Middle Management – Major Stressors
Most of us want to advance in our careers. Climbing that corporate ladder many times mean that you will be put into a middle management role. One of the most important functions of a middle manager is motivating, leading, and inspiring their subordinates. They are the link between the senior management and the lower or junior levels of the organization. Middle managers are responsible for ensuring that upper-management directives are executed efficiently and effectively.
Daily Challenges
Middle managers, in general, are dealt a difficult hand. They’re expected to switch between the roles of “boss” and “employee” constantly, which alone can be difficult. They deal with tactical day-to-day obstacles from supply-chain challenges to pushbacks, absenteeism, and complaints from employees. Middle managers must also understand the big picture goals from upper management. Needless to say, it can be a difficult balancing act. And these opposing forces can leave them feeling caught in the middle.
Middle Stressors
Nearly one-fifth of managers and supervisors report signs of stress, burnout, and depression. A recent survey found that burnout is on the rise globally, but most significantly in the U.S. where 43% of middle managers reported burnout, which is more than any other worker group.
New Reality of Middle Management
Managers today must confront many new realities in today’s workforce. Social and political turbulence, work-life fusion and hybrid work have added new layers of complexity (and pressure) to their roles. Traditional managerial success was based on the ability to manage and evaluate employee performance. This has shifted. HR executives will hire and develop managers who are poised to be great coaches, teachers and to operate with empathy.
On-going Training
Middle managers may have blind spots about how they perform in certain areas. They need to become aware of where their areas of improvement are and why these behaviors are important. Being trained to coach at the frontline level is incredibly different when coaching in the middle. These leaders may know the essentials, but they are not playing the same game that they were pre-pandemic. The workplace has changed.
Investing in the development for these mid-level leaders is critical. Not only to set themselves up, as well as the organization for success, but also to build a bench of ready-now executives who are equipped to step into a future role.
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