Why is it that being a middle manager feels like such a thankless job? You negotiate budget for days to get your team as much staffing and development as you can. You spend hours creating succession plans and tracking achievements in hopes your boss will sell the promotions for your team well. Then you listen empathically while your team complains they are overworked and feeling stuck in their role. Meanwhile, your boss hasn’t mentioned career planning to you since your interview for this job and you’re worried it’s a 60 hour a week dead end. When you muster the courage to ask how that promotion meeting went they say they didn’t use your slides because your numbers weren’t clear. Oh by the way, it’s looking like we may need to cut 15% of staff this year. (I’m sharing this exact story on YouTube.)
Your efforts and contributions as a middle manager go unnoticed and unappreciated too often. This lack of recognition leaves you feeling demotivated and resentful, impacting your performance and overall team morale. It’s time to take it back.
A middle management tale with to-do’s for you
The name honestly says it all. Middle managers get caught in the middle on sharing and driving the strategy, supporting the leaders who report to them, and being the do-er for their senior leaders. They struggle to lead through others and advocate for themselves. I have too many stories to count on this but I’m sharing one of my favorites on YouTube this week. Click here to learn all about it. If you’re tired of doing all the tedious work to prove to your boss that you need the staff your team is begging for, just to be told they can’t use your numbers, this one is for you.
Here, we’re focusing on what you do about this. You’re a leader and you can make a change. We’re channeling the frustration into action to get you the credit for your results that you deserve. You have the ability to shape your new reality and make a way for yourself as a leader in the future of the organization. Here’s how:
Align the values
Leading means seeing the forest and the trees. You won’t like or even agree with every decision. When that happens, it takes work to see the benefit to the organization from the changes. I don’t say this to have you force a toxic positivity mindset but to consider a different lens. What is good for the organization can be good for you, too, when you take an active approach. The biggest growth and success is born in difficult situations. Learning to work with the changes that are coming at you gives you gifts you never expected.
Think of it this way, when oysters get a toxin in them, they don’t remove them. We don’t have oysters spitting grains of sand back in the ocean because they didn’t want it. Instead, they get to work. The oyster takes the irritant and molds it into something beautiful, something valuable, a pearl. You can do that too, when you understand the value to the organization and align it with what you value.
Bring solutions, with a strategy
We’re taught to bring solutions rather than problems. And that is a great place to start. As an effective middle manager, you can take this one step farther. Every problem you encounter is an opportunity for you to expand. Tie your solution to the overall strategy to highlight how it helps the organization win.
The most common problem you run into as a manager is some version of, we need to do more with less. That could be, how do we serve more customers with less staff? How do we get more efficient with fewer vendors? Many middle managers in this situation will come with complaints or legitimate reasons it won’t work. A good leader comes with an idea on how it could work. A great leader comes with a clear view of the problem, a prioritized solution, and clarity on what they need to make it work while supporting company vision.
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Communicate Full Circle
Regardless of if your plan worked, your suggestion met a ‘no’ once again, or its still in the air, tell them. Go full circle with your boss and let them know what you tried, how it worked, and what you’re doing to build on it. Tell your team what you asked for, how it was received, and what your next approach is. We forget to go back and explain it all with professional transparency. Doing that allows people to learn, understand, and see the your amazing strides. Want to make sure that win or lose on each battle your efforts are worth it? Go full circle in every problem, solution, and communication. Build trust and showcase authenticity and tenacity along the way.
Take a page from my leadership experience
Prior to a latest wave of layoffs, the department I worked in went through its own reduction in staff. Some teams were realigned, some new leaders were brought in and some tenured middle managers remained on the team. With so much churn, we needed clean compliance processes to replace the tribal knowledge that was once relied on. Everyone had an opinion on how things should work. Each person had their own goals and lenses to look through.
I could have sat on the sidelines because it was a difficult time. I could have distracted myself with office politics and aligning with the right people. Instead, I chose to focus on finding the best solution for the problem that would benefit the organization and their goals. I strategically came up with three. I explained the risks and benefits of each option, but I sold my vice president on the one I wanted to move forward with and why. Following the 1-3-1 model in decision making showcased that I had thought through the issue logically. Taking the lead meant I could position myself as someone who made things happen and fixed problems. In every leadership meeting I gave updates on our progress. Even in a difficult situation, I could regain control, focus on solutions, and grow despite adversity.
You have more influence than you think, at any level of leadership. Reduce the pressure and make yourself recession-proof by building the skills and mindset you need to persevere in every situation.