The Woes of Mid-Managers

The Woes of Mid-Managers There is no free lunch. Everything comes with a price and often the price we pay is very high.?

Meeting new people and traveling places are a few of the perks I enjoy for the profession I am in. This is of course until covid put brakes on our travel. I have interacted with many people across the globe, but here I would make a special mention of the corporate world. I have encountered the leaders and met people of rank and file. Every interaction has been a knowledge enhancement and learning about different perspectives which in itself is very exciting. Meeting various people over the years, especially from the mid-level and junior managers, understanding their perspectives led to me writing this piece.?

The mid-level managers are the backbone of any organization. They comprise a group that is higher in numbers as compared to their folks in the senior leadership for obvious reasons. Their role is the most crucial and it has become very critical too. The mid-level managers' role often becomes more complex as there could be dual or cross-reporting in many cases. Irrespective of the reporting structure, the tasks they perform are extremely important as they are the ones who are responsible for the execution of strategies of the management. A mid-level manager is an important part of the chain of communication. They are a bridge between the strategy makers and the executioners.?

The biggest challenge facing mid-level managers is that they are highly accountable for the results they produce. Well, nothing wrong with it. It's straight and simple, as it ought to be. The challenge arises when you are held accountable for the outcomes but are not given sufficient authority to make decisions. This is where the problem occurs, there is very little authority available at the level of a mid/junior manager, except for a few minor tactical decisions there isn’t much that they can do. Almost every organization barring a few handfuls is guilty on this front. This culture has been engrained far and wide, to the extent that the managers have become averse to making any decision. There is a sort of a submission to the prevailing situation by many of whom have confessed to me in private. There is a lot of frustration and helplessness leading to stress and fatigue.?

I look at this challenge intensely staring us in the face. There must be some remedy to improve the situation. I have a few ways to look at correcting this condition.

1. Organizations have to explore ways and means to include mid-level managers in the decision-making process. Empowering at a strategic level can be a good option. It has risks associated, but a dynamic support system from seniors can mitigate the risks. This will automatically encourage self-accountability within the mid-managers. This will go a long way in creating a sense of being trustworthy and lead to an enhanced sense of ownership among the mid-level managers, as taking ownership is one factor that the leaders have been echoing for decades.?
2. The other view is that the senior leadership doesn’t take the risk of sharing authority, mainly due to the lack of trust. They lack the conviction that the mid-managers would be able to make sound strategic decisions. This happens primarily because most of the time the leadership is of the view that people lack ownership. On many occasions, the leaders have pointed out the lack of professional maturity and shortcomings in leadership attributes in their subordinates. I have witnessed this particular bit in the organizations where the formal learning & development culture is pretty nascent or conceptually under consideration. In the larger organizations, the learning culture is well defined but is often side-lined by the stakeholders from business and other functions, primarily citing other priorities over training and development. Either way, the harm is done. Moreover, there are many reports to suggest that organizations do not invest as much in developing the mid-management as compared to the senior leadership. Some suggest that the budget for mid-management is less than 10% of the senior leadership. So, for the spends of 100,000/- for a senior leader, less than 10000/- is what is spent on a mid-level manager. There is a huge disparity. The numbers speak for themselves.?
3. Then there is a large population among the middle managers who do not step up when asked to due to the lack of confidence. The few that reluctantly accept the larger role, soon end up hitting a dead end. Again, in most of my observations, it’s the lack of training and coaching that has been the main cause of worry. A classic example that I’d love to share is when I was addressing a large audience at a corporate event. There were easily more than five hundred of them mainly from the mid-management. I asked if any of them had recently purchased a new smartphone or a smartwatch, or anything similar. I had a lot of hands go up in the air. Then I asked them if any of them in the recent past had purchased a new bike or purchased something that made them happy. Again, I had a lot of hands go up. To conclude, I asked them how many of them in the recent past had invested in a training seminar, attended a course, or even purchased a book. Sadly, I had three or four people raising their hands and the rest sunk in their chairs. Probably they got the message I was trying to put across. Why wait for someone to offer you a training course. Why would you wait for HR to ask you for a development course? The biggest help that mid-level managers can ever do for themselves is investing in self–development.?

To recapitulate the point, I am trying to convey, is that there is no substitute for learning. The more you learn the better you evolve and adapt. The easier you can adapt the more relevant you stay in this fast-paced shift that the world is witnessing today.

?