One of the most challenging and stressful roles anyone can play is that of a middle manager. These individuals are generally two levels below the CEO and one level above front-line supervisors. According to an Accenture Consulting study, a significant number of middle managers polled indicated their organizations were mismanaged, that they had no clear career path and that they worked longer hours for smaller pay increases as a result of staffing reductions.
Middle managers have long suffered from a poor reputation as being resistant to change and as a result been a target for organizational downsizing efforts. Yet, these individuals play a critical role in translating strategic direction into tactical action, managing core organizational processes, and maintaining morale among front-line staff.
Middle managers we have coached often struggle with a number of questions:
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How can I find the time to spend more time with senior leaders to stay abreast of new organization directions while concurrently managing the performance of my staff?
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What can be done to build stronger relationships with my peers and have greater influence with them?
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How do I manage being asked to do more with less?
What can I do to gain leadership support for my innovative ideas?
Illustrative Case Study*
Casey was a senior manager at a financial services organization and in charge of loan servicing. His department suffered from poorly made decisions made by the business development department who sold loans to customers. Further, he felt overhwhelmed in this efforts to manage 8 people in his department all of whom wanted his time. He felt trapped in a reactive, tactical mode despite requests by his manager to develop a strategic mindset.
We first collected 360 degree feedback from his peers, staff and direct report manager to assess his baseline level of functioning. In helping him create a development plan, Casey targeted two primary areas for his growth as a leader: improving his ability to influence his peers and develop the skills of a second-in-command to manage the daily tactical issues in his department. Because he was better able to delegate tasks to his assistant manager, more of Casey's time was freed up to allow him to engage peers including the business development manager. As he used his influence communication skills, he was able to develop win-win solutions with this colleague, resulting in fewer problems being created upstream in the value chain. His assistant manager felt more valued and took an increasingly active role in gatekeeping minor issues that would have typically occupied his time.
* The facts of this case have been generalized from several clients in order to maintain confidentiality.
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