Leading from the Middle

Leading from the Middle Plot Summary

Introduction

The middle is where the magic happens. It's also where the madness occurs. If you find yourself in a leadership position that requires you to influence up toward your bosses, down toward your team, and across to your peers, you're navigating one of the most challenging yet impactful positions in any organization. You're in the messy middle - and that's exactly where your greatest opportunity lies. Think about it: while those at the top may set the vision and those at the bottom execute the tasks, it's the middle leaders who translate, motivate, and activate. You're the conductor of the organizational orchestra, the translator of executive vision, and the amplifier of frontline insights. This powerful position comes with unique challenges - feeling squeezed from all sides, managing competing priorities, and sometimes lacking clear authority despite significant responsibility. But when you master the art of leading from the middle, you become the catalyst that transforms your entire organization, creating ripples of positive impact in every direction.

Chapter 1: Embrace Your Unique Position as a Middle Manager

Leading from the middle is not about being stuck - it's about being strategically positioned at the nexus of influence. The middle is where execution meets strategy, where ideas transform into action, and where organizational culture truly takes shape. As someone leading from the middle, you have unique access to the complete organizational ecosystem that neither top executives nor frontline workers possess. Research from the Boston Consulting Group found that middle managers are "vital to success," with nearly two-thirds of executives across 100 countries saying middle managers are more critical than top managers. This isn't surprising when you consider that those in the middle account for an astonishing 22.3 percent of the variation in revenue in an organization - more than three times the impact attributed to those specifically in innovation roles, according to Wharton research. Marty Lyons, former player for the New York Jets, understands this principle intimately. As a middle lineman sandwiched between outside linemen Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko, Lyons knew his role was to engage the opposing front line so his teammates could break through. "You have to know and embrace where you are and realize that being in the middle is a blessing," Lyons explains. "It means you have the opportunity to lead in all directions." His effectiveness in the middle helped the legendary "New York Sack Exchange" lead the NFL in sacks three times between 1981 and 1984. The key to embracing your middle position starts with shifting your mindset. Instead of seeing yourself as caught between competing demands, recognize that you're positioned at the intersection of vital information flows. You're not squeezed in the middle; you have the unique opportunity to impact in all directions. This reframing transforms feeling trapped into feeling empowered. To fully embrace your position, start by identifying all the roles you naturally play. Middle managers typically wear many hats - translator of vision, implementor of strategy, coach to team members, champion of ideas, facilitator of processes, buffer between competing interests, and bridge builder across departments. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by these multiple roles, recognize how they collectively position you as an indispensable connector and catalyst. Remember that while you might be the "middle child" of the organization, the middle child is also resourceful, creative, and independent - all qualities that make for exceptional leadership. Your position grants you a panoramic view of the organization that few others have, allowing you to spot connections, opportunities, and solutions invisible to those with more limited perspectives.

Chapter 2: Adopt the Others-Oriented Leadership Mindset

The most powerful mindset for leading from the middle is what Scott Mautz calls the "others-oriented leadership mindset." This approach takes the focus off yourself and places it on understanding and acting on the multitude of perspectives you must consider when interacting up, down, and across your organization. If you want to thrive in leading from the middle, it can't be all about you. It's about helping everyone and everything around you to thrive - it's about the ecosystem, not the ego system. The others-oriented leadership mindset is related to servant leadership but has crucial differences. While classic servant leadership inverts the leadership hierarchy with the leader's main function being to serve those below, others-oriented leadership recognizes that power flows through you in servitude, but you don't deny your power, knowing when it must flow from you. You lead with others in mind, but make no mistake - you serve and you lead. You don't lose your authoritative leadership qualities, knowing when it's time to command and direct versus support and stay in the shadows. Mary Galloway, an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist, explains that "Middle managers are like the middle child of an organization, often neglected by senior managers and blamed by their reports. However, they're still expected to be as charming as the youngest and simultaneously as responsible as the oldest." The others-oriented mindset helps you navigate this complex position by creating a compass for your leadership approach, focusing on what you give, what you give up, what's a given, and what you get. Others-oriented leaders give credit and praise liberally. In a survey of 3,000 executives, a whopping 68 percent felt underappreciated. Being a leader in the middle puts you in a unique position to create a positive ripple effect of gratitude. These leaders also provide bedrock respect - believing that everyone is valued and valuable, worthy and worthwhile. With 90 percent of employees reporting that basic workplace civility is a problem, consistently being respectful will stand out and earn respect in return. This mindset also means giving up self-interest as first priority and surrendering power and control selectively. It means letting others shine while you facilitate their success. As one middle manager put it: "I discovered that my job wasn't to have all the answers, but to create the conditions where my team could find them." The others-oriented approach demands authentic transparency and truth. Nothing is more transparent than when people aren't being transparent. Your position grants you the right to make all kinds of mistakes, but you can never make mistakes of motive. When your intentions are pure and well-communicated, you build the trust needed to influence in all directions.

Chapter 3: Master the AMPLIFY Skillset for Maximum Influence

The essence of leading from the middle is becoming an amplifier. You're not a mere conduit between everyone and everything up, down, and across. You make things that need to be heard, heard. You make things clearer and more powerful. You bring the micro to the macro. You share and amplify the truth, data, and different perspectives in all directions. The AMPLIFY skillset provides a framework for developing the seven critical abilities needed to thrive in the middle: Adaptability, Meshing, Political savviness, Locking in, Influencing, Fostering compromise, and You setting the tone. Each of these skills addresses a specific challenge of middle leadership. Adaptability is crucial because the middle is where chaos lives. Ever-changing priorities, requests, directives, objectives, and marketplace dynamics create constant flux. One powerful technique for building adaptability is practicing the 50/50 Rule - focusing 50 percent of your mental energy on pragmatism and 50 percent on possibility. A mid-level manager at Procter & Gamble demonstrated this when her team was facing supply chain disruptions. Rather than panicking, she focused on practical immediate solutions while simultaneously exploring new partnership opportunities that emerged from the crisis, transforming a problem into long-term advantage. Political savviness is often misunderstood. It's not about being political (engaging in backstabbing and self-promotion) but about being politically savvy - understanding the underlying context, issues, and personalities involved. It's another tool for the others-oriented leader to leverage to serve their organization. The political savviness poll helps leaders assess themselves on this critical skill, with questions like "Do I know who the key influencers are?" and "When I score a victory, do I make sure the other side can save face?" The ability to influence is perhaps the most essential skill for middle leaders. Research from Cornell and Stanford Universities shows that we dramatically underestimate our ability to influence up, down, and across an organization. Ninja skill techniques for influence include mastering nonverbal communication, using the persuasion tricks of professional speakers, and becoming pattern-aware - spotting trends and breaking unhelpful patterns that keep people stuck. One middle manager demonstrated extraordinary influencing skills during a company restructuring. Instead of simply announcing changes, she used the SHARP technique (Start by thinking not talking, Hit the main idea quickly, Add details sparingly, Relate to the audience, Prepare thoroughly) to clearly communicate while acknowledging the emotional impact. She followed up with one-on-one conversations that built trust and allowed her to gather insights that improved the implementation plan. The Y in AMPLIFY reminds us that You set the tone. Remember the "Fishbowl Effect" - when you're in the middle, you live in a fishbowl with everyone watching from all sides. You get the behaviors you tolerate and exemplify. The most important tone to set is one of trust and transparency, which research shows is built through six specific forms of transparency: in information sharing, in "state-of-the-union" updates, about why decisions were made, about where people stand, about your own shortfalls, and about your agenda.

Chapter 4: Lead Upward: Building a Power Partnership with Your Boss

The relationship with your boss isn't just one of many relationships you must manage while leading from the middle - it's an opportunity for a full-on partnership vital for business success and twice as critical for your career success as any other relationship, according to McKinsey research. Building this partnership requires ascending what Scott Mautz calls "The Managing Up Staircase" - a step-by-step approach to creating a powerful alliance with those above you. The first crucial step is understanding the fundamental nature of an effective boss-subordinate relationship: it's interdependence between two imperfect human beings. Many employees struggle with their bosses because they gloss over this truth. You need your boss, and they need you. One middle manager explained, "When I stopped seeing my boss as an obstacle and started seeing her as a partner with complementary strengths, everything changed." Getting clear on expectations is essential but often overlooked. Research among 200 pairs of bosses and subordinates revealed that in over 80 percent of the pairings, there were material breaches in understanding expectations. Asking powerful questions can close this gap: "What does good performance look like? Great performance?" and "These are my top priorities - are they consistent with yours?" One mid-level manager divides his weekly one-on-ones with his boss into two halves, labeled on his agenda: "What you need to know" and "What I need from you." Understanding your boss's style preferences dramatically increases your effectiveness. Does your boss process information better by listening or reading? Do they prefer to make decisions quickly or after careful deliberation? Do they like conflict or tend to avoid it? A finance director at a consumer goods company noticed her boss became visibly uncomfortable during direct confrontations in meetings. Rather than forcing the issue, she began preparing written summaries of conflicting viewpoints before meetings, giving her boss time to process the information and develop a position without pressure. When you need to disagree with your boss, use respectful candor. Social scientist Joseph Grenny notes that dissent is often viewed as a threat to your boss's goals. Grenny says when your boss acts defensive, it's "far less often provoked by actual content than perceived intent." Discussing intent before content can help: "We're both trying to achieve maximum market share here, but..." This signals why you're disagreeing in terms of mutual goals your boss also cares about. Remember that you're not managing up to impress your boss or curry favor, but to provide purposeful support. This means keeping your boss informed, expanding their capacity, leading their thinking on decisions, bringing a problem-solving spirit, advocating for them to others, and treating their time as if it were your own. One middle manager summarized her approach: "I take more things off my boss's plate than I put on it, and that's built tremendous trust."

Chapter 5: Lead Downward: Coaching and Developing Your Team

Leading and influencing down in the organization starts with effective coaching, which centers on having purposeful coaching conversations. While you get automatic influence over those who report to you because of your position power, it's personal power well-wielded that separates the very best at managing downward. The Coaching Conversation Funnel provides structure for these interactions. Every coaching conversation has a narrow start and end, with the middle being where you SIT and expand discussion - Seek to understand, Iron out distortions, and Trigger options. The art of coaching is knowing when to guide versus prescribe. When you dictate, direct, or control, coachees will be far less motivated to take action. Instead, listen at your peak ability, invite their thought leadership, and ask questions to unveil their thinking. A marketing manager used this approach with a talented but disorganized team member. Instead of prescribing a new organizational system, she asked, "What's the real challenge for you here?" This simple question led the employee to reveal an underlying time management issue. Together they explored options, with the manager deliberately staying on the "guide" end of the spectrum. The result was a solution the employee fully owned and implemented with enthusiasm. Asking better questions is key to effective coaching. When you ask open-ended questions, you empower employees to come up with their own solutions, broadening the scope of their thinking. For example, instead of saying "Take a price increase" (failure to ask) or "Don't you think we should take a price increase?" (leading question), ask "What should we do to offset our costs?" (open-ended question). Giving transformative feedback is another critical downward leadership skill. Unfortunately, Gallup research shows that only 26 percent of employees agree that the feedback they receive always helps them do their work better. The SHARES framework (Situation, Halo, Articulate, Result, Example, Solicit) provides a structure for feedback that ensures it's received as a gift, not a grudge. A regional sales manager used this approach when a team member delivered a disappointing client presentation. She started by describing the situation objectively, then haloed the discussion with sincere support: "I know how much you care about making an impact with clients." She articulated specific details about the presentation issues, shared the potential impact on client relationships, gave examples of alternative approaches, and solicited the employee's perspective. By following this structure, the feedback became a growth opportunity rather than a deflating criticism. Remember to identify teachable moments - brief windows when an employee is particularly pliable to learning something new. These include times when reality doesn't match expectations, when someone falls short on a risk taken, or when they're not aware of the impression they're leaving. The very best middle leaders are tuned into these moments and don't miss the opportunity to invest and influence.

