The third session of the 2026 Healthy Green Schools & Colleges Virtual Summer Summit focused on practical management tools facilities leaders can use to strengthen teams, support professional growth, and lead more effectively. The session, CDEF – Management Tools for Success, was presented by Ada Baldwin, Director of Environmental Services at North Carolina State University.
Ada’s presentation delivered a leadership framework to attendees:
- C stands for communicate, coordinate, collaborate, and create;
- D stands for document, delegate, and develop;
- E stands for empower, encourage, inspire, and engage; and
- F stands for fair, firm, factual, and friendly.
Together, these tools point toward an “A+” leadership approach that creates accountability, appreciation, and team success.
Communication
The presentation began with communication as the “silver key” that unlocks success. Ada emphasized that strong communication involves listening, reading body language, noticing when there is a disconnect, and adapting one’s communication style to the situation. Whether speaking with direct reports, frontline staff, senior leaders, or vendors, leaders need to pay attention to whether people are actually receiving and understanding the message. Ada emphasized that when leaders listen well, they hear possible solutions, staff concerns, resource needs, and opportunities to improve their own leadership.
Coordination and Collaboration
Ada explored the connection between communication, coordination, and collaboration through the example of developing a career progression plan for custodial staff. The department studied an existing model, brought in human resources, budgeting, leadership, managers, and staff, and asked questions about what skills were needed at each level. This process helped identify what employees were interested in pursuing and created a strong program foundation because staff helped to shape it.
Creativity
Creativity is another important part of the CDEF framework. Ada encouraged leaders to challenge the idea that existing processes should stay in place because they are familiar. Ada considers creativity as a shared responsibility that is not the job of leaders alone. Leaders can bring challenges to their teams, ask for recommendations, brainstorm possible solutions, and share constraints like budget or resource availability. This approach helps employees become part of the solution.
Documentation
The “D” portion of the framework began with a strong reminder: without documentation, something does not exist. Documentation was presented as essential for disciplinary issues, vendor conversations, purchasing decisions, budget requests, performance concerns, and policy implementation.
Delegation
Delegation was framed as a leadership necessity as well as a development tool. Ada shared that many leaders struggle to let go or certain tasks because they believe they can do everything themselves or worry that their staff already have too much on their plates. However, this pattern can make leaders become stressed, overwhelmed, and unable to focus on higher-level priorities.
Ada presented an example of delegating budget preparation to associate directors. Rather than completing every budget template alone, she asked each team member to review their area, identify needs, provide justifications, and participate in budget conversations. This reduced the burden on Ada as the leader and helped to develop those team members by giving them the opportunity to build new skills and develop confidence.
Empower, Encourage, Engage
The “E” portion of the framework focused on empowering, encouraging, inspiring, and engaging others, and doing those things for oneself. Ada emphasized that leaders are often giving constantly, but they also need to invest in their own support systems, mentors, peers, reflection, and encouragement. She noted that it can be particularly to sustain encouragement and enthusiasm when leaders themselves are tired, short-staffed, and facing budget pressure and staffing challenges. The presetation reinforced that leaders need space to breathe, reset, and seek support in order to continue showing up well for their teams.
Fair, Firm, Factual, and Friendly
The final tool was the four Fs: be fair, firm, factual, and friendly. Ada noted that these tools can be especially helpful for difficult leadership moments, especially when emotions are high. Leaders may feel frustrated, angry, or exhausted, but they still have a responsibility to remain objective, follow policy, communicate clearly, and treat people with respect.
This session reinforced that effective facilities leadership is built through consistent, practical behaviors. Leaders strengthen teams when they communicate clearly, listen actively, document carefully, delegate meaningfully, empower others, and hold themselves accountable.