Caught between those who want empowerment and those who want to cut costs, how can middle management avoid getting caught in some nasty crosshairs? Jeff Van Fleet, Lighthouse’s President and CEO, has a few ideas.
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We all know that people are the producers for every organization, and that they’re pushing for a culture of improvement, advancement, and innovation. On the other hand, metrics-driven upper managers often try to cut costs and increase efficiency above all else. |
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how difficult it is to be a middle manager. It’s been a long time since I’ve been one, but I still can vividly remember feeling caught “between a rock and a hard place”.
We all know that people are the producers for every organization—whether you are talking about software developers, business analysts, assembly-line workers, sales professionals, or your A/R department—and that they’re constantly pushing middle managers for a culture that fosters improvement, advancement, and innovation. On the other hand, metrics-driven upper managers are constantly pushing the other way; asking middle managers to cut costs and increase efficiency above all else. Something has to give, and middle management is at ground zero of this conflict!
So how can we satisfy both camps, especially when their interests so often oppose one another?
Well, you all know by now that I am more of a people-centric person, but I’ll try to set my personal philosophy aside. If you are a middle manager, here are a few things you can do right now to help:
- Develop a culture statement for your organization. It will describe your general expectations about how you want your organization to run. You can see an example of Lighthouse’s culture here.
- Identify the gap between where you are and where you want to be, and then build a simple roadmap to bridge the gap. “Simple” is the operative word.
- Establish written expectations for your people that align with your organization’s goals. Develop some simple metrics to measure your staff’s performance against these expectations, and communicate these with your staff. Better yet, include them in the process and get their help in developing the metrics.
- Communicate to your staff the roadmap and GET STARTED NOW.
- Communicate your plan to your Sr. Manager and impress upon them that you can meet the needs of the corporation while also improving the lives of your staff. Notice that I suggested that you get started first before talking to your manager. This is the “Ask for Forgiveness” approach. It will dramatically reduce “paralysis by analysis”.
In the end, though, all change needs complete commitment to flourish—something that means different things to different people. For middle managers, it’s not being afraid to change the culture—they’re the ones fighting a two-front war. For upper managers, it’s giving middle managers freedom—ensuring more autonomy for the people who make their goals a reality. And for employees, it’s constantly striving to make a difference while understanding that increased accountability comes with increased empowerment.
Causing change is hard work, but the results are always worth it in the end. If I can be of any assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Keep having fun,
Jeff Van Fleet
President & CEO
Lighthouse Technologies, Inc.
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