Chapter 6: Lead Across: Influencing Peers and Managing Change

Leading across the organization to influence peers is perhaps the most nuanced practice in the middle leadership toolkit. These are co-workers important to achieving your goals but over whom you have no authority. Success requires building four pillars of peer influence on a solid foundation. The foundation starts with cultivating genuine connections. Too often, peers are treated more like potential transactions than potential relationships. Taking time to understand peers' fears, passions, and losses can transform difficult relationships. One product manager used this insight to completely reframe her interaction with a challenging IT colleague. By recognizing his fear of failure after a previous project setback, she approached him with empathy rather than frustration, which led to a productive partnership. Building the right reputation is the first pillar of peer influence. Peers want to know if you can be trusted and if you're worth collaborating with. This means becoming known for showing a willingness to help, exuding expertise in your area, being objective and data-based, and taking ownership of issues without passing the buck. As one operations manager put it, "I realized my peers didn't care about my title or authority - they cared about whether I could be counted on to deliver and whether I'd have their backs." Making unexpected investments is the second pillar. This means going beyond the Golden Rule of Influence to make above-and-beyond contributions to peers' success. The most powerful forms are peer-to-peer feedback (given after establishing that you truly value the person) and outright advocacy. A finance director made a habit of finding out what her peers in different functions were evaluated on, then looking for opportunities to share positive feedback with their bosses. This "positive blindside" created tremendous goodwill and influence. Hardwiring help from peers is the third pillar, focused on creating direct triggers for influence. Reciprocity is the cardinal rule - do something for peers and they'll feel compelled to do something for you. A marketing manager helped his sales counterpart prepare for an important presentation, investing hours of his own time. Months later, when he needed cross-functional support for a new campaign, that sales manager became his strongest advocate. The fourth pillar is getting the approach right. Remember that peers don't care about your deadlines - your emergency is not their emergency. Instead of applying pressure, invite them to bring their unique strengths and style to the table. Make working with you feel like an opportunity for them to express their full selves in a safe environment. Leading change across the organization requires understanding the emotional journey people experience. The Change Curve shows how people typically move from status quo through resistance and resignation, then into emergence and evolution, before reaching the aftermath stage where they reflect on the growth achieved. The EMC2 change model (Evoke enthusiasm, Move to commitment, Create new habits, squared) provides a structured approach to guide this journey. A product supply director used this model when implementing a major shift to new manufacturing equipment. He started by transparently expressing the state of the union and the compelling future vision, clearly articulating the personal impact on employees. He created excited urgency by breaking the change into phases with increasing rewards for completion. To move employees to commitment, he helped them feel safe, involved, and accountable - the three overlapping dynamics in the Circles of Commitment. Finally, he recognized that changing habits requires making new behaviors obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying, while making old ways invisible and difficult.

