I've been in my profession for a long time, but I am quite far from being an expert on every aspect of marketing. Knowing this, I sometimes wonder if I can truly offer any unique insight about effective brand communication in today's noisy world, and you might feel the same way in your role and about your capabilities. But, that's where we are both wrong! While "the default setting" may cause us to doubt, the truth is that we all have something to give that is valuable and can make a difference in the marketplace.

The business experiences you have had and the practical knowledge you have acquired from your unique career journey are different from everyone else's. You've continued to invest in education and prove your value by bringing something to the table that nobody else can. 

As Seth Godin writes in "The Dip", you should strive to be "the best in the world" at what you do. Not the whole world, but in your particular world (a specific vertical market or geographic area). By being incredibly focused and going "an inch wide and a mile deep" you can become an expert in your "micro-niche". Then you'll be ready to find a community that can benefit from what you have to offer. Ideally, it will be one that prioritizes education and shared resources because that is where real collaboration can take place.

Managing and maintaining the working environment is full of potential obstacles and facility management practitioners face challenges each day. 

Facility managers must be competent in a wide array of skills to manage their facilities, yet they cannot have expertise in each and every one of these areas. So, they're looking for resources, the industry-partners in specific business disciplines that can help them deploy the most efficient and effective workplace solutions. How best to deal with any particular circumstance might be obvious or may require months of research, but in either case, when an FM has a need and is looking for help, will they find you?

I encourage industry-partners to connect with facility professionals through organizations like the International Facility Management Association, where they will discover a genuine culture of collaboration. 

With a powerful network of subject matter experts, we have a tremendous opportunity to advance FM by leveraging these resources for managing the many challenges of the built environment. We've launched a new program this year called "Collabor8" to help with this and it has been exciting to witness the IFMA community come together! Collaboration with others brings out the best in us as we share our experience and build valuable partnerships, so we can embrace innovation and achieve workplace success.

Mike Petrusky is an "FM innovator" at Kayrell Connections and the founder of DC-based marketing agency Kayrell Solutions. He has a passion for elevating the facility management profession and building a culture of collaboration in the FM community. Mike is the host of "The Facility Management Innovator Podcast" on iTunes and he has served in a variety of leadership roles at the Capital Chapter of IFMA.