A linkedIn post says that they haven't had a PM for 4 years. Is that good?​


If there's no feedback, at all, you are missing out on the chance for someone to thank you and recognise your strengths and accomplishments.

Where I've seen feedback sessions fall apart is when it is clearly a box-ticking, one size fits all process. And the ones who notice this are the more experienced co-workers who can't understand why it doesn't reflect their time spent in the job.

📌When you are one of the few remaining📌

Business Insider says that Amazon is trimming down its middle management.

According to Business Insider, they are increasing the number of direct reports that the remaining middle managers have whilst downgrading others – along with cutting their pay.

It is not an unusual situation and this is not specifically about Amazon.

There’s a lot we can discuss on this issue such as a culture of fear that this causes, but let’s look at the most pressing issue: what will your job look like if you are one of the middle leaders who is still there?

➡️What can you do?⬅️

👉Hopefully, you’ll be invited to talk to your boss about the situation. If not, you really do have to ask if you can.

👉Discuss priorities because if your workload is increasing, you need a clear idea of what are the most important things they need you to focus on.
It’s unrealistic to expect you to do big chunks your former colleagues’ work, along with your tasks.

👉If they are saving thousands on wages, they should be open to providing you with tools to help you do your new job efficiently. It won’t help anyone if you burnout.

👉Things like virtual assistants will be a fraction of the cost of a fired middle manager and could ease the pressure on you.

👉Up to date digital resources and automations can help too – but ask for robust training so that you know how to get the most out of it. You do not want to spend hours trying to train yourself.

👉Negotiate powers of delegation. Seek permission to assign some of your work to some of your direct reports. But be careful, they are likely to be as overloaded as you. 🔖If you need any guidance on delegation, send a DM to me here.

👉If you haven’t already, investigate prioritisation tools. This is another area we can help here, so DM if you need any advice.

It is vital that you look after yourself.
👉Set clearly manageable expectations with your line manager. And stick to them !

One last point. If things are not going well, keep an eye on the job vacancy lists.
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One of the best things about working alongside people on our training events is hearing conversations about their work.



➕You can be sure that whatever course we are running – presentation skills, training to become expert in-house trainers, being a master facilitator or team builder, participators like to talk about how they are led. It affects everything.



Let’s be clear, here we refer to informal talking points. There are no questionnaires, just a chat. Therefore, no responding in a way that they think is wanted. Hawthorne Effect avoidance!



➕These discussions are eye-opening. None more-so than the issue of Situational Leadership.

Although we probably haven’t raised it specifically as the focus (unless it’s a leadership focussed session), the comments made are a reflection of this leadership approach.



➕We have listed the top 6 most commonly mentioned attributes that they like their leaders and managers to show.



The best leaders and managers:

☑️Are good at coming up with plans that match the way the organisation does things and have genuine value - not just being sycophants. This will cut friction.

☑️Clearly explain the vision to their team/ leaders effectively because they understand the culture and internal politics of the frontline. A real middle leader trait.

☑️Know the trouble-makers and how to deal with them. Can see why they behave as they do.

☑️Notice any value-based issues that can block wished for development.

☑️Know how enthuse their team to buy in to the plan and get involved.

☑️Have enough humility to know if things are going wrong and can work out why - then rectify things.


Our evidence is from conversations like these. We have more of you’d like to see them. Obviously, we have changed the names for confidentiality.



Here are two transcripts.

🗨️Richard: You’re not too happy with your line manager. How do they handle setting a vision for the team?

🗨️'Carlita': Frankly, I don’t think they have one. There’s a few of vague goals. The trouble is nothing that really fits with what the company stands for – at least, the way I understand it.  It feels like we’re just reacting to the latest fads without a plan. It causes a lot of confusion.



🗨️Richard: Does that lead to fall-out in the team?
🗨️"Carlita': Certainly. We don’t know what direction we’re going in. We end up wasting time on things that don’t reflect our brand or long-term goals. Causes a lot of friction.



🔖Our comment: We’re not sure if Carlita’s beliefs are shared by everyone. There could well be colleagues who do not need as much support to understand the situation as Carlita. This is where the leaders need to be sharply aware of the situation and different perceptions.





🗨️Bill:  It sounds like you are worried about ethical leadership. Are there ethical issues that impact your work? Do your bosses take any action to sort this out?

🗨️Venus: Yes and No! That’s the main problem. We’ve raised concerns about some very questionable shortcuts they have imposed. But they just brush it off. It’s very sad and very worrying! Either they don’t see the ethical risks, or they don’t care. Whichever,  it puts us in awkward positions.

​🗨️Bill: What do they do when these concerns are raised?

🗨️Venus: Nothing much really. If an issue gets serious enough, they’ll act like it’s the first time they’ve heard about it, even though we’ve been flagging it for weeks. It’s like they don’t want to get involved with anything difficult.



🔖Our comment: There’s a lack of appreciation that we can all see ethical considerations from different perspectives. Leaders should not assume that everyone has the same views as them. Work background and lived experience will have an impact.