Chapter 7: Create Your Personal MAP for Middle Management Success

Your journey to amplified impact as a middle leader begins with recognizing that you're at the nerve center of your organization. This position isn't a holding pattern or a stepping stone - it's a strategic vantage point with unique powers to influence and transform. By creating your personal Middle Action Plan (MAP), you can customize your approach to leadership from this pivotal position. The process starts with honest self-assessment. Which of the SCOPE challenges affect you most strongly - Self-identity confusion, Conflict pressure, Omnipotence expectations, Physical stress, or Emotional strain? One IT director realized his greatest struggle was with the omnipotence challenge - feeling like he needed to know everything. By reframing this challenge as "it's not about omnipotence, it's about omnipresence," he shifted from trying to personally know everything to building a knowledge system that gave him access to information when needed. Your MAP should address the mindset you'll adopt. The others-oriented leadership compass provides clear direction about what to give (credit, encouragement, respect, time, support), what to give up (self-interest as first priority, power selectively), what's a given (concern for all stakeholders, readiness to flex to authoritative mode), and what you get in return (trust, engagement, accountability, peak performance). A marketing manager kept this compass printed in her daily planner as a constant reminder of how to approach each interaction. Next, identify which AMPLIFY skills need development. Perhaps you excel at adaptability but need work on political savviness, or you're strong at meshing teams but struggle with influencing upward. A regional sales director discovered that while he was effective at influencing in all directions, he rarely paused to lock in on the 4 Cs of hyper-awareness (Constraints, Capacities, Capabilities, and Culture). By making this a focus area, he spotted an emerging constraint in his sales territory before it became a crisis. The specialty plays for leading up, down, and across provide tactical approaches for specific situations. Which relationships need the most attention? What conversations must happen? A middle manager at a technology company realized her biggest opportunity was in one-on-one change conversations with her team during a reorganization. By using the twelve prompts provided in the change conversation guide, she helped team members process their emotions and find personal meaning in the changes. "You can't get to what you yearn to be by remaining what you are," as one change leader eloquently states. This truth applies to organizations and to you as a middle leader. Your position at the intersection of influence gives you unparalleled opportunities to amplify your impact. By embracing rather than enduring this position, adopting an others-oriented mindset, mastering the AMPLIFY skillset, and applying tactical plays in all directions, you transform from being in the middle to leading powerfully from the middle. The single most powerful action you can take today is to reframe how you see your position. You're not caught in the middle - you're strategically positioned at the nexus of influence. When you view your role as an amplifier rather than a conduit, everything changes. Choose one relationship in each direction - up, down, and across - and apply a specific play from your MAP this week. Your ripple of influence will quickly become a wave of positive transformation.

Summary

Throughout this journey of mastering the art of leading from the middle, we've uncovered the unique power that comes from this strategic position. The middle isn't a place where you're stuck - it's where you're strategically positioned to amplify impact in every direction. By adopting an others-oriented mindset and mastering the AMPLIFY skillset, you transform from feeling squeezed in the middle to becoming the essential catalyst your organization needs. Remember that "everything you should amplify as a talented middle manager is not always blatant and in your face." Your role requires alertness to the hidden elements that need attention and the courage to bring them to light. Begin today by selecting just one tool from your personal Middle Action Plan and applying it to a current challenge. As you consistently lead with others in mind, you'll discover that influence multiplies when properly channeled from the middle - the very place where change truly takes root and transformation begins.

About Author

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Scott Mautz

● Scott Mautz is a popular business-inspirational keynote speaker who talks and trains internationally on leadership/self-leadership, world-class teams, employee engagement, thriving in change, peak performance, and creating meaning at work● He's a former Procter & Gamble senior executive who successfully ran four of the company's largest multi-billion dollarbusinesses all while transforming organizational health scores along the way● He's a multi award-winning author who's books include: Leading from the Middle, Find the Fire, and Make It Matter● Scott is Faculty at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business for Executive Education, where he teaches others-orientedleadership and the secret to sustaining motivation● He's been named a "CEO Thought-leader" by The Chief Executives Guild and a "Top 50 Leadership Innovator" by Inc.com,where he was a top columnist with well over 1 million monthly readers● Scott's the CEO of Profound Performance™, a keynote, training, and coaching company that helps you ignite profoundperformance● He's a frequent guest across national mediaScott lives in San Diego, CA with his wife and daughter (who is growing up too fast)

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