A Middle Manager is accountable to their boss for achieving the results agreed, developing their direct reports, growing personally and operating within the values, policies and budget of the company and collaborating across the organization.
As a middle manager you are often loaded with multiple requests. requiring change. The day to day issues that you are grappling with on the ground, and the efforts that will be needed from your staff to make the changes asked can seem impossible to achieve.
There is enough research to show that more than half the Middle Managers in the world are unhappy and under stress.
Putting aside the difficulties of being a Middle Manager, your role is basically to achieve results using whatever resources, budget and people you have been allocated.
But your role cannot be simply defined as the results for which you are accountable. You are also accountable for the results of your direct reports. No amount of delegating lets you off the hook for being accountable for the results demanded by your boss.
Let’s look at the main things you become accountable for:
1. Implementing management’s strategies. Planning same.
2. Supervising and coordinating people to get the work done.
3. Communicating down and up the organization as needed Getting ‘on the ground’ feedback and representing that to senior management.
4. Managing performance and feedback to staff. This includes setting goals, measuring progress, holding difficult conversations, looking for areas of improvement and driving to make those happen.
5. Problem solving and decision making
6. Managing resources and budgets. Fighting for resources.
7. Developing staff and preparing them for movement in the company or organization. Creating an engaged (happy) team(s).
Why did I have a heading above that has the words ‘almost impossible’? I did that because, having talked to many middle managers, it is clear that they are being pulled in many ways.
Using the numbers above I will make ideal statements for each of them.
Ask yourself whether each statement is true for you.
1. When strategies are rolled out I am very clear on their purpose, what needs to be done and how to do it. Plus I have the resources and time to make it happen. Also I am only called on to focus on one change at a time. (I hear some laughter in the distance – is that you?)
2. I have enough people, fully qualified for their role and all are well engaged and getting their work done on time and to quality. I am on top of what is happening all the time.
3. I am very clear on management’s focus and why we are making changes. I can communicate this easily to my staff, who willingly accept the changes. Senior management listen very well to any feedback I give and accommodate changes based on that. (Was that a guffaw I heard?)
4. My staff have a very clear understanding of the results they need to achieve and are open to feedback and coaching. We, as a team, welcome suggestions for improvement and enjoy experimenting to test them.
5. I have the needed authority to achieve the results for which I am accountable. I seldom have to seek approval for matters related to my accountabilities. Problems are often resolved within our team with input from all.
6. I have more than enough budget, resources and people for my accountability. (OK I am pushing it a bit!)
7. My DR’s engagement scores are high, I have little turnover and finding replacement staff is fast and efficient.
You can stop laughing now!
This is not funny!
All middle managers live in a world that is far short of the ideal. I aim in my articles to help you triumph in spite of the less than perfect world in which you operate.
The world we work in as a middle manager is, obviously, not perfect. Far from it. This is why I consider Middle Mangers as ousting superman and superwoman when it comes to being heroes. The health of the economy is, in total, only possible because middle mangers are able to , somehow, keep companies operating in spite of the challenges they face. Middle management is, I believe the point of most stress in an organization.
In future articles I will share insights and ways in which you can learn to Triumph, in spite of the challenges.
Action 1: What is your biggest source of stress as a Middle Manager. Email me at [email protected]. I will use the input to guide me in future articles.
Action 2: Appreciate how important your role is in your company or organization. And give yourself a medal!!
Next week – The What and Why of what you do.
