When big organisations restructure, it’s mid-level managers who often feel the pain. In small and medium-sized businesses the layers of management are thin. Every member of the team needs to add value.
Yet, so many businesses leaders fail to invest in developing this critical resource.
Perhaps it’s time to ask – could your middle managers be an untapped source of success in your workforce?
Middle managers have a difficult job at the best of times. But during the past two years, their job has become a lot harder.
Managing the constantly shifting requirements of customers, the flexible work arrangements of their team, and pressure to maintain productivity, has left many managers feeling exhausted and ill-equipped to navigate their increasingly demanding roles.
Many feel they don’t have adequate support from their own managers.
The most common excuses for business leaders not supporting their middle managers are: “we can’t afford the time for them to take part in training”, or “we don’t have the money”.
But we would argue that leaders need to think ahead.
Investing in the development of your key managers delivers long-term value to your business’s bottom line. It creates a more satisfied and energised workplace.
And here’s the thing – it’ll also save you a lot of time, money, and pain in the future.
Are you equipping your middle managers for success?
The truth is that many organisations, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, are simply not investing in their middle managers’ success.
Leaders think they’re doing their best for their high performers by rewarding them with a promotion. Appointing them to manage a team or teams, with the accompanying increase in salary and benefits.
But often a newly promoted manager isn’t given adequate training to prepare them for the demands of their new role. Without support, they’re left to muddle their way through a labyrinth – a labyrinth of people!
Not everyone is cut out for a middle management role
Being an expert mechanical engineer, a competent accountant, or even a talented consultant, doesn’t mean you’ll be a good people manager.
So, why do organisations use a completely different form of logic when promoting expert professionals into management roles?
Some people are better off remaining in an operational role where they can focus on developing deeper and deeper expertise. Others have the desire, and perhaps the potential, to become a manager. But they first need to learn the ropes. To approach the role with a different type of thinking.
If you’re considering giving someone a promotion, take a moment to consider that:
- Promoting a person because they’re ‘good with people’, doesn’t mean they’ll make a good manager.
- Just because someone wants or deserves a promotion, doesn’t mean they’ll like being a manager – or make a good one.
Good managers are made, not born
There’s no doubt that managers are made, not born.
Good managers make deliberate and important shifts in their thinking and behaviour. Effective management requires a person to use different skills.
And it’s not always easy.
- Stepping up to middle-management usually means moving from a task-based role where success is about knowing the answers and solving problems. To make a successful transition, a person must be able to influence others. To build relationships and to facilitate members of their team to come up with answers.
- Moving from tactical execution to strategic, dynamic thinking takes some adjustment. Managers often get caught in the strategy-execution gap. They miss the direction of strong, supportive leadership.
They’re yet to develop the tools to make clear plans, like how to think about measures, accountability, and reviews. They may lack the confidence and skills to communicate well, enabling them to tap into people’s emotions and motivators.
- Management means shifting a person’s thinking and behaviour about what success looks like. They go from being busy “doing” to busy “connecting”. They must master the art of building influence, removing roadblocks, and having meaningful conversations with staff.
- As they move into management, people need to change the way they spend their time. Not only do they need to complete their own work, but they also need to help others perform effectively.
- Often the “helping others part” doesn’t come easily. After all, it’s not what has made them successful to date. The fact is people are messy. Experience tells us there’s no one clear rule or way to interact with people at work.
It can be a real puzzle to navigate relationships.
Giving your middle managers their best chance to shine is up to you
According to a number of studies, a person’s relationship with their manager is one of the top determinants of how satisfied or stressed they feel in their job.
Along with their mental health, this relationship has a big influence on an employee’s overall wellbeing.
Helping managers to grow the skills and self-awareness to make their job successful is crucial.
How to avoid leaving middle managers in the lurch
Middle managers are the conduit between senior leadership and the people who deal directly with your customers. They’re the glue that ensures successful execution and a positive workplace culture.
Having to deal with people can be one of the hardest aspects of a manager’s role, especially during times of change.
So, it’s critical that your organisation invests wisely in preparing your middle managers for this role.
- Maintaining ongoing support through coaching, mentoring, and leadership is crucial. And it’s the best way to ensure they can get on with the job.
- Effective support means upskilling managers. Equipping them to deal with different conversations, different ways of working. Giving them the opportunity to learn how to delegate, coach, and manage accountability. How to give and receive feedback.
This type of learning can’t be achieved by a one-off training program. It’s a process of ongoing study and practice. It involves mentoring and making behavioural adjustments.
3 ways to ensure the success of your middle managers
Happier and confident managers create more productive and engaged teams.
They’re better at handling stressful situations.
They contribute to creating a healthy organisation – which helps grow your organisation’s bottom-line.
It’s often said that people don’t leave companies, they leave bad managers. For your organisation to succeed, it’s important to remember the following:
- Investing time to prepare your managers for their roles has substantial pay-offs. Helping them master the fine art of managing people is an ongoing process.
- Plan for the future. Have regular conversations with your middle managers about their desired career paths. Help them plan their development ahead of promotions. Give them plenty of support to navigate the “intangibles” and experience the rewards of mastering these skills.
- Engage professional help if you need it. If you don’t have the resources within your business to develop your managers, engage the support of a professional. Someone who can partner with you to build the capability of your team into the future.
To discuss strategies for developing your management team to set your organisation up for success, contact Joanne Fisher on + 61 (0) 423 163 319.
