 |
|
|
|||||
Being a middle manager often feels like living in two worlds at once. On one side, executives cascade big goals and sweeping strategies. On the other, teams look to you for clarity, advocacy, and daily guidance. Youre constantly reconciling top-down demands with bottom-up realities, often with too little time and too few resources to satisfy either side. The paradox of the role is stark: Middle managers carry enormous responsibility for execution but dont always have the authority to make critical decisions. Youre expected to deliver results on budgets you dont control, within structures you didnt design, and through policies you didnt write. This tension is one of the biggest sources of chronic strain. One survey found that middle managers reported higher burnout rates (36%) than non-managers, while another showed that 71% are sometimes or always overwhelmed at work. But heres the good news: The middle isnt just where pressure piles up. Its also where strategy becomes reality, where culture is lived (or lost), and where agility gets tested in real time. If you can reframe the squeeze as an opportunity, middle management becomes less a grind and more a proving ground. Here are four ways to turn the pressure into potential: BUILD YOUR COALITION If you think of your team only as your direct reports, youre missing the larger playing field. Work today is inherently cross-functional, which means your effectiveness hinges on your ability to influence sideways and upward, not just to manage downward. Peers hold the resources and expertise you need. Leaders above you control priorities, approvals, and air cover. Without credibility in those directions, even flawless execution within your own group can collapse at the edges. Research shows that misalignment between teams is one of the biggest drivers of wasted work. When priorities or interpretations differ, teams can spend weeks pulling in opposite directions. Middle managers who proactively build peer alignment surface these gaps early and save everyone time and frustration. The fix isnt complicated, but it is intentional: cultivate your network. A short, well-timed conversation with a peer or senior leader can prevent the kind of breakdowns that leave your team spinning. Think of it less as networking and more as preemptive damage control. The middle managers who thrive are the ones who invest in relationships that make the work move. MASTER THE PRACTICE OF LEADERSHIP Leadership is often packaged as a set of sweeping competencies or treated like a fixed trait you either have or dont. In reality, leadership is shaped over time, forged through daily choices, interactions, and repeated practice. While traditional leadership development focuses on broad skills taught in workshops or courseswhat we call horizontal development at Sounding Boardmany real-world challenges require something deeper. Vertical development helps managers think more complexly, adapt to evolving contexts, and lead with lasting impact, not just quick fixes. This kind of development happens through practice, not theory. Neuroscience supports it: Consistent, real-world repetition strengthens the neural pathways that anchor adaptability and retention. At BTS, weve seen that transformational leadership often hinges on unlocking specific mindset shifts, patterns where leaders typically get stuck and need to evolve to grow. So, how do you start? Find smaller moments to experiment. Instead of waiting for a performance review, try a quick debrief after a call with a direct report. Test a new communication approach in a team meeting before the next town hall. You can even name your intention to those around you. Letting others know youre trying something new sets expectations and invites helpful feedback. LEVERAGE AI FOR ON-DEMAND SUPPORT Your toughest challenges dont show up as theory; they show up in the form of messy, human situations: a disengaged direct report, a senior leader who keeps moving the goalposts, a peer who wont align. These problems dont have one-size-fits-all solutions, which is why coaching is so powerful. For decades, personalized coaching was a privilege reserved for executives. But with AI practice bots paired with guidance from real coaches, middle managers can get development thats personalized and scalable when they need it. These tools let you rehearse tough conversations, like giving feedback or delegating more effectively, in a low-stakes environment. Coaches help you translate insights into actions and longer-term mindset shifts. The result is leadership growth thats less abstract and more actionable. The smartest move? Start small. Pick one conversation youve been avoiding and rehearse it with an AI conversation bot. Youll uncover blind spots, test new approaches, and walk into the real thing with more confidence and control. MAKE UNCERTAINTY YOUR PLAYGROUND The defining condition of modern work is uncertainty. Markets swing, technologies disrupt, priorities pivot. If you wait for clarity, youll always be behind. The managers who thrive arent the ones who resist ambiguity, but those who use it as a catalyst to experiment and learn. One biopharmaceutical company I worked with recognized this when it expanded leadership development beyond senior executives to include middle managers. After providing leadership training focused on managing ambiguity and integrating AI into workflows, the company paired each manager with a coach to help translate learning into action. The result was faster decision-making and stronger cross-functional collaboration during a major pivot. When you stop treating uncertainty as a threat and start treating it as a laboratory, you shift from surviving change to shaping it. With these practices, middle management isnt a burden, but a launchpad for growth.
