Leading from the Middle: A Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization

Monthly Book Review

Many of us may have mixed emotions when we hear the term “middle manager.” We may think of unnecessary bureaucracies. Or a place we don’t want to see our careers stall out. But middle management may be much more important than we realize, and much more difficult.

Leading from the Middle explores the complexities of leading as a middle manager, as well as why it is so important to a company.

And for those who aren’t necessarily “middle managers,” like those of us who are product managers, many of the same principles apply. We deal with the same challenges and need to use the same tools as traditional middle managers. So this is a surprisingly useful book, even if it is heavy on the corporate.

Overview

Scott Mautz's Leading from the Middle is written for middle managers, who are often in a challenging organizational position. These leaders must execute directives from the top while supporting and inspiring their teams. The book emphasizes middle managers can be powerful agents of change if they learn to lead effectively in all directions—upward (to executives), downward (to their teams), and laterally (to peers).

So how can we do that, and what are some of the key lessons?

Key Takeaways

Amplify

One of the key roles of a middle manager (and I’ll add product manager here) is to amplify.

Amplifying Down

Managers need to amplify the strategic vision to their teams and how their work directly aligns with the broader organizational goals.

So much can get lost in translation when we’re talking about vision and strategy. It can often be difficult for a team, whether your team, a product team, or any team, to understand the steps needed for them specifically to align with the broader goals. So it is often up to the manager to make that clear and separate the signal from the noise.

Amplifying Up

It is also just as important for a good manager to amplify the work that is being done by their team upward, so it is clear to leaders and executives what is being accomplished by those doing the work.