Stuck in the Middle

The middle is usually bad--as in the middle seat of an airplane, being placed in the "middle" of an argument, or being the middle child. There's an implication in all these scenarios of insufficient space and comfort, or being ignored in favor of those at the top and bottom. In the corporate world, the middle, as in middle-management, follows the pattern.  Entry-level employees are looked after with on-boarding programs, probationary periods, and follow-ups to ensure retention, and those at the top often receive the benefits of the executive suite, including relatively high pay, and perks such as hefty bonuses and luxurious incentive trips.

Where does that leave mid-level managers?  They have the "gravitas" of being the boss to their own set of workers or department, but while the executives make the plans, and those working under them follow orders and get credit for doing the work, what's the role of the middle-manager?  There was a more lucrative time (who knows how many years ago--before I was an adult probably) when the middle manager didn't make the big strategy plans, but at least had the comfort of giving orders he or she didn't have to pitch in with. These days, with an economy always on the verge of the ultimate tank, middle management not only has to dole out the assignments; it has to take on more than a few itself. It has to both manage the work of others as well as get its own piece of grunt work done. It's the worst of both worlds.

To ensure middle managers aren't taken for granted, you might try recognizing them a little more often. Most of us are currently cash-strapped, but what about non-monetary  recognition  such as a special middle management-focused award signed by the CEO that these workers can put on their resume, and which can be made an official part of their record for future job opportunities at your company?  Don't assume it won't mean anything if there's no added money involved. Added money is always an enormous plus, of course, but it's nice knowing hard work is appreciated, and it's even nicer knowing you have that recognition in a documented form that can be used towards future career growth.

In hard times, when many corporate learning curriculums are probably experiencing cutbacks, you also could use middle-management recognition as a way of narrowing the field of workers who qualify for training programs. That way you save money by limiting the number of employees given entry into leadership development seminars or career counseling while not throwing out the middle management with the bath water--or whatever it is that's going down the drain at your company.

You also might think about how to lessen the burden of middle managers. First, begin by acknowledging to them that there in fact is a burden. Along with recognition of a job well done, people appreciate it when those giving them the tasks that are making their lives harder point out that they know what they're doing to them. Then, see if you can start an intern program that would add additional manpower to their teams.

Another idea is to carve out a small portion of executive meetings for a middle management update--from a middle manager him or herself. You could select presenters by random means, or draw from the same pool of high-achievers you've recognized. The presenters don't need much time--maybe 10 or 15 minutes, or less even, to run down a list of their top five or 10 concerns for the quarter. You'd be surprised what your "strategizers" might learn from the work horses who do what they're too "high-level" to get their hands dirty helping with.

More than anything else, don't just ignore them, hoping they won't notice. Remember how uncomfortable you were the last time you had to sit in the middle seat on an overnight flight, or a lengthy train ride?  Your efficient middle managers are taking your company where your "strategizers" told them they want to go, but not without a post-destination headache.

What do you have in store for your middle-managers?  Anything good?  Or more time spent being ignored?

Comments

[Kevan Hall]

Great post - I think this is particularly important in matrix organization structures where competing priorities mean that trade-offs and daily decisions have to be made in the middle.

Without the right information and authority in the middle, this can lead to a lot of escalation, delay, costs and dissatisfaction.