My neighbors just had a little boy. It’s easy to imagine them standing over the baby’s crib and looking at him lovingly. They want the best for him. But one thing I can’t imagine is one of them looking at the other and saying “Gosh, I hope he grows up to be a middle manager.”
Middle managers, as Rodney Dangerfield would say, “Don’t get no respect.” For years we’ve heard that this technology or that social change would eliminate the need for middle managers. It hasn’t happened yet.
Middle managers are the glue that holds big organizations together. They’re the carriers of culture. And, as a group, they influence the daily lives of millions. So why are they forgotten when we talk about leadership development?
Leadership development isn’t just for hi pos
Anyone who’s responsible for the performance of a group needs to develop their leadership skills. That means all middle managers, whether they choose to climb the org chart or not.
Leadership development is never done
Several years ago, one of the great bosses I was interviewing said: “You know what’s great about this job? You’re never done learning it. There are always things you can better.” Middle managers should always be developing, too.
Leadership development is more important in changing times
No one seems to doubt that we’re in the midst of changing times in leadership and management. That’s all the more reason to make sure that your middle managers get plenty of leadership development.
Resources
My thinking for this post was sparked by a three post blog series by Mark Busine of DDI. Here are pointers to the posts. I suggest reading them in order, the way Mark wrote them.