Category:
E-Commerce
We’ve been sold a lie. Somewhere between go to school and get a job, work became the central node of our livesthe very thing that defines us. We measure our worth by our output, our identity by our title, and our health by how much we can endure. The hours. The travel. The back-to-back meetings. The busyness. That’s not the picture we painted for ourselves when we chose our major in college and envisioned what we thought would be a fulfilling career; that’s conditioning. The result of which has shaped our meaning of work and how we see ourselves in it. But meaning isnt found in the busyness of the grindrather, it’s found in alignment. And when our work has greater meaning, we change our relationship with it and, more importantly, with ourselves. On our latest episode of the From the Culture podcast, we spoke with Lenore Skenazy, cofounder and president of the nonprofit Let Grow, about finding meaning at work. And she offered a unique framing for how to rethink work and find alignment. In response to the public backlash she received after penning a 2008 column in the New York Daily News about letting her 9-year-old son ride the New York City subway alone, Skenazy founded Let Grow with NYU business school professor Jonathan Haidt to help parents rethink the job of parenting. In our venture to become parents, we didnt imagine our job would be that of a supervisor or a concierge to our children. Instead, we imagined ourselves as guardians who would help our children grow. For Skenazy, the meaning of parenting is to prepare our children for adulthood, not to protect them from it. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/studio_16-9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/studio_square_thumbnail.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"FROM THE CULTURE","dek":"FROM THE CULTURE is a podcast that explores the inner workings of organizational culture that enable companies to thrive, teams to win, and brands to succeed. If culture eats strategy for breakfast, then this is the most important conversation in business that you arent having.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Listen","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLvojPSJ6Iy0T4VojdtGsZ8Q4eAJ6mzr2h","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91470870,"imageMobileId":91470866,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} A deep rethink Although this may seem like a simple repositioning, its actually a profound recontextualization. When we think about parenting as a job of preparation as opposed to protection, it gives our work new meaning and, as a result, we engage in it differently. As Skenazy argues, when the work of parenting is about preparation, we grant our children freedom and independence to navigate the world on their own. Not in a way that endangers them but, rather, challenges them. When this happens, not only do they grow into more resilient humans who will likely be better prepared for the world, but weas parentsget more fulfillment from our work. The benefit of this recontextualization also applies to our professional work. When we reframe the meaning of work, we change our alignment with it. The result of this framing not only improves our well-being but also improves the work. The behavioral science is unambiguous to this fact. When work is more meaningful, were more engaged, more committed, and more satisfied. Moreover, these effects produce greater productivity and higher effort because were more willing to go the extra mile when we feel more fulfilled. A win-win This phenomenon happens on the individual level but scales when we consider the greater work of the organization. When workers collaborate in shared meanings, their collective outputs are optimized, and the organization is more likely to flourish because of it. This isnt about touchy-feely, woo-woo vibes to make people feel good. This is a renegotiation of work that empirically changes how we work, the impact of our work on the organization, and its impact on us. Its a win-win across the board. But thats not the world of work we occupy. Instead, our current framing of work is one that valorizes grind and prioritizes compensationwhich is transactional at best, but in most cases adversarial. Thats not to say that labor should not be sufficiently compensated, but that the exchange between wages and work should be more than just monetary. They should be meaningful as well. Suffice it to say that work is in desperate need of work. Not more grind, more hours, or more late nights, but more meaning. The best part about it is that meaning is socially negotiated and, therefore, we can change it ourselves. It doesnt require permission or approvaljust rethinking. We explore this in greater depth with Skenazy on our latest episode of From the Culture, available here or wherever you get your podcasts. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/studio_16-9.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/studio_square_thumbnail.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"FROM THE CULTURE","dek":"FROM THE CULTURE is a podcast that explores the inner workings of organizational culture that enable companies to thrive, teams to win, and brands to succeed. If culture eats strategy for breakfast, then this is the most important conversation in business that you arent having.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Listen","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLvojPSJ6Iy0T4VojdtGsZ8Q4eAJ6mzr2h","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91470870,"imageMobileId":91470866,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
Category:
E-Commerce
I have what I consider a healthy skepticism toward authority. Ive always considered leadersdespite what titles they holdas fallible people who dont necessarily deserve blind adulation or deference. That skepticism has made it hard for me to adopt the company man persona, which might explain how little of the proverbial corporate ladder Ive climbed. And rather than take responsibility for that, Im going to blame my dad: The instinct to question rather than comply, to think critically instead of playing yes-man, came from him. We never had a formal conversation about it. I just watched how he moved through the worldconfident, grounded, with little to proveand absorbed it. Even though I now interrogate masculinity professionally as a writer, the version of being a man I internalized first came from my father. The idea of masculinity is broad, contested, and constantly evolving. And in corporate America, it still matters. Research shows that sons often emulate their fathers version of masculinity, and because men continue to dominate leadership positions in the U.S., those inherited models dont stop at the home. They show up in how work gets done, who gets promoted, and what kinds of behaviors are rewarded. In practice, that inheritance can look like an executive who demands deference but bristles at accountability. Or a leader who establishes a culture where men bond through exclusion or bigotry. Or an environment that rewards bravado over substance, and conflates emotional intelligence with weak, beta behavior. It can show up when men label assertive women aggressive, when they police what version of masculinity makes a leader, or when they constantly need to prove their worth. Think of Successions Kendall Roy, or your own pick of privileged white men whose familial connections thrust them into headlines more than their merit. In short: Corporate America has whats colloquially known as daddy issues. Corporate culture reflects the versions of manhood its leaders were taught to perform. In speaking with several psychologists and professors who specialize in families and masculinity, Ive come to understand that changing this culture wont come from diagnosing men. It will come from redesigning work so that care and empathy arent something they have to unlearn to succeed. Rethinking the dad dynamic Research shows that fathers influence how sons build social networks, how they communicate, and even whether they feel comfortable promoting women. All that even further complexifies when the father-son relationship is fraught. Masculinity researchers use the term father hunger to describe the effects of an absent or emotionally distant father, which can result in insecurity, difficulty forming healthy relationships, a constant search for validation, or adopting a hardened persona to mask fear. But as far as the label daddy issues, its typically reserved for women, and psychologists have long pointed out that this framing is both inaccurate and sexist: All human beings have mommy issues and daddy issues, Michael Thompson, a psychologist specializing in children and families, told me, because our parents shape us so powerfully. When I first started researching this piece, I assumed it would focus primarily on how toxic masculinity is passed from fathers to sons and then reproduced in the workplace. That assumption was informed by my own experiences with male coworkers, and trying to make sense of the world were currently living through: one where that toxic form of masculinity and its negative by-productscruelty, aggression, bigotryseem to be celebrated and exacerbated. But the more I spoke with experts who study the intersection of masculinity, fatherhood, and work, the more that framing felt incomplete. What emerged instead was a picture of modern fatherhood thats more intentional, and more emotionally engaged than the stereotypes suggest. Many of todays fathersand those who hope to become fatherscare deeply about being present for their children and involved in their daily lives. Contemporary daddy issues in the workplace arent about litigating past fatherhood. Theyre about whether institutions make room for a healthier version going forward. Changes underway Language plays a role in that shift to encourage men to more closely examine their masculinity, and the versions of it theyve inherited from fathers and older men in their lives. Developmental psychologist Gary Barker, founder and CEO of the Equimundo Center for Masculinities and Justice, an international organization that works globally to engage men and boys in healthy masculinities, told me he prefers the term caring masculinity over phrases like toxic masculinity or even healthy masculinity. The former, he explains, often makes men defensive; the latter can sound clinical. Caring masculinity, by contrast, frames masculinity around care for children, family members, communities, and friends. It means recognizing that youre at your best when youre connecting with others in caring relationships, Barker said. Barker and I spoke about the influence of our own fathers. Neither explicitly told us that a softer, kinder, less bombastic version of masculinity was the way to go, but care, not a rigid toxicity, was modeled. My father regularly asked me about my feelings and talked with me about my interests, even if they weren’t interests he shared. I always felt seen and accepted. Maybe they didnt have the language around it, Barker said, but they did feel an ethic of, Ive got a duty to those around me.” That perspective aligns with how some psychologists understand the current cultural moment. Michael Reichert, a clinical psychologist and founding director of the Center for the Study of Boys and Girls Lives at the University of Pennsylvania, a research consortium, sees todays conversations not as a rejection of the past, but as an evolution. I dont think were at this place because weve had everything wrong all along, he said. I thin were evolving toward a new understanding of what it means to be a man. That evolution shows up in data. Reichert said this generation of young men prioritizes emotional competence: the ability to identify and regulate their own emotions, express vulnerability, and maintain close relationships without defaulting to dominance or withdrawal. In an interview with The Atlantic, Reichert spoke about an emotional literacy course he taught at a boys high school for 25 years, and how hes seen firsthand the way resistance has morphed into acceptance on this front. National surveys also suggest sustained interest in fatherhood: Pew Research Center data shows that 57% of Gen Z men without children hope to become fathers, while a majority of millennial dads report being highly engaged parents. In other words, many young men arent aspiring to emotional distancetheyre aspiring to connection. The question is whether the workplaces they enter will reward that shift. Where we go from here Jamie Ladge, a professor of management at Boston College who studies fatherhood and organizations, told me that both workplace research and workplace culture still rely on overly narrow definitions of what fathers look like, often centering cisgender, heterosexual men with one partner. That hypothetical father maps neatly onto traditional ideas of masculinity: stoic provider, unencumbered worker, secondary caregiver. But theres a lot more nuance and complexity in the fatherhood identity that needs to be considered, she said. Fathers may see themselves as caregivers, role models, breadwinners, or stay-at-home parentsoften moving between those identities over time. Many fathers arent married, dont work traditional jobs, dont live in nuclear families, or arent in heterosexual relationships. When organizations cling to a single archetype, they dont just miss entire groups of men, they reinforce a narrow model of masculinity that constrains everyone. Ladges research suggests that when workplaces support fathers in these varied rolesand thus support more diverse views of masculinitythe benefits are tangible. Involved fathers are more likely to experience work-family enrichment, feel more satisfied at work, and think less about quitting. Theres a real benefit to being an involved father, Ladge said. That satisfaction carries over into positive outcomes for organizations. Supportive management is key. Policies that normalize paid parental leave, flexible schedules, and caregiving responsibilities dont just benefit families, they influence how employees relate to their work. Barker echoed this point, noting that organizations that encourage caregiving often see greater engagement in return. As fathers, if we feel supported in taking that time, we come back with more energy, more productivity, and more connection to the workplace that made it possible, he said. And yet, despite evidence that caring workplaces are more sustainable and productive, many organizations still cling to outdated ideals. Theres a strong bias, especially in the U.S., that the ideal worker is someone who works the longest hours and has no life outside of work, Ladge said. That expectation undermines the very conditions that allow parentsincluding fathersto be present at home and engaged at work. The result is a self-reinforcing loop: Research shows that parents with greater autonomy and supportive supervisors are more involved with their children, while involved parents are more satisfied and productive employees. I didnt learn skepticism of authority from a leadership seminar. I learned it by watching a man who knew who he wasand didnt need a job to prove it. Workplaces that make room for that kind of fatherhood might finally get the leaders they keep claiming to want.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||