What you need to lead from the middle...

A LinkedIn Pulse post by Michael McGuire outlines 6 ‘must have’ skills / behaviours for middle managers.

He writes, “I don’t mean to devalue anyone’s position in an organization but…I truly believe leading from the middle may be the hardest job in any company. Mid-level managers often have to manage a function, lead a team, think tactically, think strategically, manage up, down, and across, communicate up, down, and across, have a certain level of business acumen, have a certain level of financial acumen, clearly communicate organizational goals, objectives, strategies, and vision, motivate and influence others, set appropriate performance and development goals for direct reports, coach, conduct performance review discussions, and when they have time…sleep."

His post shares some information that helps to better understand the role these 6 skills/behaviours play. Knowing more about these 6 skills/behaviours – and formulating a plan to build or enhance them – will help to provide a strong leadership foundation for anyone transitioning into leadership or leading from the middle.

Who takes up most of your leadership energy - the pioneer or the outlaw?

In our DiA small group sessions, we often talk about some of the challenges leading people can present you.

Leading others is easy when you have a team of highly capable, highly motivated and resilient individuals who are 100% aligned to the vision, have clarity about their role in making things happen, work collaboratively with others and are fully accountable for achieving results.

Sounds terrific, doesn’t it! Does it describe your context right now? I dare say not many of us are blessed with a situation like this for all of our leadership careers. Typically we have at least one person that demands our leadership energy – and not usually for the ‘right reason’.

This blog shares a model that helps you make a choice when you find your leadership energy zapped by another. It is commonly referred to as the ‘Pioneers and Outlaws model’.

Click here to read more...