I have been working in corporate world for almost fifteen years now. I have learned from many leaders in career and I have learned lessons from being one as well. The most interesting part of being a leader is when we get to be middle management. This is basically a position where you have responsibility to take care of your direct reports but you have no authority over them. example: You have to drive your team members yet you have limited power to influence the salary increase of your team members. In essence, as I said, you have the responsibility, but you do not have the authority.

Anyways…what is interesting about being a leader at middle management is that you need to know when to be what type of leaders.

The Shield type

We shield and protect our team members. you deal with the crap sp that your team member can have the time and room to achieve goals that is set for the team.

Top management tells you: To all employees: all cellphones must be kept at drawer during office hours.

You tell your team: it was nothing, really. I’ll handle this. Go back to work and give me your 100%.

The Shock Breaker type

Top management tells you: To all employees: all cellphones must be kept at drawer during office hours.

You tell your team: What they meant is, stop playing with your smartphones. Of course you can pick up your phones when your kids call you.

The post office type:

Top management tells you: To all employees: all cellphones must be kept at drawer during office hours.

You tell your team: all cellphones must be kept at drawer during office hours.

The amplifier type:

Top management tells you: To all employees: all cellphones must be kept at drawer during office hours.

You tell your team: do not touch your cellphones! Anyone doing it, I will give them warning letters!

In many instances, leaders shield their team members for good intentions. However, after 14.5 years of career, I tend to see this type of leadership is actually doing more harm than good. A middle management leaders receives alot of pressure from the top. It is actually healthy for the team of that pressure trickles down just a little bit. Enough to raise awareness in the team of what top management are expecting. Enough to raise awareness that their boss (you) are dealing with a heck of alot. Let’s face it. Many team members are insensitive. As long as they don’t receive the pressure, they don’t care. They have to. I see that a leader must naturally sacrifise themselves but a good leaders must make this action visible to the direct reports. Direct reports are mere mortals. They cannot appreciate or fear what they cannot see. For this instances, it makes sense for a middle mgt leader to act like a shock breaker.

A post office type of leader is a leader without filter. Just pass down any pressure / negativity without any filter nor adding any value to the team nor to the top management. No more discussion here.

A leader who amplifies things can be good or bad. It is not necessary to amplify pressure to the team. It is however, necessary to amplify a good work done by a direct report. Our direct report may be 1 in 1000 employees working in the company. they do not stand out. To us, their direct leader, they may stand out. But that is becase we see them every day. The top management hasn’t got a clue to Steve is, or what John is doing for the last 13 years. If Mary did something awesome (by any measure), it makes perfect sense to advertise the result to the top management. “Look here, one of my team member did a great job. his name is Mary. She has done the extra mile. What can we get her in return?” Amplify her result. Giver her, the due credit that she deserves. make her visible to the top management.

Being Middle management leader is more than just driving a team to deliver result. Our task is also to identify, mentor, produce and advertise those who can replace us some day. At this instance, be the biggest amplifier/adverstiser that you can be.

Be the best of all types. Don’t be the worst. Never amplify negativity/pressure to your team but play down a good job done. Do the opposite. Play down pressure to a healthy level, and amplify a job well done.