“lost in the middle –how middle-managers lead to ... · source: pwc millennial survey and...

1

“Lost in the Middle – How Middle-Managers Lead to Organizational Success”

October 2019

© Alliance for Leadership Acceleration, 2015 All Rights Reserved

Presented by: Lynda Silsbee, CPT, LDSS, SPHR, SHRM-SCPFounder & Principal: Performance Dimensions Group & Alliance

for Leadership Acceleration

17 YEARS AT

“Future Nordstrom Leaders”

A little about me and my background…

© Alliance for Leadership Acceleration 2

Vulcan – Paul AllenSeahawks, MoPOP, Real Estate, Technology, Brain Science, etc.

“Leading with Lean”

About UsLEAD… GROW… INSPIRE…

High-Performance Organizations Powerful Leaders Exceptional

Teams• Leadership “University”

Programs • Prepare managers to lead in

a VUCA world• Develop bench strength

• Accelerated learning methods transfer learning into results

• Increased EQ• Assessments show major

increases in Confidence and competence increase

• Greater innovation• Strong collaboration• Build and leverage

networks to drive execution

Performance Dimensions Group and The Alliance for Leadership Acceleration is a collaborative network of executive coaches, organizational consultants, and L&D professionals who are passionate about growing and

developing great leaders and great organizations. Our Certified professionals use the unique LEAP-Leadership Acceleration Program methods to develop the

current and next generation of exceptional business leaders.© Alliance for Leadership Acceleration, 2015 All Rights Reserved 3

Learning Objectives

• The current plight of middle-managers and how it hurts (or helps) your organization

• Discuss the best practices for building a strong leadership pipeline

• Share a method to identify potential and choose the right people to move up the ladder

• Learn best practices to accelerate the learning

4© Alliance for Leadership Acceleration, 2013. All rights reserved.

Group Discussion

What are the characteristics of GREAT Managers?

What are the characteristics of GREAT Leaders?

How did each impact your performance or organizational performance?



Leadership’s Impact on ProfitZenger, Folkman Research

6

Research Results

360 assessed skills determined as critical to leadership effectiveness

Separated into 3 groups based on 360 feedback:• 10% - Worst Leaders• 80% - In the Middle• 10% - Best Leaders

Cross referenced data with operating (net) profit results and found:

• Loss of 1.2M for bottom 10%

• Gain of 2.4M for middle 80%

• Gain of 4.5M for top 10%

Poor leaders lost money and the best leaders more than doubled the profit compared to the other 90%!

Areas that had most impact on profit:• Retention and

turnover• Employee

commitment/morale• Customer satisfaction• Productivity

© Alliance for Leadership Acceleration, 2016 All Rights Reserved 7

Profit Building Leader-Manager Skills*from 300,000 360-Degree feedback instruments, assessing 30,000

leaders/managers

Profit Building

Leadership Skills

Personal Capability

Results Focused

Leads Change

Displays Character

Good Interpersonal

Skills


Impact of Culture on Organizational Performance

John Kotter and James Heskett

© Alliance for Leadership Acceleration, 2016 All Rights Reserved9

Culture Makes A Financial Impact!


10 Large Firms – adapted culture (over an 11 year period)

Results (compared to those who did not have these traits)

Emphasized Leadership at All Levels

Revenue Increase682% vs. 166%

Competent Leadership at CEO Level

Growth in Workforce282% vs. 36%

Set Vision with Strategies Growth in Stock Price901% vs. 74%

Communicated Simply and Often

Net Income Improvement756% vs. 1%

10

Poll/Quiz: What % of Employees would rather have a new boss than a pay

raise?

© Alliance for Leadership Acceleration 2017, All rights reserved

1. 17%2. 49%3. 65%4. 88%

11

We Need Better Leader/Managers at ALL Levels


Source: Survey of 1000 American Execs. “interventions in the workplace by Michelle McQuaid


What is engagement, anyway?

13

Gallup’s State of American Workplace

33%

51%

16%

195,600 ee’s – 2015 and 201631mill responses/Q12

Engaged

Disengaged

Actively


National Levels of Engagement

Source: Gallup “State of the American Workplace Report”

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

2015

2011

2009

2000

Engagement Scores Show Little Improvement over time

Actively Disengaged Not Engaged Engaged

32%

18%

17%

28%

29%

32%

54%

51%

17.2%

19%

50.8%

52%


Current State of EngagementWhy Aren’t People more engaged?

