B stands for business value: one of the most widely accepted yet persistently contested topics in asset management. Maintenance is still too often framed as a cost to be controlled, rather than a strategic value creator. In maintenance, business value does not show up in a single KPI; instead it emerges over time across reliability, utilization, safety, and better decision-making.

B also stands for books, and for a different way of thinking about value altogether. Drawing on a lifelong love of reading, I reflect on how some of the most meaningful returns accumulate slowly and resist easy and early measurement. Just as with good maintenance, the value of books is often realized long after the investment is made: shaping judgment, perspective, and resilience over time. Recognizing that kind of value early is what allows organizations, and people, to act with intent rather than hindsight.