[Special 2-Part Series] Part 1 – Failing as a Middle Manager

Not often will you see articles about how middle managers fail, and the reasons for doing so. However, we at Middle Manager strongly believe that calling out managers’ struggles is just as important as showing managers how to succeed.

In the first of this two-part article, we will discuss some reasons why middle managers struggle – or worse, fail – in their leadership roles.

Let’s get to it!

You’re afraid to stand out

One of the by-products of climbing the corporate ladder is that others start to take notice of you – and invite you to share your expertise. This can be for internal events, or for external industry gatherings, where you’re invited to be a speaker or a panelist.

If you’ve been lucky enough to receive such an invitation, what’s the first thought that goes through your head? Is it “I can’t wait to share my experience and learnings” or is it “I’m putting my neck on the line”?

Many up-and-coming managers hold back from sharing their expertise for fear that they may say something wrong, or that the boss may not like what they shared. To prevent ‘losing face’ with peers, friends and even family, good opportunities to share knowledge and step into the spotlight are passed up.

You do what you always did

Many thinkers and business leaders have shared their own version of this quote, but here’s our favourite, by one of the greats of self-development, Tony Robbins: “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

Why meddle with your formula for success, right? If it ain’t broken, why fix it, right? After all, what you did got you to where you are now, so you must have done something right. And why wouldn’t your manager want you to do more of what you used to do, especially if it was seen as effective and it’s what got you promoted?

Well, the bad news for managers is that being responsible for projects, processes and personnel is not the same as being an individual contributor. Now, as manager, you have more responsibilities – especially the extremely important one of guiding others (not just yourself) in their growth and development.

It’s no longer about running at breakneck speed, outdoing and outshining everyone else. Being a manager means you are running a completely different race. Yes, there will still be tasks and projects to manage, but you can no longer continue working on them while ignoring everything – or everyone – else.

You’re unable to accept your position

Does being a manager make you feel uncomfortable? Don’t be shy to admit it – it’s very common. Many managers are unable to come to grips with the fact that after being promoted, they are regarded as leaders, they have people to lead, and they’re privy to certain privileges.

They are unable to make the transformation to leadership, and prefer to being a friend so that they stay in their colleagues’ good books. This is especially true for managers who rose a rank or two in the same company and now have to lead people who were once their peers.

Recognise this in yourself? After your promotion, HR invites you to move out of your cubicle, and into one of the few rooms in the office reserved for managers. You start to feel self-conscious about moving to your own room. You decline the officer and inform HR that you will continue using the cubicle because you don’t want your colleagues to “feel bad”.

You’re afraid to make the tough calls

Before you were promoted to lead a team, you could rely on the fact that you could turn to your manager to make the final decision. If your projects succeeded, you could bask in the glory, knowing that you ran them successfully; but if they go south, the fingers would point at your team leader, who is ultimately responsible for the outcomes.

Now that you’re team leader, you’re the one being looked upon to make the tough decisions – but you don’t want to! Instead of taking on the challenge, managers who are uncomfortable in their roles continue running to their bosses for approvals.

This ‘play-it-safe’ behaviour has several negative outcomes, especially:

1) You give your boss the sense that you’re not a capable manager because you’re unwilling to  take risks and own your outcomes

2) You give your employees the sense that you’re not a capable manager because you’re unwilling and unable to chart the course for the team.

For more examples of how managers – especially new ones – fail at their jobs, check out this Financial Management article.

No one said ascending into the management role was easy. There are multiple hurdles and traps standing in the way of the manager. Success is not guaranteed if they are unwilling to embrace that they’re now in a different role, with different expectations and different outcomes.

Next week, we will counter this article and share clear instructions for how middle managers can succeed in their roles as business leaders and people managers.