Congratulations and welcome to the role of 21st Century management. You’re a leader. You have worked hard, earning various degrees, sharpening your skills, “preparing” yourself for what lies 
ahead; the consistently changing and ever challenging role of leadership. You are prepared. Or so you thought…
You know your primary duties: to lead change, manage, and inspire an intergenerational workforce that not only impacts both the top and bottom lines, but consistently delivers short-term objectives and builds sustainability. As a leader in today’s new work environment you must demonstrate speed, agility, strategic acumen, creativity and innovation. All of this must be attained while managing high levels of uncertainty and risk, mitigating the concerns of your staff as well as those of others within the company.
Your staff works faster, harder and longer than ever before. The standard tools used to reward them have dwindled significantly since the Great Recession thereby escalating your challenges and stress-levels to motivate and retain a skilled workforce. Can you offer your workforce what they seek, what you want them to have? If you answer yourselves truthfully, the painful answer may be a whispering, and humble “no”. You would like to reward them, boost their morale and confidence in the company and in you as a leader, but find that you are not as well equipped as you had hoped. The environment has changed, and with it, the mindset of many employees and employers as well.
But even prior to the Great Recession, you observed a steady decline in respectful workplace behaviors, leading to significant disengagement among workers, and maybe for yourself as well. Your work environment has become more like an episode out of “Star Wars – Revenge of the Sith” than the one you originally recall signing up for. The events of the Great Recession may have you feeling disillusioned and filled with a far greater doubt about the future. The uncertainty of the unknown has resulted in a greater sense of vulnerability for you and your company. Those great giants that we used to aspire to be like and admire are now broken; some a mere shadow of their former selves.
Feeling Overwhelmed? You’re not alone.
The Great Recession has been brutal not only for those who have lost their jobs, but for those left behind who had to pick up the pieces and carry on in an atmosphere filled with fear and diminished hopes. The survey by Development Dimensions International (DDI) and the Human Capital Institute (HCI) (February 2010) reports that while many leaders were glad to have a job, engagement levels of mid-level managers dropped by 46%. Surprisingly, this failed to translate into greater effort or engagement with their work. According to some studies reviewed in this report, as many as 64% of mid-level leaders do not even expect to be with their companies two years from now.
To survive, you may have reached a decision amidst the recession that the best option for you is to leave your current employer as a recovery begins to spark. Depending on your situation, moving on might be the next logical step. However before making a leap for greener pastures, it’s important for mid-level managers to sincerely evaluate what they might be seeking in the next career opportunity: workplace culture, leadership, recognition, and how that compares and translates to the changing business landscape.
A New Era of Growth
The stark reality given the plethora of changes in business today such as advances in technology, global expansion, reengineering, organizational changes, and governmental regulation, what remains constant and at the center of all of these changes are people. From the very birth of an idea, product, process, or service, talent is the catalyst.
Companies are demanding growth, and growth demands strong leadership. While many mid-level managers may have questioned their value within the organization over the last two years, the importance of mid-level management has never been greater and more needed than now.
Even as some senior executive roles transform, 21st Century mid-level managers play a very significant part in helping to shape and impact the future. With organizations adopting greater technology and utilizing social platform tools and gaining real time data access, some of the traditional responsibilities of mid-level management are changing and can expect to pave the way for more exciting responsibilities and possibilities.
Thinking about your own transition, what may be impeding your progress and growth?
- Neglecting to align expectations; with organizational direction and other levels of management as well as your employees
- Devoting energy to the wrong people; to those resistant to change or who may lack relevant knowledge to help solve broader complexities and issues
- Focusing on process more; rather than people
- Refusing to acknowledge what you do not know and/or placing too much relevance on past experience
- Ignoring relevant issues in an attempt to “get it all done”
Consider the impact these areas of concern have on you, personally and professionally, as well as on those that are within your professional networks. Given the challenges and ups and downs over the course of the Great Recession, what have you and your collective leadership teams learned to do more of, less of, or to stop doing entirely? What is within your control to change and improve? How might these small changes multiply over time and influence the work environment and your team?
You can begin to strengthen your ability to develop tolerance for ambiguous situations, since not all issues will have immediate answers. Look closely among your leadership team and professional network. Identify those individuals who embody accountability, model ferocious integrity, authenticity, have a strong capacity to connect with other people at a deep level, who possess sheer courage, and a commitment to champion the common good over extreme narcissistic behaviors and narrow self-interests. These are the people that you want to surround yourself with. These are the people who will work with you to effect positive change. These are the people who, by example, and leadership can direct and influence your company.
Together, how might you begin creating unity among your team and organization?
Mid-level managers in the next era are core catalysts for positively engineering the spirited conversations that provide basis for high levels of inclusion, collaboration and partnerships at all levels in the organization. Great mid-levels build world-class environments and work hard at innovating their communication and leadership effectiveness. Lead the change and explore new ways of doing this.
Although you cannot be all things to all people, you can bring a renewed sense of purpose and fulfillment to your role, your team and your organization today. Consider the following infusions:
- What opportunities exist for your company in the future marketplace?
- What levels of creativity may be needed to meet this?
- What leadership opportunities and experiences exist that might help the organization increase in value?
- How might your expertise or that of your team be able to help another department?
- How prepared is your team in meeting these challenges?
Ready, Set, Grow
Below are a few tips to help you move forward in leading through this great transition.
Design an approach for excellence in spite of having to do more with less. What areas of people management practices do you need to become better at? Is customer satisfaction the highest goal or customer success? Is achieving results and obtaining them ethically and legally important? Is respecting individuals, celebrating small team wins, and learning from mistakes at the top of your priority list?
Build the talent portfolio like an investment portfolio. Become knowledgeable on what it takes to attract, build and deploy the best talent in order to contribute to the growth of the organization’s investments. The selection of new talent and promoting others in the organization that reflect the competence and organizational values necessary for long-term growth is critical to your portfolio. Address people issues head-on and ensure zero tolerance toward disrespectful and/or dysfunctional behaviors and relationships.
Focus your commitment to adding outrageous value to the employment experience. Be relentless at every stage of the employee experience, ensuring your front-line leaders have the world-class skills necessary to create a winning culture that builds the organization’s talent investment portfolio. From hiring, growing and unleashing performance potential, create an experience that rocks!
Begin now to look toward needed growth and create, or embrace, the new rules of engagement of 21st Century leaders. As you continue to gain clarity on the exciting future ahead, and design an adaptable work environment, you will far surpass your competition, and may just find that with the right talent, you’re now offering the team what you may have been seeking all along.
©Copyright 2010 The Infusion Group™ LLC. All rights reserved. Judy White, SPHR, GPHR, HCS is the President of Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina based The Infusion Group ™ LLC (http://www.theinfusiongroupllc.com) and delights in partnering with leaders and organizations in connecting people with their business vision to what matters most. The Infusion Group™ publishes a monthly newsletter “Infusing Solutions @ Work” http://www.theinfusiongroupllc.com which is fused with the latest resources and tips to help organizations create a thriving 21st Century workplace. She can be reached at judy@theinfusiongroupllc.com.
