Happy new year!
As a Brit, I flinch every time I say HNY beyond January 3rd – up in the cold, dark half of the planet the HNY window is pretty short. But thanks to the glorious summer we’ve had in Melbourne, I’m eking out my HNYs for as long as I can, so you can expect a HNY from me until at least March!
Not that it was smooth sailing for BoldHR® over the summer holidays – our community of 700 BSuite Leaders all lost their access (including me!) so we are steadily contacting everyone to make sure they get their access back again. I can’t say my reaction to this was stately, but it was at least short-lived; a life lesson in resilience. If your access to B-Suite Leaders has been impacted, please contact Mela.
So whilst clinging on to the last days of summer, I’ve also been looking ahead at what’s on the cards for middle management – and middle managers – in 2025.
I won’t sugar coat it – 2025 is going to be a slog for managers.
- Engagement is low – which means another year of combating cynicism and resistance.
- Expectations are high – sky high. Growth and transformation is big on the agenda.
- Efficiency is going backwards – capacity gains are being sought before AI is really ready to take up the slack.
Middle managers will need serious scaffolding if they are to navigate 2025.
The problem is that our current methods of supporting them are not working. According to Gartner, 71% of HR Leaders don’t think that midlevel leader development works – and most leaders agree.
More progressive organisations are making the decision to support their middle managers differently this year, and I thought I would share some of their strategic considerations with you to support your own thinking.
The trick for developing middle managers is to take a whole of system approach – a training course is no longer the answer.
- Reputation: carefully evaluate the reputation your middle managers have within your organisation compared to what you aspire for them to be, and consider how you are rewarding them for desired behaviours and outcomes. Chances are that there’s a disconnect because middle manager expectations are changing so fast.
- Education: we know classroom learning doesn’t work – the key to a truly impactful program includes exposure to what good looks like, empowerment to experiment with new approaches safely, and expansion of their networks (and their minds!) in social and substantial ways.
- Definition: reduce the guesswork with real data that sheds light on your middle managers need to deliver to today’s expectations. And use this data to design their roles in a more contemporary light.
So what will I be focusing on this year?
Last year we looked at the ‘problem with middle management’ from the perspective of 1,001 leaders – a brilliant piece of research spearheaded by BoldHR’s Head of Psychology & Innovation, Ryan Ng.
This year, we’ll be taking a look at it from the perspective of the employer. Ryan and I will be hosting a small series of focus groups to explore root cause, best practice and everything in between.
MARCH – we host best-selling wellbeing expert Fleur Heazlewood from the Blueberry Institute in the BSuite Leaders community.
To see our packed agenda for 2025, take a sneak peek here and consider joining us for 2025.
APRIL – we will be running Executive focus groups to understand the ‘problem with middle managers’ from an organisational perspective.
If you’d like to contribute to this research and learn from your peers, please let Jemima know.
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Rebecca is Australia’s pre-eminent advocate for B-suite leadership – the expert in developing hi-impact B-Suite leadership at both a team and individual level.
Speak to Rebecca about:
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- Individual and group coaching
- Team effectiveness and training
- People & Culture Advisory
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You can reach her on [email protected]
