During an evening event at an internal conference this past November, I was enjoying a beer while looking ridiculous in a green and white running outfit, mullet, and Hulk Hogan mustache after completing a skit at our opening session and ice breaker. I was feeling pretty good about things, mainly because I had made it through the skit without dying of embarrassment. Then one of our site managers sat down next to me. After some chit, chat, it became obvious something was on his mind. After some coaxing, he finally got to it. “It’s not all great out there. I mean, if things were like you said – your vision – no one would ever leave. But that vision doesn’t make it down to me, to us on the ground.” He struggled with the words as he knew he was talking to the CEO. He went on to explain he loved his job, loved GreenPoint, and absolutely loved his team but he needed me to know we still had work to do to make my vision a reality. It was a humbling moment.
I’ve had similar conversations over the past two weeks with others. I take heart that people care and are courageous enough to share their frustrations with me, but I worry we may be struggling “in the middle” as people are feeling like they need to reach me directly to feel heard or get something changed.
Rule of 150
Turning a vision into a reality for everyone at all levels is the core challenge of any organization. The larger the organization, the more difficult it is. Study after study confirms roughly 150 people is the limit of an effective social network. When organizations are under about 150 people, everyone knows one another; beyond that, social networks strain and things become less personal. Thus, larger networks must rely more on other leaders, systems, and processes to move an organization forward.
Critically, the skills a leader needs to be successful change as well. Leaders of smaller organizations can often rely on their personality, personal connections and sheer force of will to convince everyone to follow along. It is possible to have enough one-on-one conversations to drive change. But above 150 people, change is a lot more about being able to influence the middle leadership to readily carry forth the message. You not only have to convince your team, but you have to convince them to be advocates, communicators and evangelists themselves. And you have to hope they have the skills to navigate the often competing interests of bosses vs subordinates and peers.
Thus beyond 150 people, the leadership skills and organizational strategies for implementing change differ. And the larger the company, the greater the change.
At GreenPoint, we are going through the growing pains of transitioning from four smaller companies into one larger one. The more I do this, the more I understand how critical our middle managers are.
Large companies are like big trees. The leadership and the administrative functions are the roots; often unseen but vital to the overall health as they provide the foundation, the stability, and the nutrients for the rest of the tree. The top of the tree and the farthest reaches of the branches are the fruit – the product we sell. Our customers provide the sunlight and purchase fruit the tree bears. But connecting the branches and leaves to the root is the trunk and main branches – the heart of middle management. And they are critical for any tree to thrive and grow.
Middle managers are the trunk of the business tree; the backbone and glue keeping companies together. With large geographic distances between sites, middle managers play an especially important role.
Middle management is tough. Often, you’re stuck between being an individual contributor, a leader, and a follower. It can also be complex. You must juggle multiple priorities. Too many projects, too little funding, and not enough people to help. You likely have only a limited number of pieces to the puzzle and need help from a wide variety of people above and below you to get the job done. Finally, if done well, it can be lonely. Your teams can come to see you as “them” because you’re often pushing the company line, and your bosses can see you as “them” because you’re always raising concerns about plans and pushing back. Add to the complexity are middle managers during the child-rearing years of life, so they do all this while trying to juggle kids and aging parents. It’s no wonder middle managers can struggle at times or burnout.
What makes a good middle manager?
Author, Zahira Jaser, in her article, The Real Value of Middle Managers says the best are “Connecting Leaders.” The concept recognizes every leader is a follower and every follower is a leader. Thus, strong middle managers build relationships at multiple levels in an organization. They truly work to connect leaders at all levels of the organization.
1. Constantly Communicate. Like the trunk of a tree is the path for nutrients and water to move up and the path for information and energy to move down, middle managers are the information highways for the company. They understand the issues and challenges the business faces at the local level and help keep more senior leadership informed. Similarly, they over-communicate with their teams, so the team knows the “what, why, and how” of various initiatives. Great ones are constantly asking, “Who needs to know this? And who can help fix this?” They also work to make sure the right people know about the issue. They do this deliberately and consistently. Finally, great middle managers are persistent, as communicating issues often takes saying it multiple times to multiple people – both above and below.
2. Mediate. Strong connecting leaders have a knack to mediate and find common ground between people at different levels in the company. The best ones seek to understand all sides before reaching a conclusion or passing judgement. They also focus on the concerns of all parties and help each side see the other’s point of view. This equanimity earns them trust of both sides and can lead to breakthrough ideas and finding the win-win.
3. Stay strong yet know when to bend. Like the tree needs to be both strong to support the massive weight of the branches above, it also needs to be able to flex when the unexpected happens. Connecting leaders understand the structure and “rules” of the organization and use that knowledge to understand when to stay strong and when to adjust. They play a key role in helping the field know what needs to be done. They listen, they explain, they own it, and they get it done. The art is knowing when to push through resistance and when to listen to it – when concerns worthy of discussion and change (pushed up) are needed with listening and empathy to support moving the company forward.
4. Move faster than comfortable. If we wait for each level of leadership to become comfortable with an idea or have everything ironed out, it takes too long. The Army has a ⅓– ⅔ rule, meaning, whenever you get an order, you can only use ⅓ of the time available for planning. Then, leave ⅔ of the time for lower units to do their own planning. The best middle managers know this, put out warnings, and get people thinking and moving before things officially start. And once it is time for action, they bring it.
I salute the middle managers, the Connecting Leaders. I know you are being squeezed. I know you are in the crush of obligations, internally and externally. You are both an individual contributor and leader. You must push your teams to do things they will resist. You must push your boss to understand the issues at the local level and fight when things get stuck. You must do this repeatedly. It all can be exhausting. But like the trunk of a great tree, you hold it all together, help it soar to the sky and produce some amazing fruit.
Onward!
Jeff
