Middle managers are the true heroes of every company. and organization. They activate employees to get the results requested by senior management. These results add up to the company achieving its objectives and vision.
All the operations of a company are in the hands of the employees managed by middle managers.
They are the engine that drives the creation of results.
This diagram captures this idea simply.
Senior management is always aware of a gap between where they want the company to be and where it is right now. Their job is to decide how to close that gap.
So they develop strategies. These ‘gap-closing’ strategies are then passed to middle management who, in turn, mobilize the work force to achieve the needed results to close the gap.
And here’s the thing. Middle managers, generally , get the ‘what’ needs to be achieved without the ‘how’. Implementing the strategies in companies worldwide seldom comes with a detailed, well thought out process. The new strategy is ‘rolled out’, meaning that presentations are made to key middle managers spelling out a new policy or objective. A new logo and slogan is designed which pop up as backdrops in online meetings or on posters in workplaces.
Once the new strategy is rolled out, the developers and presenters of the strategy go back to their offices and think about the next possible thing that they can create.
The roll out of the red carpet is NOT the show. The ‘show’ is only enjoyed when the hard work of implementation is done. And like a stage show the strategy implementation can only be seen when all the pieces have been put in place and are working together smoothly. It is well researched that anywhere from 50-70% of corporate strategies fail to produce the expected results and this usually happens because implementation was never completed.
Middle Managers perform their heroics as they work with their staff and others to close the gap as requested.
An example of this is a middle manager being asked by senior management for an increase in productivity for their area of responsibility. There will, of course, be a number attached, say, by 5%. That number has come from a ‘close the gap’ strategy. But there is no ‘how’ detailed with the request. Our hero has to invent the ‘how’, taking into account the reality on the ground.
Coming up with the ‘how’ requires the manager to enlist direct reports, peers and third parties to work together to decide on ‘how’ the ‘what’ is going to be achieved. Often without added resources!
A hero is a person who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great. That describes a middle manager who achieves the results ordered by senior management
A middle manager shows bravery in getting people who are already under pressure and feeling stressed to do more or different things. It is a heavy load. They achieve great things when they get the results.
A company without heroic middle managers can be equated to a hamburger without a patty – it doesn’t exist or will not exist for long.
