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Gerrayl Bryson, Facility Supervisor at the Nevada Department of Veterans Services and U.S. Army veteran, explains why facilities management leaders are adopting a proactive, trust-based approach in place of traditional, reactive models.
He discusses the importance of servant leadership, advocates for more support and open communication to empower teams, and suggests adopting new KPIs to measure human impact on services and stakeholders.
Building a culture of trust requires leaders who engage with teams, identify issues, and demonstrate reliability to foster team cohesion and commitment, much like a "quasi-military" ecosystem, Bryson concludes.
The old, building-focused model is no longer in service of facilities management leaders. Instead of defining how jobs get done, a new, proactive approach is gaining popularity: determining what needs to be accomplished and then trusting their team to do the rest. Now, the industry experts advocating for this shift say its success will depend on building a culture of trust and redefining the leader's role from a director to a servant facilitator.
One of those champions is Gerrayl Bryson, a Facility Supervisor III at the Nevada Department of Veterans Services. A U.S. Army veteran, his deep expertise was forged in logistics, where he managed teams of up to 140 personnel and over $30 million in equipment. Since then, Bryson has applied that degree of operational discipline to the private and public sectors alike. For the industry-wide movement to be successful, however, he believes leaders must first adopt a model built on empowerment.
Boss vs. leader: The difference is clear, according to Bryson. "A boss tells people what to do and how to do it. But a leader tells the team what needs to be done and trusts them to figure out the how." For most, the effect is immediate and transformative. "Team members love being responsible and in charge. It helps them remember past skills in electrical, plumbing, or HVAC. And it helps them take pride in leading projects where that expertise can come to light."
But if leaders no longer define the 'how,' then what is their role? In Bryson's view, it all comes down to one core concept: servant leadership, a framework that combines high-level oversight with ground-level support to flip the traditional hierarchy on its head.
The servant facilitator: "A leader's job is to ask what the team needs and how you can help them improve. When you eliminate the barriers that make their work difficult, you create a happy team. I look at it from a force multiplier perspective: What can I do for you that will also help the organization?" To get there, the approach also demands a flat communication structure where information flows freely, Bryson explains. "It's imperative that everyone, including me, feels comfortable giving and receiving feedback so nobody is above reproach."
What leaders measure and how teams grow also need to change with a service-first mindset, Bryson continues. When professional development becomes a strategic investment, KPIs must begin to represent human outcomes, not just compliance.
Measuring what matters: Shifting KPIs from contract compliance to human impact means measuring how services affect all stakeholders, especially the end-users. "I'm looking across the spectrum to see how our services are affecting all stakeholders. For example, in landscaping, it’s not just about whether the services are done on time. I'm looking at the residents of the skilled care facility. Are they happy with how things are going?"
Such a leadership model is impossible without a foundation of trust, Bryson explains. Because a strong team culture depends on psychological safety, it must be earned through deliberate action.
A two-part strategy: To build a culture founded on trust, Bryson outlines a two-part strategy for leaders. First, embed themselves with the team to spot non-verbal cues and workflow inefficiencies. "Observe, notice the unspoken problems, the complaints or workarounds, and use that as your cue to step in and fix them," he advises. Next, prove their reliability. "New leaders often face a probationary period. So, a team will bring them a small, persistent problem as a test. When you solve it, they'll start to bring you more."
That hard-won trust is fragile, Bryson says. But sustained trust pays dividends. The real amplifier, however, is a mission-driven environment, he explains. "It absolutely helps create an all-in culture. It's like a 'quasi-military' ecosystem where that patriotic feel is there day in and day out. Here, the mission is emphasized like no other civilian entity I've been a part of."
Ultimately, Bryson's final recommendation distills this philosophy into a simple, decisive step. "Step away from the emails and projects to get level-to-level with your team. Just check on your people and see what they need, because keeping that constant pulse will only benefit the organization."
