Spotlight – Adam Muggleton, The Building Whisperer

by DCM Team | | Next-Gen Facility Manager | 0 comments
Adam Muggleton

As part of our Spotlight series, we thought it was high time we sat down with our Advisor, Adam Muggleton, to get to know the workings behind his brilliant mind. Adam sees buildings in ways that many people often can’t, and shows them how to make their buildings work.

That’s why he’s in such high demand.

Adam Muggleton, otherwise known as The Building Whisperer, is a property industry philosopher and podcaster. His blog, aptly named after his moniker, is where Adam investigates, highlights, and suggests solutions for the absurdities in the property design and construction industry – of which he says there are many.

He has worked around the world, over 21 countries to be specific, and held leadership positions in various firms. Adam brings a unique skill set derived from property development, design team management, project management, and building commissioning.

Adam is very passionate about promoting the concept of Commissioning Management as an effective property management tool, to create buildings that work.

He thrives on disrupting the status quo, because zero defect, high-performance buildings are possible. Or as Adam aptly puts it, “The question is, “why are zero defect, high-performance buildings the exception and not business as usual?””

ADAM MUGGLETON – The Building Whisperer

Property Industry Philosopher / Podcaster

Tell us a bit about yourself 

I am a Chartered Project Management Surveyor (MRICS) and a certified building commissioning professional. I have been lucky enough to work on projects in 21 countries and with some amazing people. 

I work with firms and projects in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Assignments include project leadership, building commissioning, business development, marketing strategy and industry specific software advisory.

I travel a lot with work but due to the pandemic I now spend most of my time working from home in Canada. I relax from work by taking as many vacations as possible, keeping fit with long walks and kettlebell training.

When it comes to self-improvement do you prefer to read books, listen to podcasts or take a course?  

Take a course  

What is your favourite food? 

All Italian foods 

What are the three interesting facts about you?  

  • Dual nationality (British & Canadian) 
  • Don’t want to retire, just want to design the best possible lifestyle for growth, wellbeing and happiness. 
  • I am mildly dyslexic 

What’s your favourite drink? 

Coffee . 

What’s your dream car?  

Singer, retro mod, Porsche.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?  

“You are not a serf tied to the location of your birth. If you do not like your situation, it is on you to change it. No one owes you anything. There is a whole world out there and you can go and be successful anywhere. Just make sure you acquire skills and mastery that people will pay you for”.

This advice changed my life. 

What is your favourite quote?   

Discipline equals freedom – “Jocko Willink” 

How did you get started in the property industry?

  

Stumbled into the job center after I left school and got a job as a trainee commissioning technician.  

What are your career goals in the property industry? 

To be a thought leader and educator.  

Describe the biggest challenge you’ve faced when trying to reduce operational costs?  

Path dependency thinking. 

How would your co-workers describe you? 

Demanding 

Tell me how you organize, plan, and prioritize your work.  

I schedule time closely to maximize my output. I use Google calendar for scheduling and Microsoft OneNote for to do lists and workflow management.  

What software have you used in the property industry? 

How many years of experience in in the property industry do you have?  

40! Yes I am old.   

When people come to you for help, what do they usually want to help with?  

Selling their commissioning business. Technical questions on building commissioning and scheduling . Construction technology software development strategy. 

How would you describe a typical day in the property industry? 

In these times of COVID my typical day is:  

  • Coffee and 30 mins (max) on e-mails 9:00am to 9:30am 
  • Zoom calls to Middle East clients till 9:30 am to1:00pm 
  • Research and writing blogs and my book 2:00pm till 4:00pm 
  • Podcast interviews when required, normally in the afternoons. 
  • 12,000 step walk 4:00pm to 5:00pm listening to podcasts. 
  • Workout late afternoons 3 times each week. 

On days when Zoom calls are low I use the time to do project work or write.  

I tend to work 5 days a week with Fridays off due to Friday being the day off in the Middle East and Sundays off unless there is something specific. 

How has your education prepared you for your career?   

OK but not great. Post college / university training, experience and soft skills development are the real difference makers.  

The need for a great mentor and a focus on soft skills is what I wish I had known as a young man. 

How has our partnership changed your projects?   

Made me aware of how paper based most facilities manager are. I always now focus on a “digital first” approach, 

What’s the most recent example of how we have exceeded your expectations? 

 DCM’s commitment to kept improving their software plus its consistent industry communication via social media.  

We finish the interview and you step outside the office and find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do?  

A long family vacation to Australia and New Zealand.

To connect with Adam Muggleton visit: