Empowerment from Middle leadership.

Middle leaders have a unique role to play in creating strong and productive organisations. They are the integrators.  In my last article, I wrote about the unique system role of ‘Tops’, shaping the organisation, but they need a powerful integrating Middle leadership to complement them. All too often this middle integration doesn’t happen.

Why doesn’t it happen? Well, the group I worked with last week pretty much revealed why… as one member of the group said “When I arrived I didn’t think we would have much in common but it is amazing to realise that we do. I need not feel so alone”.

To quote Oshry, “Middle leaders feel they do not integrate because of how they feel about one another (little in common, competitive, unique) but the truth is Middles feel the way they do about one another as a consequence of not integrating. Were they to integrate they would experience one another quite differently”.

So what is this integrating role all about?  

Middle leaders strengthen themselves and enhance their contributions to their organisations and wider system by developing strong peer group relationships by committing to a discipline of regularly coming together to: 

• share information

• share perspectives

• support one another

• encourage one another 

• work on issues that cut across common areas.

The benefits? : 

From these relationships, Middle leaders are better supported, better informed and better able to:

•  provide consistent information to others

•  offer better guidance and aligned direction

•  cope with the inevitable pressures of leading in the middle,

•  ease the burden that their bosses may be experiencing

•  make it possible for Top leaders to focus on what they really ought to be doing (and reduce the temptation to meddle in Middle business!).

What Middle leader wouldn’t want to experience this?  Yet it so often doesn’t happen. 

What I do know is that powerful Middle leaders integrate, and integrating Middles survive and thrive. 

What Top wouldn’t want a powerful connected and integrating group of Middle leaders?

Action: 

Tops: create the expectation, space and permission for your Middles to integrate regularly but don’t control their agenda.

Middles: give it a go, convene your peers, meet without your tops, align around a compelling common purpose. Keep Tops informed.

It may not be simple to do, but it is possible and I can help you. Contact me for a chat, If you want to know more.