Middle Managers, the critical link in Business Improvement and change

Middle Managers, the critical link in Business Improvement and change

We often talk about strategy at the top and delivery at the front line. Yet between these two lay the group that will decide whether your business truly improves or simply treads water, these are your middle managers, project leaders and team managers.

This 'squeezed middle' carries the responsibility for turning ambitious visions into practical reality. Nowhere is this more important than in business improvement and leading change as middle managers are the ones who explain to teams why change matters, align people behind improvement efforts and spot risks or opportunities on the ground. They keep projects moving, build trust and balance the daily demands of operations with the long term goals of change and transformation.

When this middle layer at their best, improvement is far more likely to happen. We note that problem solving and ideas stick, change has a greater chance to become embedded and innovation has space to breathe and flourish. When these key people struggle, then initiatives are more likely to stall or get stuck, staff start to disengage and projects may quietly fizzle out. Many businesses fail - or fail to develop and improve - not because their strategy was wrong, but because their middle managers were not equipped, supported or coached to lead people through the messy, emotional, risky and practical realities of change.

The cost of poor leadership in the middle is heavy. Many papers cite such matters as mixed messages, low morale, projects that drift or deliver late, missed opportunities and talented people who leave out of frustration. Remember the old adage that 'people join businesses and brands, they leave because of their leaders or managers'. But the benefits of investing in these managers are just as powerful because with the right support and coaching, middle managers can bring clarity by turning strategy into steps that teams can act on. They build energy and trust in times of uncertainty and they act earlier to solve problems together before these problems derail progress and cause stress in the teams. Most importantly perhaps, they are better able to role model the behaviours that shape culture such as collaboration, accountability, challenge and curiosity.

For this to happen, businesses must be deliberate and intentional. Middle managers need a clear strategy and priorities to work with, and they need leaders above them to communicate not just the 'what' of change, but the all important 'why.' They need access to coaching and development so they can lead people, not just manage tasks or do the job themselves. And they need a culture that encourages learning, improvement, challenge and peer networks so that they don’t feel alone in carrying the weight of projects, change or transformation.

Middle managers can either help business change and improvements to thrive or allow it to wither on the vine. If they resist, delay or lack confidence, then improvement stalls. If they engage, model the right behaviours and lead with conviction, then conversely improvement is likely to improve and accelerate.

That is why businesses must invest in this group. Executives may set the direction but it is the middle managers who carry the weight of making it real. Neglecting them is like building a bridge and forgetting the supports in the middle. It doesn’t matter how strong the ends are because eventually the whole thing will collapse.

At the Business Improvement Network, we work with organisations to strengthen this crucial layer. Through our Open Space events, EXACT Prime framework and our new On-Demand Coaching service, we help middle managers and project leaders build clarity, confidence, vision and the ability to lead change more effectively and efficiently.

If you’d like to explore how to strengthen and develop your middle managers and unlock greater business improvement, I’d be delighted to offer a free conversation. Because when middle managers improve, businesses and business improves.