Simply put, maintenance refers to all the operations and processes involved in the upkeeping of a company’s assets for maximum business growth and the best return on investment (ROI).
The job of a maintenance manager requires impeccable managerial skills for a company’s sustainable growth. Poor maintenance management can result in the downfall of the company, like a chain of falling dominoes.
Significance of Maintenance Managers and Why They Are Important
Assets and infrastructure of the company are, essentially, the money-making machines of the organization.
The best performance of the assets like machinery, hardware, firmware, and more are highly dependent on the maintenance division, which is headed or overseen by a maintenance manager.
Therefore, you can say that the company’s sustainability largely depends on the skills and traits of the maintenance manager.
Given the competitiveness of the consumer world, maintenance managers should have many essential skills up their sleeves to be on top of the game for both the company’s business and professional growth.
Among many things, a maintenance manager job description includes;
- Ensuring optimal uptime of machines
- Keeping the company assets in good condition
- Minimizing downtime
- Reduce wastage of resources on the assets
- Overseeing the maintenance teams
- Reducing breakdowns of machinery
- Set quality standards
- Document all activities
- Plan, schedule, and conduct repairs and preventive maintenance procedures
- Disposing of equipment or parts that do not work or cost more to operate than what they can produce
- Salvaging useful parts from non-working equipment
Below are seven skills that your maintenance manager should have to create a profoundly positive impact on the company’s growth and business model.
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Impeccable Leadership
As was quoted in the Spiderman movie, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Ineffective managers boss around their subordinates while effective and high-performing managers lead their team.
Managers with good leadership skills take the team with them on the journey of completing a company project.
Effective leadership also involves taking up responsibilities and being accountable not only for your own actions but also for the actions of those under you.
Moreover, it is the leader’s responsibility to lift the team’s spirit and keep all the members of the team motivated to perform their job with great diligence.
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Effective Time Management
Time management skills are critical in any industry. Managers are often required to oversee the actions of tens and hundreds of employees in addition to attending meetings and other company proceedings.
There are only 24 hours in a day, and managers are expected to make the most of every second.
Moreover, managers are constantly bombarded with numerous text messages, calls, and emails, which only put the managers behind schedule.
Often, the best-performing managers credit their success to an effective Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) that helps them streamline and automate a large part of their workflow.
This helps the maintenance managers make time for what matters the most to the company.
They are expected to manage their time in a way that makes them efficient performers but also has enough time for family, friends, and recreation at zero expense of work hours.
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Ability to Teach and Train
Quite often, managers are highly experienced personnel in their respective fields. Therefore, they should teach and train those who are less experienced or new to the domain. 
Maintenance managers should be able to groom individuals and develop their staff as per the company’s or project’s requirements.
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Technical Knowledge and Expertise
Besides having strong interpersonal and managerial skills, maintenance managers should also have appreciable technical knowledge and expertise.
Often, managers are enrolled in a training program and are educated about the technicalities involved in maintenance manager jobs before they go onto the field.
This knowledge is critical as the managers would also be overseeing people who are purely into the technical aspect of a project.
Having some technical expertise will help managers quickly comprehend and troubleshoot the problem instead of being left in the dark.
Furthermore, maintenance managers should also know about finance and budget. The ability to analyze and interpret the financial aspects of the company will go a long way in making well-informed decisions.
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Organizational Skills
Maintenance managers should quickly and effortlessly organize their tasks by the order or deadlines and priorities. They should prioritize work in a way that aligns with the company’s agenda rather than their personal interests.
It is imperative to note that organizing the work and tasks is not only limited to the variable that involves just the maintenance team. The managers should also take into account the effects it would have on other departments of the company.
They have to constantly communicate and update other departments as well as their progress and decisions.
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Listening Skills
Ineffective managers are often clouded by a superiority complex that arises out of their experience. This makes it easier for them to turn a deaf ear to the opinions of those who work under them. 
An effective manager values the insights of every person in the team and includes their inputs into the final decision.
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Forward Thinking
Forward thinking ties together everything we have discussed so far. Managers should realize that they are working not just for their team but for the growth and success of the entire company.
Their ability to work inclusively as part of a company rather than only for the benefit of themselves or their team is critical for profound results.
Moreover, seeing the bigger picture also means that managers should be willing to constantly upskill themselves as per the changing times.
Forward thinking also extends to the ethics of the company. Maintenance managers cannot let their personal opinions or bias come in the way of company values and policies at any cost.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, a maintenance manager’s job is not a piece of cake. They are crucial to the benefit of the organization as a whole and carry some heavy responsibilities.
SaaS tools can alleviate many of the pains that maintenance managers face daily and help them stay on top of their game.
