Managers matter: how to build capacity in the often neglected middle layer
Middle managers are the workhorses of an organisation. They not only produce work but they also manage most of the people. Managers matter. But their needs are often neglected.
The struggle comes from the fact that senior leaders make the strategic decisions and middle managers implement them, through their work output and their direct reports. This can leave them overworked and carrying the mental load of the teams, while at the same time needing to keep the wheels on and keep people working.
The importance of developing managers
Managers are critical to the healthy functioning of organisations, and yet can often get promoted because they're good at their job, not because they're good at managing people. This can leave them underequipped to deal with all the demands placed on them.
As a barometer of organisational health, think of them as an artery. When arteries are healthy and well looked after, blood flows freely through the body. When arteries get clogged through neglect, poor diet and stress, they block blood flow leading to a crisis.
The same happens in organisations. When managers are well supported, well trained and their development is prioritised then they are an organisational strength and asset. When they are pulled in different directions, delivering work and managing the people,the stress can take its toll.
Three key skills managers need: feedback, resilience, self-management
These three skills will help your managers be better at leading teams. They are also the ones that I see drop off in challenging times.
Giving and receiving feedback so they can address underperformance, develop their teams and create a safe environment
Resilience so they are able to take care of themselves whilst managing their teams
Self management so they they understand and can hold their boundaries
Signs that management development is needed
Just as ill health can creep up on us after years of neglect, the signs that your middle management layout is struggling may take a while to notice.
Look out for the following signals:
Junior staff are leaving, and middle managers too
There seems to be a disconnect between what your middle managers are telling you and the corridor conversations overhear
Sick leave is on the rise in your middle manager group
Challenge with getting strategic vision into operational
Bad vibes in the office! Middle managers who are struggling, and not thriving, do not lead happy, healthy teams.
It takes time, inclination and for someone to take responsibility for connecting the dots and implementing changes.
What to do if you notice these pain points
Do some digging and get well informed. You can either do this yourself as a leader or bring in a third party to conduct a health check. We offer this at Coaching in Motion . This includes Discovery Coaching across the organisational structure to understand the experience of those working on the front line. Once you have an idea of what is going wrong or what is missing, you can start to build an effective intervention.
Managers need to learn, reflect and grow to be effective leaders and support. That could include:
Capacity building workshops
Day coaching for middle managers
Team coaching
Improvements to your HR processes
How coaching supports skill development and culture shift
The relentless nature of middle management means that in the normal everyday there is not much space to reflect and grow. Senior leaders need to think about shaping spaces for managers to:
Learn - introduce training workshops to build the skills of middle managers and broaden their thinking.
Reflect - establish regular individual coaching, either as coaching days or team coaching, so that managers reflect on effectiveness as a management team enabling to interrupt patterns of poor management.
Grow - through the three key skills of feedback, resilience, self-management.
Coaching in Motion has a suite of workshops to respond to these challenges middle managers face and you can implement these. Get in touch with us today about conducting a health check in your organisation.