Facilities Management has always been a complex industry, but over the past 18–24 months the pace and pressure placed on senior leaders has accelerated significantly. Rising compliance obligations, fragmented supply chains, ageing estates, constant cost scrutiny, and increasing expectations from boards have all reshaped what “good leadership” looks like in FM.
Yet one of the most consistent themes we hear from the market is this:
FM leaders have become the escalation point for every minor issue – and it’s slowing productivity across entire organisations.
From rota changes to system inaccuracies and contract queries, senior managers are increasingly pulled into work far below their remit. It stretches capacity, distracts from strategic decision-making and creates a culture where teams are reliant on senior intervention.
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If your leadership team is finding themselves being pulled into every minor issue, it may be time to reassess your structure - or your senior talent.
The Escalation Trap: When Leaders End Up Doing Everyone Else’s Job
Escalation should be reserved for decisions requiring senior judgement or authority. But in FM – where service delivery is continuous and complex – escalation has become the default.
Common examples include:
- Directors mediating minor disputes
- Heads of FM resolving helpdesk issues
- Senior leaders troubleshooting supplier procedures
- Exec-level roles dragged into operational firefighting
Individually these issues seem small. Collectively, they are corrosive.
The result?
Leaders aren’t leading… they’re firefighting.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many FM organisations are now reviewing their leadership model going into 2026 and increasingly using executive search to evaluate whether their senior structure reflects the demands of today’s FM environment.
Executive Search and the Real Productivity Challenge: Leadership Capacity, Not Competence
It’s easy to view recurring escalations as a sign of weak leadership. But more often, they reflect a lack of leadership capacity, not ability.
Common causes include:
- Gaps in middle management
- Role boundaries unclear between operational and strategic levels
- Leadership teams spread thin across too many functions
- A shortage of senior talent able to deliver transformation
- Legacy structures that don’t match current FM complexity
When internal structures are stretched, issues move upwards by default.
This is why leadership productivity – not simply leadership competence – is becoming a strategic priority for 2026.
If you’re reviewing your leadership capacity for next year, executive search can identify leaders with the capability and bandwidth to lift organisational performance, not just maintain it.
What High-Performing FM Organisations Are Doing Differently
Across FM we’re seeing three clear trends in organisations that have broken out of the escalation cycle:
- Strengthening the middle-management spine
Operational managers with clarity and confidence drastically reduce noise hitting senior desks.
- Hiring leaders with exceptional communication and alignment skills
Clear expectations stop issues travelling upwards unnecessarily.
- Prioritising leaders who drive productivity – not just manage tasks
Effective FM leaders create systems, structures and cultures that elevate performance across the organisation.
As organisations reshape their structures for 2026, executive search is increasingly being used to secure leaders with these capabilities – individuals who can shift cultures, remove noise and build accountability.
Building the Leadership Teams FM Needs for 2026
We speak to FM leaders daily who have the vision and capability to transform teams, but they’re working within structures that prevent them from leading effectively.
Equally, we support businesses who recognise that the challenges coming in 2026 require sharper, clearer, more accountable leadership teams.
The right senior appointment can:
- Reduce dependency on escalation
- Strengthen team accountability
- Improve productivity across functions
- Enhance decision-making
- Create the bandwidth for true strategic focus
This is where executive search is driving genuine transformation for FM businesses right now… helping organisations identify, attract and appoint leaders who can redefine how their teams operate.
If Escalation Is Slowing Your Organisation, It’s Time to Reset
If you’re experiencing escalation overload, productivity bottlenecks, or pressure on your senior leadership team, now is the moment to act.
We help FM businesses attract senior leaders who lift the entire organisation – not just manage it. Through targeted executive search, we connect you with leaders who can reset expectations, restore productivity, and rebuild capacity where it matters most.
