Why At Middle Management Level Professionals Feel Lost…

Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist, was first to talk about the concept of ‘Midlife Crisis’, a normal element of our maturing and growing process. It happens to most of us at some point in life, anywhere about the age of 35 through 60s. During this transition, many individuals experience some kind of emotional mayhem (Like, feeling of frustration, confusion, discontentment, unhappiness, depression, and a sort of worthlessness). Nevertheless, for some life is as usual.

In professional life also comparable tendencies are observed when a professional reaches to the middle management level in the hierarchy. I would prefer to label it as ‘Middle Management Crisis’. Many of my professional colleagues (across the geographies but predominantly from the east-side of the world), after successfully reaching at middle management position in various organizations have expressed their frustrations. Several have shared a feeling of remorse and restlessness in discerning a real meaning in their career and future. If I have to summarize all such sharing, it will predominantly have following expressions:

Primary feeling is of running behind the actual curve of the career growth. Many do not feel convinced about where their career is heading and whether they actually control their career decisions. They feel left out in the ocean of corporate system. The same role or the assignment which once excited them, do not inspire anymore. Despite everything being normal, they do not feel same enthusiasm to come for the work. This also engenders a sense of ‘self- doubt’. In haste, people do hop-on to different assignments to only realize that circumstances are far worst in the new job. I have counselled many young managers with long trail of organisational experiences (maximum one or two years in each) and no place to go further.

There is also a flip-side. The senior management also reserves very insensitively expressive reactions towards middle management cadre. They perceive their behaviour as a deliberate lacklustre engagement by otherwise promising managers. The statement like, “It baffles me, why this person is behaving so severed”, are so common at that level. I have come across many senior professionals who have expressed discontentment with their middle managers. In fact, at times they believe that the middle management position has no value addition and can be easily eliminated from the corporate hierarchy.

Honestly, I too wonder why the real back bone of any company (I personally value middle managers as true back bone), at times behaves so disorientated.

Why after successfully reaching up to the middle management level?

I think every manager goes through this transition (like a professional maturing and growing process) in his career life cycle. Let me share my thoughts on how to uphold complete majesty at middle management level.

Career is not an Accident:

We all try and give some legend and credentials to our career succession but in reality it is like an ‘after thought’. Most of the time, our career is an upshot of certain events in a given time and environment and not a planned milestone in the journey. Very rarely I have seen an individual having very realistic blue-print for his career. Whenever career advancements are more of an accidents, we struggle to carry on with an ‘artificial confidence’ and remain insecure about our own qualities. In such circumstances we invest more time in ring-fencing self survival rather than contributing to the role. It is very critical to introspect and spend sincere time in planning a genuine blueprint for the career life-cycle. That to entirely based on pragmatic milestones and logical time frames. It should have liberal mix of creative imagination but not celestial miracles. Besides, take stock of your own limitations by ruthlessly evaluating self and investing in premeditated enrichment strategy.

Progression is not linear:

It is not necessary that you will move northward all the time. The corporate hierarchy pyramid shrinks as we move up. Our pace of growth will never be similar all the time. At the same time, younger managers and our subordinates will multiply and catch-up with our position very fast and your reporting authority will be too young to be superannuated and make a space for you. This is very natural and universal. In my opinion, in a career span of around 35-40 years, slowing down for few years is very short phase to shed tears. Rather than feeling stuck and left behind, we should concentrate more on deliverables. Offer your candidature for organisational special projects and task forces. Be prepared to venture out of your comfort zone and broaden your horizons. Moreover, we cannot have  creative strategic assignments all the time. Largely at middle management level, it is more of “direct- supervise- facilitate- maintenance” role. The challenge is to make best out of it.

Enrich your Arsenal:

Few random participation in ‘in-house’ developmental programmes and sponsorship to national /international  institutes, or reading few fancy  “new arrivals “ from the shelf,  is not enough to prepare for the next role. It has to be completely programmed.

In line with your career milestones, you have to prepare yourself distinctively for the expected role in the function and for the industry. A painstaking enrichment in the areas like,  Markets , customers, products, competition , technology, industry, regulations,  understanding business value chain ,and future projections. Similarly, in your own function, remain abreast with advancements, trends, newer research outcomes, benchmarking, views of the opinion makers. I would also recommend refreshing your fundamentals. Read periodicals, annual reports, analyst reports. Join National Chapters/Platforms.  The answer is in sharpening your edges. Prepare yourself to cut across internal competition and surface out as a winner.

Balance Time and Opportunity:

I remember a Latin proverb, “take time: much may be gained by patience”. You cannot rush your career. On a steep climb when we change the gears, vehicle stops for a while. Ideally you should give enough time to your organisation to provide you right opportunity to grow. However, you cannot wait eternally. After investing all your sincere efforts, if you still realise that your career is blocked then plan a very calculated move. However, it needs to be well timed and for a genuinely attractive opportunity. Your decision for prospective change should not be based on designation or remuneration and benefits or company label. the fact is you derive satisfaction out of the role you play.So, be selective. You need to identify with the significance of your role in prospective set-up.. No matter, if prospective organisation is a start-up venture. If your role is providing you a challenging canvas, learning opportunities, and autonomy to own up your decisions, trust me you will not regret your decision.

I have witnessed many who have literally navigated their career growth with shining colors. One needs to be different in the crowd. Ralph Waldo Emersion said so well, “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you”. No point feeling lost in middle. Often our dissatisfaction is more mental than the real. It is very normal to feel stuck at that level in corporate hierarchy. One has to just be wide awake.

Finally, for the organisational decision makers and senior executives, I have only one submission. Middle management cadre is a sustenance contour for any organisation. We do not discern their aggravation because at that level managers are matured enough to learn to digest their anguish. Therefore,we continue to take them for granted.

I believe, a timely investment on development of Middle Management will not only institutionalize a robust managerial defence line, but will also pitch multiple superior options for the leadership succession and future.