09 Donuts, Silos, and the Shape of Asset Failure

Silos are the clogged arteries of your buildings. Time to change the diet. If you only feed your buildings and assets donuts, don’t be surprised when they get sick. In this Café Zai conversation, Michael Bordenaro of the Asset Leadership Network recalls Jack Dempsey’s observation:

“Asset management is actually pretty easy… except for the people. People don’t like eating their green beans.”

For years, we’ve been treating our assets and buildings like we treat ourselves when we skip the vegetables and live on donuts. It’s quick, it’s easy, it feels fine at first, you even get that sugar high, but over time, the arteries clog, the system weakens, and the breakdown begins.

In asset terms, that means:

• Neglect to collect and maintain accurate data…

• …or worse, collect the same data over and over again

• Let silos fester

• Pay consultants to fix the same problems over and over

Now AI is forcing leaders to face the diet they’ve been feeding their organizations. They’re asking questions they’ve never asked before:

• Do we actually have data on our assets, facilities, and energy?

• Is it in a form AI can use to give us better answers and hallucinate less?

The health of your portfolio depends on what you feed it. It’s time to get serious about the vegetables — connected, open, well-managed data, and stop mistaking a short burst of energy for long-term health.

About Michael Bordenaro:

It was my privilege to be elected Executive Director of the Asset Leadership Network and voting Member of the Board, by the ALN Board of Directors in December 2021.
Jim Dieter, ALN CEO, was the original Executive Director, and I am honored to follow him in this position.
Jim remains my guide and mentor, so things aren’t going to change too much, but I am redoubling my efforts to achieve our mission of encouraging all organizations to take a strategic and structured approach to asset management.
I am honored to have received A55K Professional Certification from the Asset Leadership Network. A55K Professional Certification validates that someone can effectively and knowledgeably participate in ISO 55000 implementation teams. it is my goal to help others learn the benefits of using ISO 55000 to guide asset visualization.

More information here.