Manager vs leader: 2 ideas to become a Leader in Middle Management
For several years with the MazzuTeam we have been in contact with companies that want to bring out the potential of the people who make them up.
When I interact with very large realities, the problem of the so-called "Middle Management", Or rather of that managerial role that is halfway between the top management of the company and the foundations ofhierarchical organization.
In fact, this role has several complexities that make it particularly difficult to perform correctly.
When you find yourself occupying a “junior” position, in fact, your main job is to “do your job”, that is to put into practice what you have learned in university or for which you are qualified. Do yours and rest assured. As long as you do, well ...
Those who hold the position of "senior" at the top of the company, on the other hand, usually think of very different things, such as the strategies to be adopted, the correct way of doing business,he must always keep in mind what in the United States they call “The Big Picture”, that is the totality of the scenario.
The intermediate group, the Middle Management precisely, it is located in an uncomfortable space, a kind of limbo not always well defined, in which people must be:
- strategic, but not the most strategic;
- operating, but without taking on the problems of those who have to coordinate;
- they have to translate what happens at the top to get it to the base of the structure, and vice versa ...
Between a rock and a hard place one would say ... or between a rock and a hard place!
Precisely because of the complexity of the situation, a good part of errors happen right here, in the middle of the company organization chart.
It is no coincidence that I have met companies where there is a leadership and a vision proposed by the fantastic top management, but then when I found myself talking to those who were not at the top floors they would say to me: "This is the worst place I have ever worked" .
So the question to ask is: what the hell is going on between there (above) and here (below)? I want to share two ideas with you:
1. Be good leaders in Middle Management
In the company, Middle Management is not taught how to be a Leader.
This is for the reason I told you before: when you start working and fill a Junior role, you just need to know what you have to do and do it well.
What about the day they promote you? And maybe you become responsible for a team?
Nobody taught you how to listen, develop yours communication skills, as confront yourself effectively with the people you coordinate, like giving and receiving feedback: no one teaches you leadership.
Not surprisingly, the companies I work with are often full of managers but there is a shortage of leaders. And this is a problem because if one makes a request - what do I know - to the administration, but does not know how to ask for it effectively, he risks making more trouble than anything else.
So: the first hyper frequent problem in companies is that you promote someone as a leader and you expect him (or her) to know what to do "automatically".
This is not the case: they need to be trained and supervised. Instead, on this aspect there is a total emptiness, or in any case there are minimal attempts at leadership training, which instead should be abundantly reinforced.
2. Be the leader you wish you had
A second aspect is that I often cross paths with splendid self-taught Middle Managers: they read books, attend conferences, look at all the possible and imaginable TED talks, are scholars of leadership, have mentors, ...
I mean, these are people who really try to become professionals suitable for the new role they hold.
However, the problem here is that these managers, if you talk to us face to face, often complain, because they tell you: "I do a bunch like this to focus on people and their development, then I find out what interests the plans. only the quarterly earnings are high… ".
What to do in these cases? My advice to those who find themselves in this situation, net of the fact that leaving work is always an option but it is never the best or the first to consider, is to be the leader you wish you had.
In the company as in life there are things that you cannot control, and being stubborn about them does not lead you anywhere: instead, worry and take care of the people around you, of the people who are by your side, of how to make them grow and transform into the best version of themselves.
Once I worked with a small group of Middle Managers of an important multinational and, after a few months of work, these guys started to improve their performances.
The working environment of this department entrusted to us had become beautiful, pleasant, even coveted. What happened, in fact, is that people from other company departments started asking to be moved to fit into this group.
The reason? At lunch they might meet each other and, talking about this and that, they saw the happiness and joy of work on the faces of managers who had learned to become good leaders.
Moral of the story, dear friends: if you have the possibility to decide the company training plan, push on teaching soft skills and extended leadership. Not only at the top, but also also to all Middle Management.
If, on the other hand, you work in a company that is still deaf to these needs, do not give up and continue to work in self-taught mode to improve yourself day after day. Focus on what you can control and strive to be the leader you would like to have.
USEFUL LINKS:
- To train your employees or collaborators and increase motivation, cohesion and productivity at work, you can contact us here at the link: https://skillfactor.it/
- To learn more about vulnerability in teams, you can buy the book "The Culture Code" by Daniel Coyle here at the link: https://amzn.to/2R6Snfe
- If you want to deepen the topic of teambuilding, read also this article on the topic of context or control leadership.
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