The disengaged workforce. The need for engaged and inspirational middle leaders📌

In Gallup's "State of the Global Workforce 2024" [1], Dr Jim Harter highlights a significant issue: poor workforce engagement. He argues that the more empowered managers are, the more engaged their teams will be.

➡️In our experience with clients, we often hear of senior leaders who hesitate to empower middle managers. It can be a tough nut to crack. Giving control, even over 'minor' aspects of work, takes courage, especially in more authoritarian cultures.

You can be pretty sure that in such environments, "being inspirational" likely isn't part of the job description.

➡️But if you're a leader, at any level, ask yourself: Is it part of yours?
Clearly there are plenty of organizations where empowerment is embedded in the culture. In these places engagement flows naturally.

👉We consider it our responsibility to start asking what can be done.

🔖Is empathy a key factor?

Leaders who say, "Yes, it's mundane or a slog, but that's the job," aren't really helping—especially when they distance themselves from the problem. You know the type: the ones who think they are now above the problem.

➡️If you are a middle leader who recognises the challenges that a disengaged team is enduring, consider the less appealing parts of a frontline role.
What would you have wanted your immediate manager to do to make it better?

Are senior leaders aware of these issues? Low engagement leads to low productivity, so it's critical to speak up. Yet, we still encounter leaders who seem indifferent.

➡️Harter also points out that many managers themselves are disengaged, which makes it hard for them to engage their teams.

Consider this: By empowering their team members, these leaders can actually boost their own engagement as well.

If done with care and consideration to all parties, they will be doing something that contributes to the well-being of their team members and has a positive impact on the organisation.

➡️In my eyes, this is genuinely inspirational. Make sure you have it as part of your performance review.
​

📌The power of exceeding expectations📌

I saw this first hand in a hotel restaurant recently.

The restaurant manager worked tirelessly to attend every client to ensure they were being served to their expectations, then took it up a level.

He followed up immediately on any requests. He made everyone feel welcome and, in some way, a special guest.

I was particularly impressed by the way he looked after those of us who were on tables for one - clearly working away from home.

It was good to see how everyone was given this detail of attention. And it was appropriate. I could see that if someone was happier being left alone, he responded to that.

You could see that he was just as polite and courteous to his team. No barked orders, but calm requests and thanks for their efforts.

It was good to see someone working hard to improve the experience for everyone.

Because this is my field, I had to have a quick word on the way out. I told him how impressive his performance was.

➡️His reason: I like to exceed the expectations our guests have of us⬅️

It was a pleasure seeing him work. There is a name for it. Moral Elevation, whose definition is:

“A positive emotion that occurs when someone witnesses a virtuous act that improves the well-being of others. It can involve feelings of warmth, admiration, and affection for the person who performed the act.”

➡️So, let’s build that into our approach to Middle Leadership ⬅️

☑️Go beyond what your team expect. Improve the well-being of our team members☑️

This will mean different things to different people, but one thing is for sure – admiration and affection from your team can’t be anything but good.
​

When colleagues do not know where they stand, do not expect their trust and loyalty.

This post raises 3 questions:
➡️As a middle leader, what is the effect on you of having senior managers that are untrustworthy?
➡️What do you do when your suggestions are rejected but the evidence proves you are right?
➡️How do you approach a situation where your values do not align with your leaders'?

True story...
I met a cleaning team manager on a large holiday park last week. We'll call him Danny.
He is in the classic, problematic mid-leader position.
Danny is very customer focussed and expects his team to be as well. This means that when customers arrive, they open the door to a spotless chalet that smells fresh and looks immaculate.

⚠️But here's the problem
As Danny sees it, the company's senior management team is solely focussed on profit through cost cutting. This has meant reducing the number of cleaning staff and shortening the time they have to spend to service each accommodation. 📌Different values📌

Also, there is no compensation for different times of season - what works in low-season March is expected to work in high-season August.
This results in substandard cleaning. It's no surprise to see poor reviews and the low scores dragging the overall ratings down.

And guess who has to field the on-site complaints!

However, as Danny related, the senior team tick a "Good Management" box : They regularly ask employees for suggestions.
But then ignore them. 📌Untrustworthy📌


Danny has told them that having immaculate chalets will boost the review scores - and that will increase bookings. They don't seem to see the logic.
📌Suggestions rejected 📌

The situation is not helped by the fact that the company owners do not have experience in this part of the leisure industry.

➡️This is one for us to contemplate

🗨️I think it is more damaging to have managers who pretend to have a consultative approach than it is to be led by people who are open and honestly autocratic. At least you know where you stand.

When your team do not know where they stand, do not expect trust and loyalty.

In Danny's situation, he needs to build as much evidence as possible and get some of his team to back him. It is a good example of leading 'upwards'.

⚠️This is all fine in theory - or as the result of a ChatGPT prompt - but what about the senior managers who dig their heels in? How do we get them to budge? Please don't tell me they don't exist!

🔖I'm looking into this in depth.

🔖If you have any comments, please DM me. Be part of the conversation

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