Every company lives and dies by middle management day-to-day execution!

Middle management is the bridge between the senior leadership team, individual contributors, and team leaders next level down. They also play a crucial role in hiring, mentoring, and coaching.

Middle management is responsible for the company's day-to-day execution. They put in place strategy, goals, and activities to achieve the overall company targets and mission. Communicate company and market updates. Set and achieve team goals and expectations for each employee. Mentor employees, provide feedback, and support employee growth. Set a budget and ensure needed resources are available.

Must be able to relate to people and have a genuine understanding of human needs and behaviors. Must also have a strong sense of empathy. Listening and communication skills are essential. Ability to hold self and employees accountable. Self-awareness and big-picture thinking.

Middle management has a "laundry list" of responsibilities and is often swamped with meetings. They maintain relationships with top executives, peers, customers, external partners, and team members while executing day-to-day responsibilities and administrative tasks. Many middle leaders don't have the needed authority to "cut through" and make the hard decisions quickly but need to escalate to top management. To support middle management, senior executives must delegate both responsibility and authority.

​

Make sure you get the hybrid leadership training and coaching to become a confident, trusted, and successful hybrid leader. Implement a structured day-to-day hybrid operational model that fully supports flexibility and control. Pay attention to both tasks and relationships. Hire great people and become an active and excellent listener. As a middle leader, you have a fantastic opportunity to create an inspiring work environment that will positively impact your team members and the company.

The hybrid work environment came "fast and forced" upon senior executives and middle management at the beginning of the pandemic. As employees' expectations for a flexible work environment have taken hold, most companies will implement a post-pandemic model that tries to find the "sweet spot" between the main office, home office, and the "third location" (coffee shops, hotels, or co-working spaces).

To succeed in this new and challenging environment, middle leaders need training, mentoring, and coaching. If not, the company will suffer immensely over time and will not be able to compete effectively in the market and lose top talent.