Management teams have a hierarchy, with the senior administrators at the top, including CEOs and CFOs. I agree that these individuals are essential to the functioning of their companies or organizations; in fact, middle managers frequently oversee the majority of a company’s daily operations.
Middle managers are critical to the success of any organization. They bridge the gap between the top-level executives and the lower-level employees, ensuring that the company’s goals and objectives are met. However, to excel as a middle manager, certain skills are necessary.
In this article, we will discuss the skills required to excel as a middle manager.
Skills Required to Excel in a Middle Management Role
1. Be Accountable
When it comes to middle management, learn to hold yourself and your team accountable. If there is a task that should be done within a window period but is still pending, hold yourself responsible and let the higher authority know you are serious with respect to your job.
If you observe a team member performing poorly, address the situation right away and voice your concerns. Giving your opinion on the subject and showing support at the same time are both very important. Try to resolve the problem with your coworker by being understanding and sympathetic to them.
2. Ability to unlearn and relearn
Middle managers are frequently promoted based on their abilities as individual contributors. Today and in the future, people will continue to use the skills they acquired while working. This formula doesn’t work because middle managers require retraining based on organizational requirements.
3. Communication
In order to advance to the middle manager position, you must possess a thorough understanding of communication skills. You ought to be able to effectively communicate the team’s roles.
4. Multitasking
The ability to multitask, or manage multiple tasks at once, is another essential management skill. Managers frequently have to manage both their employees and uncooperative customers at the same time.
For management positions, it’s essential to remain composed and keep your cool while working. When multitasking, it can be helpful to have the ability to prioritize your workload so that you take care of the most crucial tasks first and work under pressure.
5. Financial Management
Middle managers must have a basic understanding of financial management. They must be able to manage budgets, analyze financial statements, and make decisions that align with the company’s financial objectives.
Why is Middle Management so Stressful?
An online survey shows that managers sometimes have more stress and burnout. They are not physically fit and do not maintain a healthy work-life balance. But why exactly are middle managers under such pressure? Here are a few of the reasons:
1. Meetings are Everywhere: Middle managers are required to attend a lot of meetings, and statistically, they spend about 35% of their time in meetings talking about the team and the project they are involved with. They avoid engaging in any physical activity for this reason, which is related to fatigue.
2. Administrative Workload: As the role of the middle manager grows, they are responsible for various administrative tasks as well. They are responsible for filling team requirements as well as hiring new employees.
In addition to this, other tasks are carried out every day. Such activities will take up a person’s time and energy, which will eventually result in them feeling worn out and unproductive at the end of the day.
3. Literally Stuck in the Middle: Middle managers have to convey good or bad information from the higher authorities to the lower employees, and if the message is not good, they are caught in the middle and have to face backlash and setbacks from the lower-level employees.
4. Undervalued and Underappreciated: The middle managers have so many things to look after that they are not appreciated for their hard work. In the organization, responsibility increases for a middle manager, but there is no defined boundary to indicate when it stops.
In conclusion, to excel as a middle manager, it is essential to possess a combination of leadership, communication, time management, problem-solving, decision-making, financial management, the ability to learn and unlearn, and technical knowledge skills. These skills will enable middle managers to lead their teams effectively, make informed decisions, and contribute to the organization’s success.