entrust some part of our future to a leader only when we get something in return.”

Looking back at Jerry Maguire, I learned that having a vision alone isn’t enough—you need to be able to communicate it clearly, concisely, and in a consistent manner to convince those that changing from the status quo won’t destroy them. Lin Grensing-Pophal’s article reinforced to me that trust isn’t enough unless we get something, too. For followers, perhaps that trade is for clarity of direction, principles that can be believed in, and appropriate tools.

For CRE owners to effectively build widespread support from the operational level to the C-suite, developing the right strategy and services is crucial. To begin this journey, assessing the current state of your buildings or portfolio and clearly defining the future state is essential; instead of jumping straight to the “how,” focusing on forming a proper strategy is important. Convincing others to join in a transformation requires a solid strategy, the right influence, addressing real issues, and offering something in return. Taking a proactive approach to building technology involves clearly mapping out your current position and communicating where you intend to go.