Jarred Consulting

Everyone wants to feel healthy, safe, and engaged at work. Confident they’re equipped to handle whatever’s ahead – particularly in uncertain times. Your middle managers are no different. The HBR states that in 2023 ‘Managers will find themselves sandwiched between leader and employee expectations’ – one of the top trends that will shape the workplace environment this year. Have you overlooked your managers’ well-being, training, and development? Are they being squeezed in the middle without the skills they need to cope? How can we help managers to thrive? In volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous times, what’s the glue that holds everything together? Connection. Research shows that when an organisation has taken the time and effort to build connections internally, its people build stronger bonds with those around them and perform better. It’s a successful strategy that makes sense on a human and a business level. With this in mind, what can you do to get the best out of your middle management?

• Learning from one another is as important as going on a course, which means problem-solving and coming up with ideas together. By actively promoting this environment you’re expanding the pool of skills, experience, and knowledge that everyone can draw on.
• Make space for your middle managers to talk about their challenges safely in an honest and frank way. What are they struggling with? The skills they acquired yesterday may not be keeping up with today’s complexities. Putting this right improves outcomes for everyone.
• People plan holistically and ensure that everyone feels like the organisation is investing in them long-term. Think about what this means for your firm’s approach to internal career mobility and development opportunities.

Middle managers are not just there to fight fires and buffer the needs of others. What would happen if all organisations took more time out to listen to their fears, dreams, and aspirations? What could we achieve?