Middle Managers are heroes.
They hold corporations together. They operationalize senior management strategy and tie resources to the necessary activity that makes products and services. In general, the entire enterprise depends on the invisible, unglamorous effort of middle managers in ways that are often completely disregarded.
In our economy, executive management has the power and with it, the voice. They set strategy and policy, assign resources; pull resources and direct middle managers to implement their ideas.
By contrast, entry level employees tend to show up, perform some very basic but essential tasks that keep sales flowing. They are there to do as they are told, collect a check and go home.
So what separates success from failure? The middle. Why? Because they make all the difference. Yet little attention is paid to what happens in the middle and I think it is long past time that this changed. There is a great deal to talk about and understand and consider. So let’s start talking about the issues that affect middle managers.
First, a bit of personal perspective. I have been a middle manager in various middle management roles for 30 years. I have seen the good, the bad, and the very, very ugly. The best and worst often come from other middle managers. Why? Because everyone in the middle fights for or defends their little piece of turf and it makes for interesting conversation. So let’s start. We can tell stories, share ideas and maybe raise a little awareness of the challenges unique to middle management.
Who’s in?