15

The Downward Spiral• Lost productivity• Lower morale • Eroded employer brand Hard &

expensive to recruit talent shortage• Increased Turnover• Lost customers Lost revenue

© Alliance for Leadership Acceleration 2017, All rights reserved 16

Engagement = Better

Bottom Line21%

HIGHER Profitability

24% LOWER Turnover

70% FEWERSafety

Incidents

17% HIGHER

Productivity

20% HIGHER

Sales


Engagement is Strategic!

17

Who are the Critical Drivers of Employee Engagement?

Who OWNS Engagement in your workplace?

v.


Answer: My ManagerTop 10 Drivers:

1. Respect for EE’s – The organization respects its employees2. Respect for Management – The Sr. Leaders are highly ethical3. Respect for EE’s – My Manager values my talents and contribution4. Personal Expression – My ideas and opinions count at work5. Purpose & Direction – My Manager clearly defines goals &

expectations6. Values – Sr. leader’s support mission/values7. Teamwork – My Manager emphasizes cooperation & teamwork8. Personal Expression – People with different ideas are valued9. Autonomy – My Manager gives me the freedom to do my job10.Feedback – I receive useful/constructive feedback from My Manager


Of managers think top management displays integrity & honesty

Of managers are looking for a job with another

company

Of managers are energized by their job


Key Drivers of Engagement & Organizational Success

Alignment to Mission & Values

Trust, Teamwork, Fairness

Employee Respect & Involvement

Engaged Employees!

Employees with the right skills and capabilities.Organization knows where it’s going and involves their people in getting there.


“The single biggest decision you make in your organization – bigger than all the rest – is who you name manager. When you

name the wrong person manager, nothing fixes that bad decision. Not

compensation, not benefits – nothing.”


Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup

The Critical Need for Better Leaders / Managers

© 2017 Alliance for Leadership Acceleration

Keys to Success

Unlock engagement in your organization.

Actions you can take to Engage, Develop, and Leverage your Middle Managers for strong engagement & retention

23

Leadership

Leadership is the force billowing our sails into a high-performance culture on the journey to full engagement.


What is [effective] Leadership?Leadership is not style, it is actions!Leaders do more than issue orders. Leaders must provide answers to difficult questions and create the culture of their teams. Effective managers are good leaders.

The Essence of Leadership:• Determine a vision.• Have the ability to translate the

vision into reality.

Dreamer Leader-Manager

Victim Doer

Implementat ion

Vis ion


Source: The Leader-Manager by William Hitt

25

Managers

Managers are the rope Linking peoplewith the organization and their work.


What Do Middle Mangers Do?Middle managers have obligations to senior managers and employees. The job is not easy and requires juggling many different responsibilities.

Middle Managers’ Responsibilities:

1. Meet business goals, vision, and objectives.2. Set the expectations and be responsible for the performance of their team.3. Hire, train, and develop & coach employees.4. Facilitate problem-solving with people closest to the problem.5. Share responsibility “ownership” for the growth and success of the organization.


What Does it Take to Be a [GREAT] Manager?

Profit Building

Leadership Skills

Personal Capability

Results Focused

Leads Change

Displays Character

Good Interpersonal

Skills


Why Does Management Matter?

• Middle managers are often what hold a company together (the rope.)

• Most employees don’t meet or interact with the CEO or other members of senior management.

• Middle managers are the face of the organization to the employees on their teams.

• Managers build teams and determine how a team functions for the success of the organization.


