This article is the second of a series all about middle managers, where we explore the impact of middle managers on organizations, the pain points they face, and the kinds of training to support them in managing effectively.
2- Middle Management Pain Points [you are here]
Despite the significant impact that middle managers have, their role also comes with common pain points and challenges. In this article, we describe a few, so you can have a better understanding of their perspectives.
Middle managers are stuck in the middle of the hierarchy
The difficulty of leading from the middle is meeting the expectations from above while giving resources to those below. Middle managers feel tugged in different directions while trying to address the demands of both their superiors and their subordinates.
Lack of management experience
More than two out of every five company managers were unprepared for management when they took over, and fewer than half of managers are extremely effective. That is because their switch from being an individual contributor to a leader requires a new set of skills (decision-making, problem-solving, sharing feedback, etc), which they hadn’t learned in their previous roles.
Adapting quickly to new ways of working is generally difficult
With the adoption of flexible work models, managers’ ways of working had to change tremendously. They now have to count a lot on asynchronous work, and digital infrastructures. As a matter of fact, 80% of professionals want employers to upskill them for hybrid work.
Middle managers often get neglected
Middle managers’ growth and development are often neglected. This can exhaust middle managers, and create an unhealthy work environment since they are the ones running the company’s daily operations. They connect the top management’s strategy to employees’ daily activities and bring it to life.
Because of these pain points, and because middle managers play a crucial role in the everyday life of an organization, training them to navigate their challenges is necessary for them to thrive. We can help you do that - Book a one-on-one with us today.