Middle managers, often overlooked, play a crucial role in enhancing workplace efficiency and boosting team morale. Discover the surprising impact of these unsung heroes on organizational success.
Read on to uncover how middle managers can transform your team dynamics and drive organizational excellence.
Table of Contents
Genres
Business, Leadership, Management, Organizational Behavior, Human Resources, Workplace Culture, Productivity, Corporate Strategy, Employee Engagement, Professional Development
David Brooks’ article “The Quiet Magic of Middle Managers” highlights the often underappreciated yet vital role of middle managers in organizations. Brooks argues that middle managers are crucial for the smooth operation of companies, bridging the gap between upper management and frontline employees.
They are instrumental in implementing strategic visions, fostering workplace culture, and ensuring effective communication. Brooks supports his argument with examples and studies, emphasizing that middle managers excel in roles requiring empathy, adaptability, and practical problem-solving skills. He concludes that organizations should invest in and recognize the value of their middle managers to enhance overall performance and employee satisfaction.
Review
Brooks’ article effectively sheds light on the essential contributions of middle managers, challenging the common perception of their roles as merely administrative. The article is well-researched, providing a balanced mix of anecdotal evidence and academic studies to support its claims.
Brooks’ writing is engaging and informative, making a compelling case for the reevaluation of middle managers’ importance within the corporate hierarchy. However, the article could benefit from more detailed examples of companies successfully leveraging their middle managers.
Overall, it’s a thought-provoking read that underscores the need for organizations to value and develop their middle management teams.
Recommendation
Arrogant top managers at one end of the corporate ladder, disengaged workers at the other — the business world would be in trouble if it weren’t for the corps of team and department leaders in between, writes New York Times journalist and prolific author David Brooks in this uplifting opinion piece. The “unsung heroes” of middle management are the glue that holds companies together, and, in his eyes, they institutionalize values that underpin society as a whole.
Take-Aways
- Middle managers make companies — and society — work.
- Good middle managers see themselves as mentors, not heroes.
- A company establishes standards of conduct with small gestures more than with rules.
Summary
Middle managers make companies — and society — work.
Middle managers who lead teams or departments are today’s “unsung heroes.” In this capacity, they resolve workplace conflicts, preserve relationships among employees, and keep teams pulling together. In other words, they ensure that work gets done efficiently and successfully.
“Nobody writes poems about middle managers. But I’ve come to believe that these folks are the unsung heroes of our age.”
Middle managers hardly ever become the center of attention, but they are the glue that holds not only companies but society together. How so? A lack of values and virtues on a small scale creates a rot that will spread, eventually undermining social order. Society faces two battles: the one between democracy and authoritarianism, and the daily effort of defining and fostering human dignity. Middle managers who practice “ethical leadership” are in an ideal position to promote mutual understanding. They demonstrate how to accept and handle differences of opinion in a civil manner.
Good middle managers see themselves as mentors, not heroes.
A good manager’s main task is to maximize the potential of his or her team members. For example, the soccer coach in the Ted Lasso television comedy series understands that his primary goal isn’t winning as many games as possible. Instead, it’s helping his players become “the best versions of themselves on and off the field.” If a manager can accomplish that, business results will follow automatically.
“These members of the managerial class, spread across the institutions of society, are serving as the invisible glue that gives us a shot at sticking together.”
Good team leaders don’t see themselves as heroes or claim ownership of every success. Instead, they work to serve their company’s cause. Day after day, they are prepared to do unspectacular work that doesn’t garner immediate recognition. They maintain their sense of humor even under difficult circumstances. They show that results matter, not egos. Their employees appreciate their manager’s humility, attentiveness and respectful mentorship. They feel that they’re working with someone, not for someone.
A company establishes standards of conduct with small gestures more than with rules.
As the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke said, people aren’t guided mainly by laws, but by their society’s manners and the values they incorporate. Good managers maintain their moral perspective despite incentives to violate them. This is relevant in confronting moral dilemmas in every industry. For example, in medicine, time constraints and the quest for high earnings can conflict with the goal of serving the sick. Ethical leaders withstand such pressure and hew to their profession’s ideals.
“Morally healthy communities habituate people to behave in certain ways and make it easier to be good.”
Successful middle managers exemplify this ethical attitude. They know their employees and supervisors are watching them closely and that their behavior is generative, that is, their workers will imitate it. They also know that small gestures — politeness, attention, goodwill, and compliments — have the greatest impact on their team members, not grandiose speeches. They treat people with respect and, in turn, they earn respect.
About the Author
David Brooks has been a New York Times columnist since 2003. His writings often deal with cooperation and moral issues. His books include The Road to Character, The Second Mountain, and How to Know a Person among others.