Creating High Engagement Organizations


Leadership Philosophy How Leaders BehaveExecutives and leadership align Clarify expectations and goals

Hire and develop great managers/leaders

Communicate openly, consistently

Hold managers accountable Provide feedback and coaching

Set Vision and Align with Strategies

Connect individual roles to the big picture

30

High Performance Leadership

Profitable, Growing

Organization!!DEVELOPS STAFFgives feedback;

coaches; holds people accountable

CREATES ALIGNMENT/CLARITY

clear expectations; departmental goals;

connects to big picture

LEADS CHANGEinspires; articulates need for change

COMMUNICATESvision/mission/values;

strategy; goals


A Method to Identify Potential and Choose the Right People

Here are four simple tips for improving your ability to find true talent from within your organization:1. Set clear criteria for promotion that define unambiguously what behaviors,

achievements and KPIs you equate to high potential.2. Use objective and reliable methods to assess performance and be

transparent about everybody’s output.3. Provide developmental support for those who fail to meet those targets

despite trying–potential can be trained and boosted.4. Don’t just focus on past or current performance: personality is a better

indicator of people’s potential for a new role, especially when it involves managing people.

32© Alliance for Leadership Acceleration, 2016 All Rights Reserved

Source: Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic an international authority in psychological profiling, consumer analytics, and talent management.

Millennials are Rapidly Becoming the Leaders of Today, but…


Source: PWC Millennial Survey and Deloitte University Press “leaders at all levels”, 2014

75% 65% 87%

By 2025, millennials will

comprise 75% of the workforce

65% of millennial leaders feel unprepared for their leadership role

87% of companies say they don’t do an

excellent job developing leaders at all levels

34

Best Practices for Building a Strong

Leadership Pipeline:

What Leaders / Managers Need to

Succeed


Learner Centered &

Aligned

Formal Learning

Relevant & Real-World

Feedback / Assessment / Measurement

Coaching / Mentoring

Peer Networking /

Learning

Resources and Tools

Professional Development is highly Ranked but…


Source: TINYpulse 2017 Engagement study

Step 1 & 2: Formal Learning and Relevant to your Manager’s Real WorldBe careful; Traditional Leadership Development IS A WASTE.


Use the Accelerated Learning Principles


The Objectives

Business Focused

Learner Centered

The Learners

Commitment to self & other’s growth

The Environment

Safe Exploration of ideas + Social and Emotional Support

The Facilitation

??

Group Facilitation – Don’t Train

?? ?

??Blah Blah

Blah

Blah

The Design

Variety & Challenge, Tailored to Needs, Fast but Focused

38

Application

Perspective

Reflection

L

Best Practices to Accelerate Learning

© James F. Rand, Ph.D.

55% On-the-job

20-25% learn from others

20-25% learn from formal

training


Step ThreeProvide FB / Assessment & Measurement

• 360-Degree feedback (when done correctly) is THE best way to reduce blind-spots and identify strengths

• ProfileXT – measures ‘total person’, strengths-based and increases EI

• Confidence & Competence measured over time to see the growth

• Zero-in on the most critical development areas (not necessarily their weakest area!)

• Provide a coach/mentor (to provide FB and…)


Step Four: Coach & Mentor

• Developing leader/managers requires coaching & mentoring support from their direct manager and HR

• Help developing managers find a mentor (inside or outside the organization)

• Good leaders & managers are Good Coaches! And view this as one of their job functions.


Step Five: Peer Networking / Learning

• To accelerate the learning – make it social – it will also build stronger work relationships and break down silos.

• Target specific growth-areas and share ‘success stories’ to recognize progress (and this helps others learn from what is going well.)


Step Six: Resources and Tools

• Provide learning & development (time and budget)

• Reduce overwork

• Share the meaning and purpose of their important role and the impact they have

• Discuss career or promotion (or share resources/tools available to them)

• Strong leadership that shows interest, takes action on issues that are raised, acts as a coach


In Conclusion…

• Employee engagement is NOT a fad• Engagement will become the best competitive advantage

companies will use to defend their businesses• Measurement of your engagement should be performed

annually with follow up actions that will strengthen the engagement

• All studies, locations and ages are in agreement on one thing…the direct relationship with one’s manager is the strongest of all drivers


References,Learn More

Questions or Contact: Lynda [email protected] 206.550.5513

• Why Middle Managers Are So Unhappy Harvard Business Review, Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman

• 7 Hidden Reasons People Leave Leigh Branham

• The Leader-Manager, William D Hitt

• Seeking Answers on the Lackluster State of Leadership Evan Sinar, et al, TD Magazine, Dec. 2014


mailto:[email protected]

“lost in the middle –how middle-managers lead to ... · source: pwc millennial survey and...

Documents