Leading From The Middle
2
SALLY WATSON AND MAGGIE SHANNON
LEADING FROM
THE MIDDLE
A LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
RESOURCE BOOK
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3
Leading From The Middle: A leadership development resource book
1st edition
© 2016 Sally Watson and Maggie Shannon & bookboon.com
ISBN XXXXXXXXXX
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ookboon.com
LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
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Contents
4
CONTENTS
Leading from the middle 5
Individual leadership and learning 7
Life in the middle 10
A new landscape for middle managers 18
Influencing multiple stakeholders 25
Forms of leadership 26
Strategic tools for leaders in the middle 29
How to ensure your voice is heard 37
Appendix A. Reds and Greens (Instructions) 39
Reference list 40
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© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
360°
thinking.
Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
360°
thinking.
Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
360°
thinking.
Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers
© Deloitte & Touche LLP and affiliated entities.
360°
thinking.
Discover the truth at www.deloitte.ca/careers
http:
www.deloitte.ca/careers
LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
5
Leading from the middLe
LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
‘Leadership is not a person or a position. It is a complex moral relationship between
people based on trust, obligation, commitment, and a shared vision of the good’
(Cuilla 2004, page 14)
This workbook is for middle managers and mid level professionals who want to develop
their leadership and grow their influence. Whether you have been a manager for some time,
or are new to the job, the ability to influence other people is an essential skill for anyone
in a leadership role. This workbook will help you to think about the ways in which you
influence other people, the tactics you employ and the importance of being effective. The
material will enable you to challenge your assumptions about leadership, recognise your
unique style and create a personal development strategy. This workbook will guide your
development as a mid level leader and prepare you for opportunities to advance your career.
The workbook is structured into the following sections:
• Individual leadership and learning
• Life in the Middle
• New landscapes
• New forms of leadership
• Strategic opportunities for the middle
• How to ensure your voice is heard
The workbook can be used as a stand-alone learning aid or as resource material for coaches,
facilitators and trainers. As you work through this workbook you will encounter a number of
features designed to support your learning and development. These features are represented
y the symbols shown below.
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LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
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Leading from the middLe
Information – this is used to indicate research, quotations, explanations
and definitions that you may find helpful.
Exercises – these include practical activities, questionnaires and reflective
questions which are designed to be thought-provokers.
Practical tips – these represent a selection of good practices and case
study examples, which you may find useful.
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LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
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individuaL Leadership and Learning
INDIVIDUAL LEADERSHIP
AND LEARNING
Evidence from both theory and practice indicates that those who operate in mid level roles
lead the ‘work’ of an organisation. The people who make a business successful are frequently
working hard in the middle of the organisation. On a daily basis they can be found dealing
with complex challenges, managing performance and leading teams.
The most effective way of improving your ability to lead others starts with yourself and the
skills and experience you possess.
Here are four key personal development questions and below are some exercises to help
you to reflect:
• Who am I?
• Where am I now?
• Where am I going?
• Why am I going there?
Exercise: Reflections on strengths and growth areas
Take your time. Be thoughtful. The questions are designed to be thought provoking, so do
not rush through them. Read all the questions first and begin the exercise by answering the
ones that come easiest. Consider starting a journal to record your thoughts and feelings as
you respond to the questions.
1. Imagine yourself observing a great friend talking about you with admiration and
espect. What would your friend be saying?
2. When you are full of energy and inspired, what particular personality traits or
strengths are expressed by you?
3. Now reflect on the way you see the world:
• What do you believe about yourself?
• What do you believe about other people?
• What do you believe about life?
• What do you believe about leadership?
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LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
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individuaL Leadership and Learning
4. When in your life have you your felt most completely yourself?
5. What combination of life experiences, life challenges and innate character traits
have uniquely prepared you?
6. Reflect on situations, which inhibit you from achieving your leadership potential.
What is preventing you? What negative beliefs are you ca
ying about yourself?
7. Now reflect on your negative beliefs:
• What does this belief give me?
