Managers are being asked to do more and more while working with less and less. Even as we are having to downsize the workforce, we are having to manage the emotions of the people left behind.
This article explores some ways that we can make life easier for those managers including how AI can help with things like metrics, budget approval, and salary negotiations. It also looks at how one company made life easier by flattening the hierarchy.
The Real Value of Middle Managers by Zahira Jaser
For the past 50 years, the thought has been that middle managers are... well, middle people. Better than average but not quite higher management material. Jaser would like to change that and bring back to the idea of the manager, the role of leader, to take over being the amplifying voice on the way up, and the explanatory voice on the way down.
In Praise of Middle Managers by Quy Nguyen Huy
Recently, there has been a school of thought that middle managers don't do anything, Huy begs to differ. A six-year study shows that managers at least two levels below the boss and one up from line employees combine knowledge of company goals with boots-on-the-ground practicality in a way that no other managers can.
Managing Your Boss by John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter
Middle managers are often the "boots on the ground" but may be scared to speak up about changes or ideas because they are afraid of the consequences. But these are the people who most need to be able to sell their ideas because they are going to know what works. They need to know the tactics, know how to combine the tactics, and know when and how to implement them.
Get the Boss to Buy In by Susan J. Ashford and James Detert
Mid-level managers have the power to effect big change at their companies. Ashford and Detert give seven tactics for how to raise ideas to the senior levels and make information more palatable so the company can prosper: tailor your pitch (make it specific to the decision maker), framing (show how your goal fits into the big picture), manage emotions on both sides, think about your timing, involve others, adhere to others (know how your organization makes decisions and play into that information), and suggest solutions (if you bring up a problem, also suggest a solution. These tactics can be pick and choose though the authors found more successes when using all seven ideas at once.
The Secrets of Great Teamwork by Martine Haas and Mark Mortensen
Teams need any number of things to work well but the authors have identified four. They start with a well-dedined shared direction. Strong structure needs to be considered for great teamwork, who will be on the team, what the max capacity will be, and who will do what to compete a project. The third importance is support. That support comes from both outside and within the team. Finally, they talk about a shared mindset to overcome us/them thinking and fractures that can be caused by any number of reasons.
How the Best Bosses Interrupt Bias on Their Teams by Joan C. Williams and Sky Mihaylo
The best bosses can’t solve bias but they can interrupt it by making sure that they are fairly looking at all applicants and making a concerted effort to make their teams more diverse. That includes using fewer referrals, fairly dispersing office chores, and mindfully assigning high-value projects. But it also includes things that may not be as obvious like making sure you are scheduling the same amount of time for each of your employees (one person may feel more comfortable taking your time)
Making the Hybrid Workplace Fair by Mark Mortensen and Martine Haas
The new hybrid working model can make it hard for managers to keep things fair. The authors of this paper put forth some ideas on how to level the playing field: track and communicate, design, educate (let people know how hybridity can create unfair conditions), and monitor.
Why Strategy Execution Unravels—and What to Do About It by Donald Sull, Rebecca Homkes, and Charles Sull
There are any number of books about strategy but little explores how to actually implement the strategies once they are decided upon. The authors look at ways to more successfully implement strategies with tactics like making sure that we are working well cross-departmentally. Of course, resource allocation comes up as a topic but we don't mean just moving things around, it can also mean resource elimination. Of course, there is getting out the message of key strategies but we have to remember to measure them in results a.k.a. frontline workers knowing what our strategies are rather than how many times we communicated the message. We also need to focus on what execution success looks like and think about the fact that it can't always be top down.
The Leader as Coach by Herminia Ibarra and Anne Scoular
Coaching is hard and many middle managers just aren't very good at it. But they can use the advice from this article and looking at their 2x2 matrix on various aspects of coaching ranging from mentoring (letting the manager solve the problem) to hands off, to withholding judgment. The square the authors suggest as the sweet spot is "situational." They suggest using the GROW method: finding the Goal, looking back at the Reality, examining your Options, and Will (what will you do and whether they are willing to act.)4
Make the Most of Your One-on-One Meetings by Steven G. Rogelberg
Rogelberg did three different studies around one-on-one meetings. They are incredibly important and managers need to view and prepare for them through the lens of making their employees be more prepared as well as finding solutions for difficulties the company is facing.
Learn When to Say No by Bruce Tulgan
Before you automatically say either yes or no to an ask, you need to pause and think about a number of factors before you answer the question. And you also need to think about your timing in how you day yes or no. Then be able to state why you said yes or no.
Begin with Trust by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss
The authors of this paper identify core drivers of trust: authenticity (working with the real you), logic (people trust your decisions), and empathy (people feel you care about them.) Everyone has one that they are weakest in, their trust wobble. Ways to adjust the wobble are given for each of the three.
Four stars
This book comes out August 29, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Harvard Business Review Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own
