Course Highlights

This leadership course for middle managers will:

  • Outline the middle manager’s role and responsibilities.
  • Suggest best practices for self-management.
  • Highlight what leadership, direct reports, and peers typically want from middle managers.
  • Discuss communication strategies for managing relationships with those three stakeholder groups.

Course Overview

In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing landscape, middle managers play a crucial role in the success of an organization. Often caught between senior leadership’s demands and their teams’ needs, middle managers must navigate complex terrain where effective leadership is essential. “Lead from the Middle: Skills for Coming Together and Not Falling Apart” is a three-part course designed to equip middle managers with skills to do their work more effectively.

Segment One Objectives

At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Discuss the middle manager’s distinct role.
  • Outline the challenges middle managers face.
  • Describe best practices middle managers should follow to effectively self-manage.
  • Identify what leadership, direct reports, and peers expect from middle managers.
  • List questions middle managers should ask their leadership, their direct reports, and fellow middle managers.

Segment One Modules

  • Great Glue: The Middle Manager’s Position
  • Behind from the Start: Common Challenges and Bad Choices
  • Self-Management: Tips and Traps
  • A Well-Managed Circus: Three Audiences
  • Intelligence: Gathering Data About Each Group

Segment Two Objectives

At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Describe habits that drive an organization forward and how to implement those habits with members of leadership, direct reports, and peers.
  • Identify the kind of information that should be pushed up to leadership and pulled down to the team.
  • Plan messaging to senior leadership.
  • Discuss best practices for cascading information from the top down.

Segment Two Modules

  • In a Nutshell: Crafting the Executive Summary
  • Pieces and Parts: Selecting and Organizing Information
  • Strong Mechanics: Improving Readability
  • Headings, Headlines, and Formats: Directing Attention and Enhancing Efficiency
  • Pitfalls and Problems: Preventing Common Mistakes

Segment Three Objectives

At this segment’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Discuss listening skills and their importance in the feedback process.
  • Seek feedback from and provide feedback to leadership, direct reports, and peers.
  • Negotiate with peers.
  • Troubleshoot common feedback challenges.

Segment Three Modules

  • Sharp Skills: Listening for Better Effectiveness
  • Agile Adjustments: Establishing Upward Feedback Loops
  • Driving Development: Establishing Downward Feedback Loops
  • Give and Take: Connecting with Peers
  • Top Troubleshooting: Deciding a Path Forward

At the end of this training program, participants should have the tools to build strong relationships with their superiors, peers, and subordinates.