A resource for when Middle Management has got you down…
Aside from performance reviews, there are times in which constructive feedback will need to be provided to staff because they are not meeting your expectations. I like to call this, “difficult talk Fridays”. Giving feedback to staff is difficult enough, giving feedback to staff that are not self aware seems impossible.
Continue reading “Tips For Giving Feedback to Staff that Lack Self-Awareness”
As a new manager, I found myself with a desk surrounded by pieces of paper that all needed my attention. Inevitably, when I feel like I’m getting ahead, someone will come and drop off some more. Being able to prioritize tasks in front of you is crucial for a middle manager to complete work on time and maintain sanity.
The same can be said for an Outlook inbox. The number of cc’s can be overwhelming sometimes as you try and sort through the little tasks that poke at you through the day and distract you from what you really need to accomplish to move your department forward.
It’s easy to miss the small details if you are disorganized, and it will likely cost you undue stress because it may feel that there are more tasks to complete than there really are.
The concept of “time blocking or time chunking” where the majority of your day is dedicated to certain functional tasks one at a time does not work for a middle manager that need to respond to issues throughout the day.
When you primarily work in operations, not everything that you must do is on your ‘to-do’ list at the beginning of the day. Having set time where you have to complete payroll is good, but when you have the majority of your time allocated to tasks that you may have to set aside to deal with an issue, you will get frustrated when you aren’t able to keep up with the block schedule.
To really manage all your tasks, you need to ask yourself these questions:
Continue reading “Prioritizing Tasks as a Middle Manager”
Ever been in a meeting that seems to make a turn for the worst? What about when you are presenting an idea or facilitating a group discussion that it is dominated by the person with seemingly all the feedback for the entire group?
You are standing at the front of the room with a smile that is fighting to not become a grimace.
Chances are that you aren’t reading this article because there is someone on the team that dominates the conversation by heaping praise on what a great job everyone is doing and management is brilliant. I’m accustomed to being surprised now, so if you are that rare specimen that has it all together, read on to hear what the rest of us plebes have to struggle with.
Continue reading “How Managers Can Avoid Having Their Meetings Hijacked”
What are the best motivations for being a middle manager, and what are the worst?
Are these reasons setting up individuals for success or failure and disappointment?
Middle management is a tricky position to navigate: you have to placate the top and bottom simultaneously. This is a challenge for even the most veteran supervisors.
Your motivations for this role are predictors for success. Here are the top reasons for becoming a middle manager:
Continue reading “Motivations of the Successful Middle Manager”
Mental fortitude is a term entering the business world that was borrowed from elite athletes. Understandable, as mental toughness is believed to align with better performance. Having a high sense of self-belief mixed with the attitude that one controls their own destiny allows us to persevere through difficult circumstances. Simply put, mental fortitude is unshakable confidence that you can get through the current challenge facing you. Here is now to develop mental toughness as a middle manager.
Every business will face a a crisis from time to time. This is not unique to any industry, it is just the price of doing business. Some of it is a result of poor planning and other times it can be from factors outside of management’s control. The bottom line: middle managers are essential during a crisis.
There are probably many front line managers who are holding their second cup of coffee reading this and thinking, “Of course I can handle emergencies better! The big boss only knows how to schedule meetings!” Here are some of the reasons why middle managers are essential during a crisis and a list of leadership traits that will help guide you through uncertain times.
Continue reading “Why Middle Managers are Essential During a Crisis”