• What does this belief cost me?
• What are the new possibilities if I silence these beliefs?
Exercise: The ‘Blind Spot’ of leadership
How well do we know ourselves? Many of us are accomplished fugitives from ourselves.
We take on a range of distractions and activities to fill the quiet space in our minds and
fool ourselves that we are effective.
We blame our job role, pace of change and shrinking resources for our working patterns
and rarely look inside ourselves for an answer. We close down the reflective space that allows
us to become aware of our values and gifts. Ironically, this is the place where deep wisdom
about leadership resides and where we can start to become an authentic person. This exercise
is designed to help you to understand how you learned to lead and to map the events and
people who have had an impact on your leadership. A leadership timeline can take between
one and three hours if you are working alone. If you decide to work with a partner, then
allocate time for individual preparation and quality conversations.
Step 1: Write down your personal definition of leadership
It is important that you identify a statement that encapsulates what you believe is important
and that it matches your values. Please avoid writing a perfect statement drawn from a
ook, motivational speech or leadership course you have attended.
Focus on yourself and allow your intuition to provide the words that are meaningful to
you. Now write this personal definition in the top right hand corner of your piece of paper.
You will be returning to this definition later in the exercise.
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LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
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individuaL Leadership and Learning
Step 2: Draw your leadership timeline
Take a large sheet of paper and draw a line that represents a period of time that is important
to you. This could be 5, 10, 20 years and the choice is yours. You could identify a short
specific period of time and reflect on this in detail or a longer time period to reveal patterns
in the way you have learned about leadership. Again, it is important to use your intuition
and stay reflective and curious in this step of the exercise.
Step 3: Identify key moments
Reflect on key events, people or experiences that come to mind now and note them on your
timeline. Again, your intuitive response to this instruction will give you a richer experience
of the activity.
These events need to represent a powerful point in your life, which influenced you at the
time. Typical examples are parents, teachers, managers, colleagues or powerful experiences
where you learned something important. The experiences that you note on the timeline
may be positive or negative, as both will have value for your learning.
Step 4: Look for patterns
The purpose of this step is for you to make sense of the information in the timeline. This
step can be completed alone or with a colleague, coach or friend. If you are working as a
pair or a small group ensure that each person is heard and that the time is shared equally.
It is important, in this step, to avoid judging your timeline. This process will help you to
stay reflective and appreciate the patterns of learning and experience, which have contributed
to your cu
ent thinking about leadership. Work with the themes of the timeline rather
the detail of the experiences.
Step 5: Return to your initial statement about leadership
Compare the themes you have seen from the timeline with your personal leadership statement
and use the following prompts to deepen your understanding of the timeline:
- What are the patterns emerging from the timeline?
- What do you notice of your personal definition about leadership?
- And the timeline patterns?
- What has surprised you about the exercise?
- What were the influences that shaped you and your beliefs about leadership?
- How did you learn to lead?
- What has this exercise taught about your leadership style?
- How effective is this style now?
- What have you learned that will help you to develop in the future?
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LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
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Life in the middLe
LIFE IN THE MIDDLE
‘When it comes to envisioning and implementing change, middle
managers stand in a unique organisational position’.
(Huy 2001, page 74)
Balogun & Johnson XXXXXXXXXXmade a significant contribution to the theme of middle managers
and change. Their work indicated that people operating in the middle have a capacity for
sense making that is independent of their leaders. This ability to understand and interpret
is manifested in the intended and unintended outcomes of change. Rather than blindly
following orders or faithfully passing messages in the relay system, they are capable of an
intelligent assessment of strategic issues. The result is a greater emphasis on the contribution
of middle managers to an understanding of the resources required to implement strategy.
Several writers on leadership advocate that for innovations to be implemented, middle managers
need to be confident, capable and motivated to see their ideas through (Markan & Marken
2012; Warhurst 2012; Huy 2011; Fornier 2011; Ren & Guo XXXXXXXXXXThe contribution of
middle managers to challenging