middle management Archives

August 1, 2020March 5, 2021

How To Deal With Employees Who Undermine Your Authority

Ever get that feeling at work where someone or something just doesn’t seem right with an employee? While the best leadership rule of thumb is to treat staff with respect and you will get respect back, there is one employee just doesn’t seem to want to get along. They don’t follow your directives because they are so sure that they know better than you and criticize you openly, or worse – behind your back. To keep your leadership and team on track, you have to deal with this toxic behavior. Here is how to deal with employees who undermine your authority.

May 24, 2019June 23, 2019

How Managers Can Avoid Having Their Meetings Hijacked

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.

July 10, 2018June 23, 2019

Motivations of the Successful Middle Manager

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”

June 2, 2018May 20, 2020

How to Develop Mental Toughness as a 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.