Hello Managers: What Do You Need ?
The Managers’ Forum
The photo that appears at right is hopefully an iconic image for most of you, *Tom Cruise as he portrays the principle-driven sports agent, Jerry Maguire, (from the movie by the same name) as he is imploring his client, football wide receiver Rod Tidwell to, in his words, "Help me help you!”
*(Tom personally autographed this shot for me! The only thing better would be his autograph on the image below of Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder. But...you can't always get what you want!)
The United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Brazil, Malaysia, Philippines, Spain, Mexico, China, Colombia, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, India, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong and Romania…and these are the countries I am aware of.
Being fairly new to the blogging world (less than a year) I am gratified that the pieces posted each week have found such a wide following in such a short period of time. When I see where the readers live and work, I am deeply touched by the gift the internet provides us all. What offers a greater possibility is to find a way to leverage the commonality of interest we all share. How can future posts be more relevant and especially relevant to those of you who are mid-level managers?
I have worked for most of my career to distinguish the possibility that mid-level management is a legitimate career destination, not a career cul-de-sac that is often made the butt of jokes.
Managing in the middle requires a unique set of talents and skills. In professional sports, nobody seems surprised that coaches very infrequently become general managers and general managers infrequently have coaching experience. These are two very different talent/skill sets and it is time we brought this awareness to business in general rather than perpetuate the caste system we have tolerated for so long.
The challenges in the middle almost always involve mastering the complexity of a) translating the business strategy into actions while b) getting the work done and c) developing talent for the future. When it is done well middle management is a primary source of employee engagement and retention. Done poorly it often leads to the exit of assets that a company can ill afford to lose.
Those who wind up in senior positions often pass through the mid-levels of management in ritualistic fashion. If we are fortunate, they don’t stay any longer than necessary as their natural strengths are more strategic than operational. Left in place too long in the middle these “Hi Po’s” can do more damage than good as they do not function well in environments calling for putting the interests of others ahead of their own. This is said not in a derisive manner towards senior management but rather to caste a critical eye towards systems that label employees “Hi Po’s” based strictly on their suitability for senior level positions. We are all “Hi Po” for something and it’s not the same for everyone….this is my way of letting those of you currently managing in the middle know that you are both known and appreciated.
As someone whose career has been spent mainly developing mid-level managers, I am asking to know what you need to hear more about?
Let me know what I can address in the coming weeks and months that would make a difference for you. Help me help you!
Thank you for your attention.
