Mid level management is filled with positives and negatives. Every company has a different list of both for folks like us. We each have to decide what we are willing to compromise on – what negatives can we live with to enjoy the positives. This isn’t a post to tell what you should prioritize versus what you shouldn’t. That is an intensely personal choice. Instead, I am going to pick one characteristic that all of us in the middle of organizational structures feel – not being the final decision maker on big items – and explain what is important to me. If it resonates with you, it may help you identify roles in companies that you’ll enjoy and help you avoid the opposite. If it doesn’t resonate…that is completely fine too.
As a mid level manager for quite some time, I have learned that for me, one of the most frustrating parts of the job is that I often am not the decision maker on the “big stuff”. Furthermore, Im not even part of the decision process. Or do I know there is a decision being made. Yet, Ill often be called upon to explain, defend, and/or implement the decision with minimal context. Basically, Ive been in the “just get it done” world far more often than I would like.
Realistically, I know my role. Im not the CEO. I don’t get to approve every decision. Nor do I want to, by the way. I don’t expect to be consulted on every topic throughout the company, even though I may have an opinion – however uninformed it may be. That being said, on topics that do directly impact me, I would like some transparency and consideration. For example, if the expectations for my department are going to change significantly, I would want to be aware of the discussion.
And that’s really the crux of the post. While I understand how organizations work and that I may not get to be the decision maker – and maybe not even involved in the decision, I do want to be in a place where I get to at least share my perspective on the critical topics of the day. The simple thing I ask: when I don’t get a vote (on decisions that impact me or my team) at least let me have a voice before the decision is made.
Im not asking that my voice the be the only voice. Or the loudest voice. Or the binding voice. I just want to share my perspective as persuasively as possible to those that will influence the decision as they may not be as close to topic as I am – or maybe they are too close to topic to see it more broadly. The inverse of asking for this opportunity is that I cannot be frustrated when the decisions don’t align with the direction my “voice’ was hoping they go. I must understand that I am one of many data points that goes into a decision and I may or may not be high on the list of data points that matter. But, I can sleep well knowing that I’ve made my proverbial case and my feelings on the topic have been considered, regardless of the outcome.
Ive worked in both types of situations over the last 20+ years. I will tell you for me in the roles that allowed it, having that voice even when I don’t have a vote has been incredibly powerful. It raises my engagement dramatically. It strengthens my commitment to the organization, even when I may not agree. It makes me far more likely to work with a leader again in the future when I know they’ve asked for and incorporated my voice into their decision process, even when they’ve chosen a different path than I had suggested. Often, a 2 minute acknowledgement and quick outline of why the decision went a different direction is more than enough for me. While I may not volunteer to run out and sell the decision that I was against to the organization, I will absolutely understand why and support that decision. I know I had a voice, just not a vote – that’s enough for me.
I try and run my teams in a similar fashion. Work isn’t a democracy, so there are times we have to just go execute, but as often as possible (and occasionally against explicit direction), I will pull my team in on a pending decision to allow them to voice their thoughts. Ill make it clear that they won’t be the decision makers (and that I may not be either), but I will absolutely go out of my way to hear their voices. If I am the decision maker, I aspire to keep the mantra that I have strong opinions held loosely in mind, so if their voices do sway me, I reconsider my original position. Especially if the decision directly impacts them – I hire people to be experts, so Id be a fool to not listen to their input.
To me, this characteristic of a role is one of the most impactful in my enjoyment of the day to day. It took me several years (and several bad experiences) to understand that. I knew I didn’t like being the dark at the bottom of the organization, but didn’t realize that just being able to share a perspective before a decision was made would make my engagement be so much higher. Now that I have, I do my best to understand how the organization culture works and how my direct manager will operate when I evaluate new roles. Ive developed specific questions to ask during interviews to try and get some insight on the decision making process and the role of midlevel folks.
You may or may not care about this sort of topic in your career today. Or it may be the 8th thing on your list of requirements you look for in a role. That is great. I would just ask you to think about roles/situations you’ve loved versus hated and see if this has been an understated issue for you that you weren’t able to put your finger on – if so, make it something you explicitly consider as you evaluate roles and career progression. If you are like me, it can make all the difference in doing a job compared to loving a role.
View from the Middle 