Leading from the Middle

Companies need middle managers, but most of them are deeply unhappy in their jobs.

The typical middle manager is like a small fish swimming in the middle of a fishbowl, all eyes on it every minute. It feels pressure – the unyielding weight of water – at all times and from all sides. It watches other fish zoom by, busy on their rounds, while it quietly attends to its own business. 

This is also, metaphorically, the life of a manager who leads “from the middle.” Such a manager must walk a fine line, performing as a boss and answering to a boss – meeting the expectations of those above and below. As if that weren’t enough, middle managers often must deal with impossible workloads, tight resources, stress and a lack of appreciation. 

Middle managers are the beating heart of most companies. Research indicates that they are responsible for 22.3% of their organization’s “variation in revenue,” three times more than employees in “innovation roles.” Companies that replace poor middle managers with high-quality middle managers experience a 12% increase in productivity.&#...