As much as I would have loved writing my last blog about Inside Out leadership one more time, a topic from another class got my attention and I wanted to write more about it here. Has anyone ever worked with a mid-level manager who did whatever their boss said, even if it made no sense and ruined employee morale? I thought about that concept this week and it’s pretty interesting when you think about it, especially if you’ve been through it.
Picture this: you have upper leadership, a mid-level manager, and then the employees. The mid-level manager and employees work together daily and the upper leadership doesn’t come by too often, but the mid-level manager stays in contact mostly through virtual means of communication. Whatever upper leadership says, the mid-level manager rolls out to the team, even if it makes no sense. When the employees give push back, the manager pushes back harder, repeating the message of upper leadership. Upper leadership loves the mid-level manager because they do what they are told and don’t cause any problems.
Fast forward to some time later. Morale is down and there has been some turnover. HR starts to conduct some feedback interviews with the employees because of the turnover. HR finds out that morale is low. There is nothing unethical going on…meaning, the mid-level manager is not asking them to do things outside of company policy. The mid-level manager is also not being rude to the employees. However, the employees are complaining that their boss isn’t listening to their concerns and they are unhappy because they feel like their work doesn’t matter. This feedback reaches upper leadership. Upper leadership is now upset at the mid-level manager for the turnover and low morale. Upper leadership has a stern talking with the mid-level manager to get morale back on track.
Now, for some, this may be a story out of left field. But for others, this may hit home. Maybe they were/are the mid-level manager and maybe some are the employee. Anyone looking to move up in a company tries their best to align with that the company wants. When dealing with upper leadership, this is very prevalent. In this situation, the mid-level manager has taken to liking upper leadership in where the manager wants upper leadership to like them (PSU WC, L7). Through social proof, the mid-level manager is trying to fit in because that way, they will feel like they belong (PSU WC, L7). The mid-level manager is in a tough spot because they have two groups of people to impress; upper leadership and their employees. And if the employees aren’t buying what upper leadership is selling, that mid-level manager is in for quite a ride.
Upper leadership has power over the mid-level manager and is using them to influence their employees. However, since the manager is not providing feedback to upper leadership, morale has gone down and there has been some turnover. Here’s my question: Whose fault is this? Beebe and Masterson (2012) state that team members with little power often talk less frequently about what’s troubling them. I believe this means they talk less to the people with the power. What happens is they become disengaged. Not only disengaged, but actively disengaged where an out-group forms of people trying to get other people into this new group of disgruntled employees.
I believe the power lies within the mid-level manager to fix this. It’s not an easy job…being a manager who has a boss and also subordinates. However, as I’ve learned through experience and through my training and schooling, while you may work for your boss, you also work for your people. Being a leader is more than having the title of leader or manager. Sometimes, there will be times where you will question what you’re being told and that’s ok! You obviously don’t want to make a habit out of it. But I will say this…if you notice that you are not aligning with your boss, it’s time to sit down and evaluate your situation. While you are responsible for others, you are still an employee too. Does your input match your output? Are you engaged? Don’t ever let your people suffer because you don’t want to upset the people above you. It’s not the right move because in my example, the mid-level manager takes the blame anyway. What are your thoughts on this?
Beebe, S., & Masterson, J. (2012). Communicating in small groups: Principles and practices (10th ed.). Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (PSU WC). PSYCH 485. Lesson 7: Power and Influence. Retrieved from: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su15/psych485/001/content/07_lesson/01_page.html