Middle Managers Behaving Badly ? How To Stop This Damaging Your Results

More and more I hear and read about a looming crisis of leadership at the middle management level and the inevitable resulting increase in, poor performance, accidents and production mistakes and hence declining profits.

I'm afraid to say these observations are not just rumours. In my own work as a management consultant I've noticed a distinct increase in negative behaviours in many middle managers in all sorts of companies.

In this short article I'll explain what I mean by "negative behaviours" offer suggestions on what senior managers can do about it.

Over the past four years I've noticed the following kinds of behaviours from many middle managers:

· Increasingly using harsh, abrupt language: "Don't be so stupid". "I don't care what the problem is just get it fixed"

· Becoming more dictatorial (unwilling to listen) "Yes, I know all that now do it this way"

· Putting time pressure on people by continually asking when jobs will be completed and why things are taking so long

· Losing tempers and insulting others when things go wrong

· Unwilling to take the time to read, seek advice and think things out carefully

· Creating a them and us culture: "We decide and direct and you do".

· Using more of the fear factor: "Perform or you're out".

If you're a senior managers reading you'll be disappointed and even shocked. The tragedy is that the middle managers I meet are excellent people ? they are not behaving like this on purpose. When you point out the danger and destructiveness of these behaviours they acknowledge it and change for a few days. However, in a few weeks they forget and go back to unhelpful behaviours. Why?

In a nutshell, middle managers are under more pressure to perform than I have seen in a long time. For example, · In the past five years, levels of management have been stripped out resulting in middle managers doing more and more. · The constant downsizing, having to apply "for your own job" and frequent relocation have numbed many people. Some just don't care anymore. · Many middle managers are now forced to be contractors and work in a culture where "you are only as good as your last job" and loyalty and long-term thinking is not seen to be valued.

Middle management is now overstretched to breaking point both physically and mentally, hence the behaviours listed above. This is having an adverse effect on the supervisors they manage and in turn on al their people. Another tragedy is that most middle managers won't own up that they are under this pressure. So senior managers don't know about it.

For me it's the effective leadership of senior managers that will prevent the coming crisis. Here are just six straightforward steps senior managers should take now.

1. Initiate a short, anonymous survey to measure the extent of pressure on middle managers.

2. Take even more time to discuss in detail the workload and targets of direct reports. Probe to see if people are accepting unreasonable workloads just to please you as the boss. Make sure your direct reports do this with their people too.

3. Deliberately create situations where you as a senior manager can admit that you can't cope and need help. People will not own up if you don't do it first.

4. Find ways to show middle managers that you value them as people not just a resource. Especially when they are non-core staff. Yes, short-term contracting as a mode of employment is increasing but that doesn't mean we should treat managers who are contractors as less valuable than full time staff.

5. Provide the time for management training.

6. Here's the toughest of all. When the Board trims the budget for a project and you've struggled to find ways to do more with less and you realise you can't, you should tell them. This is the ultimate source of unreasonable pressure. Don't allow it to flow down hill.

Yes, we need a leaner business model for the modern competitive and fast-paced economy. Yes, we must keep pushing for better performance from everyone. But does lean have to be mean ? do we have to lose the human touch? Indeed, doesn't success in this era require senior managers to be even more human?

Copyright (c) 2004 Dr William Robb. Electronic distribution to ezines, friends and colleagues permitted but publication in print prohibited without written permission

Dr Bill has spent 20 years helping people and organisations improve their performance and get outstanding results from their time, effort and expenditure. http://www.mytimemanagementsecrets.com/

---

Inspiring Loyalty and Contentment in Your Workforce

One of the first things I look at when I... Read More

10 Ways To Work Through A Business Slowdown

In running any kind of business, it's inevitable that sometimes... Read More

10 Ways New Managers Become Great Leaders

"It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder... Read More

Rapport - How to Build it with Your Team

I've often heard managers say - "My door is always... Read More

Intercultural Management

The role of a manager is evolving in response to... Read More

Resolving Needs - What Your Employees Wish For!

For your people, they want to do a great job... Read More

The Role of the Machine Metaphor in Mixed-initiative Organizational Leadership

"Can This Marriage be Saved?" So reads the title of... Read More

How to Keep a Good Employee: Look, Listen, Learn

Recently a client told me a wonderful story about how... Read More

The Challenges of Human Resource Management

IntroductionThe role of the Human Resource Manager is evolving with... Read More

How to Get Your Procedures Project Done

Wouldn't it be nice for business owners and executives to... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines:Choosing an Effective Employee Recognition Program

This article relates to the Recognition competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More

Make the Most of Your Time - Focus on Strengths

Once working and focused in tune with what they do... Read More

Knowledge Management - Learning Whilst Doing - Facilitating an After Action Review

Introducing a learning culture into organisations can be difficult at... Read More

Argue Your Way To Business Success

"Jack" (not his real name) is a vice president of... Read More

How To Manage A Difficult Employee

Having to manage a difficult employee is never fun and... Read More

How to Say No

Rejection hurts. No one likes to give it or to... Read More

Dealing with Difficult People

You know, this would be a great business if it... Read More

CEO: The Key To Fix ingThe Marketing/Sales Collaboration Problem

We all know that achieving better alignment, synergy and cooperation... Read More

Get Down With OCP: Evaluating DBA Job Applicants in an OCP World

Not long ago, weeding through DBA applicants with a tech... Read More

How To Turn Business Losses Into Cash Flow

When the typical new business operator starts a business, they... Read More

Five Habits of Highly Effective Conflict Resolvers

Steven Covey had the right idea. There are discreet skills... Read More

Why Outsourcing Could Be The Best Thing You Do For Your Business

While it's probably not true to say that the traditional... Read More

Operating on Perpetual Overload?

Check Out Your E-HabitsAnother week has ended. And, despite moving... Read More

The Gift of Gratitude

Gratitude might seem like a soft or even an obvious... Read More

Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them!

Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to... Read More

Effective Meetings Begin With a Real Agenda

Everyone knows that an agenda is the key to an... Read More

Document management : A dream of paperless office

What is document management: When we think about "Document Management"... Read More

Data Delivers Credibility

Over the past couple of days I've been setting up... Read More

Performance Expectations - 5 Tips and 5 Questions

People want to understand their role - they want to... Read More

Take The Guesswork Out Of Problem Solving

In today's chaotic world and uncertain economic times too many... Read More

Four Corners of a Triangle: Why Organizations Succeed or Fail

When we want to hire people for a corporation or... Read More

Invoice Factoring for Goverment Vendors

Assignment of Claims Act of 1986"....What does this mean for... Read More

Managing Group Meetings

MANAGING SMALL MEETINGS: Keep the size of the meeting as... Read More