Middle managers occupy even more important niche in a company, than you might of imagine. Pretty often, they’re perceived as no more than a simple subordinates for senior management team leaders and those who do not take significant decisions for their own subordinates. Nevertheless, by appearing a major connecting link between highest and lowest class, they keep puzzles together and move the company forward. We come to the insight that it’s hard to replace a middle manager. Yet, middle managers experience a lack in the level of training and development. Lets inspire middle managers to become a driving force of your company!
1. Develop mutual trust and respect
Trust and respect is the first key to success for driving force of middle managers. Understanding that senior management team leaders may rely on them in every aspect gives them resoluteness. Thus, by giving such a support and sincere respect for the decisions, senior managers gain effective and motivated middle managers.
2. Appreciate them
As a fact, many middle managers desire to comprehend professional growth at their position, means money comes on the second place. It’s very reasonable to appreciate them for their work and make them feel recognized. Your thoughtful human attitude towards middle manager may consist in sick days, informal business lunches or team-building activities with senior management.
3. Stimulate their growth
There is always a need to improve in some way for a middle managers. Moreover, managers themselves feel a necessity to achieve a new skill (or upgrade the old one). If you already provided a generic training for your coworker, then it’s time to switch on something specific to stimulate his/her growth. For instance, coaching and mentoring to start passing on his/her knowledge and experience effectively.
4. Converse with them
Underestimating the power of conversation decreases your chances in strong cooperation. Therefore, you should communicate with middle managers ! If you would just try to share your experiences of difficulties you had faced with middle manager and use this approach almost in every day routine, then you will become mentor to him/her. Talking informally or simply twittering will bring comfort, when it comes to fear to cross over the line in formal settings.
5. Make their roles clear
We may watch middle managers overwork doing too much in a company, what they think is expected from them. Make sure, that everyone is aware of where their job ends and manager’s assignments begins. Also, middle managers gotta have time to be a role models to others. They possess a valuable knowledge, sense company’s vision inside out and know strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, let them take their time to be a mentor, since it’s one of their main roles in a company. Only remains to distribute the work of the whole team and check out if everyone performs it.
6. Involve them in decisions
Middle managers rarely intend to be engaged in making strategic decisions. The strategic decisions, which afterwards pass to their company. They’re the ones to report about decisions made and have the most power to engage a broader workforce.
