For quite some time, there has been a negative connotation around being stuck in the middle. While some middle children might argue differently, I am here to today to tell you that in the workplace, being the Leader in the Middle means you are on the right leadership path.
In my book, Serving Up, Coaching Down, I spend quite some time on the merits of occupying this unique space in your organization. In today’s post, we’ll take a brief look on who a Leader in the Middle (LIM) is and touch on how you can use this role to your advantage.
Are LIMs Lower-level Managers?
I can’t reiterate this enough, being a middle manager is not equivalent to being a lower-level manager, at all. In today’s business society, middle managers comprise of over 90% of the leaders found in the corporate space.
But who falls in this category? Well, simply put, a middle manager can be a VP, CEO, director, manager or supervisor. Categorically speaking, a middle manager is anyone that reports to a boss but also leads a team of employees.
Now quite a few people dislike being called a middle manager because of the unfair negative connotations surrounding the title. This is due to perceived biases that middle management is resistant to change or are failures at communicating effectively in both directions.
The irony is though, most people who wish to move up in their company, aim to occupy this position. Why?
“This is the most powerful leadership role in the company, that is why we call them, ‘Leaders in the Middle (LIM)’. ”
I can hear the wheels beginning to turn in your head. This brings me to respond to what I am sure will be your next question.
Why are LIM the Most Powerful Leaders?
LIM’s are the most powerful because they have the responsibility to take the vision or direction of their leaders and own it as their own. This has even been supported by thorough research.
Analyzing data from a study conducted by Great Place to Work for a duration of six years, covering 429 publicly traded companies with more than 450,000 employee responses, researchers found the success of an organization’s financial gain is directly pegged to the successes of middle managers. This is because a great LIM is able to take senior leaders’ vision and turn it into applicable strategies to coach their employees. They are the executors.
“There is no success without execution.”
How does a Leader in the Middle Remove Silos in an Organization?
By learning to serve out. My experience has taught me that to be the best LIM, or to lead the best team, it is integral to establish strong relationships with other departments. It is serving the needs of the organization, the teams, and individuals; it is serving out. This belief is grounded in the premise that,
“…the more people you serve, the more you will be served.”
It is then the responsibility of you, the wise LIM, and your team, to lead by example. When you serve out, it establishes a precedence that your employees will be coached to follow.
While I hate to admit it, silos in organizations start when there is poor leadership in the middle. Too often, LIM’s serve down to their people and defend up to their bosses. Instead, what they should do is serve up to their bosses and coach down to their employees. This is why so many companies struggle to innovate and get stuck—leaving everyone frustrated and looking for answers.
Serving up and coaching down changes all of that. This approach leads to better communication in both directions while enabling increased collaboration with other departments. I recently read an interesting article in Forbes that referred to middle management as ‘golden nuggets’, and, as I’ve long established, this is true. Your role is the most critical in an organizational structure. As a leader of leaders, it falls to you, the middle leader, to take steps to make your company a success and your people a #winning team.
To learn much more on LIMs, I invite you to check out my book, Serving Up, Coaching Down .
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