Gathering Support as a Middle Manager
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Throughout my working life, I have paid close attention to successful and unsuccessful managers. I try to notice how interpersonal relationships play a role in the two aforementioned cohorts. I have found that support from others is a key indicator for success, because more support correlates to an increased willingness of other individuals to listen to and follow our ideas. To further illustrate this correlation, at one of my past companies, I saw team members and peers that did not acknowledge one manager's suggestions, but rather prioritized their own agendas. On multiple occasions, when this same manager was pushing various initiatives, she did not receive support from senior management. Without support from other colleagues, a downward cycle will ensue because without support, poor results are likely to follow, which then typically leads to fewer people providing support.
Middle managers need to gather support in all directions - upwards towards upper management, laterally towards peers, and downwards towards team members. Because when middle managers are not supported:
Upper management will not stand behind her or his suggestions
Peers will not prioritize her or his initiatives over their own
Team members will not follow her or his lead
To avoid the downward cycle, and instead take the path to successful management, middle managers need to gather support by 1) attributing results from the past, 2) driving next steps for the future, and 3) prioritizing efforts in the present.
Let us dig deeper into each of these actionable steps.
Attribute Results from the past
Team members, upper management, and peers will trust ideas from middle managers who demonstrate an understanding of the past. Building trust from colleagues will be accompanied by gathering support from them. Even if interpersonal relationships are managed very well, if past results cannot be explained, colleagues will not provide respect nor support.
Attributing results or Telling Stories is explaining what happened, specifically by tying the results to actions. Whether the past results were positive or negative, we need to be able to explain them. Positive or successful results should be attributed to the team, regardless of the level of effort coming in from the middle manager. A team that knows their manager recognizes their efforts will support their manager. Negative or unsuccessful results should be taken as an effect from poor planning or organization. A manager that can understand and fix systemic issues will be trusted across the organization. The exception would be if execution is repeatedly hindered by the same particular individual(s), in which case, we should consider The Path to Firing.
Drive Next Steps for the future
Demonstrating an understanding of the past will build trust. Developing a well thought out plan for the future based on past results will build respect, particularly for peers and upper management. If we do not take the lead by driving the next steps, our team, peers, and upper management will not be able to support our ideas, because there will be no idea to support. Owning the direction and explaining the logic, in relation to past results, is critical to gathering support.
The middle manager who passes down information from upper management, as opposed to personally driving next steps, is not gathering support, but acting as a messenger. In cases where the idea from upper management is truly the best possible and the team can self-manage, supporting their idea and playing the role of messenger is permissible. In all other cases, there is room for improvement on the ideas of upper management or room for additional team guidance. If we are able to improve their ideas, we will build respect and support from all parties within the organization. Improving an idea could be changing the idea altogether or making adjustments to the approach to help guide the team.
Prioritize Efforts in the present
After attributing results from the past, and driving next steps for the future, middle managers need to prioritize efforts in the present to gather support. Increasing another individuals' productivity by helping them prioritize will win their support for our current and future efforts. Similar to driving next steps, prioritizing efforts will build respect, particularly for peers and team members, by demonstrating a vision, an understanding of exactly what needs to be done. Team members and peers will be grateful for having a targeted task to focus on.
A middle manager who provides a laundry list of activities and then asks the team or peers to execute will receive little support, because the requests are diluted among one another. A middle manager with a clear vision on what needs to be done now will be well supported for their ideas. In parallel with prioritizing efforts, middle managers can help provide more efficient paths to solving problems. The level of guidance vs. the leaps we are forcing should be based on the assessment of our team.
Closing Remarks
Support is earned when we produce good ideas. A "good idea" is one that pushes the agenda of the listener. Agendas will vary across the organization, but might mean strong business results to upper management and the correct level of challenging to team members. To produce good ideas, we need to understand what happened in past, understand what needs to be done next, and understand how to get it done effectively. Through these understandings, middle managers will build trust and respect from the entire organization., and thereby gather support for their ideas.
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