Ask Avinash Ananda
This is a series of questions and answers where the questions are asked by participants of Avinash Ananda's "live" seminars and workshops, and the answers are transcribed from Avinash's responses.
Question from Asif:
How do we help someone in middle management gain the attention of people within senior leadership? Their ideas sometimes get lost in bureaucracy before it reaches the top.
Avinash Ananda Answers:
A middle manager needs to learn the art of 360 degrees leadership. Top managers usually have a vision, which is not always clearly articulated; and the executives at the bottom usually need to implement the tasks delegated to them, which is not always done efficiently.
So middle managers have the responsibility of translating the vision into goals and the responsibility of delegating the aligned tasks appropriately below.
They are sandwiched. And the axe tends to fall on them if results are not achieved and/or if they have not marketed themselves well to the top managers. Therein lies the key. Leadership is influence. 360 degrees leadership is all-round influence in 4 areas:
1) Middle managers need to effectively influence their bosses to be more valuable and efficient in their eyes.
2) They need to influence their juniors to actually deliver desired results by having better delegation and motivational skills.
3) They also have to effectively influence their peers so that they maintain relationships and be more likable.
4) They have to influence themselves to grow and add value consistently! Self-leadership is a never-ending process.
To summarize. Your core message for the middle manager you want to help is: "Learn the art of 360 degrees Leadership." If they ask you "How?", then tell them:
1. Market yourself well, it's not only about your work, you also have to build yourself as a credible brand within the organization.
2. Learn how to develop more Likeability and Persuasion skills to influence top management better.
3. Focus on influencing them through both Results & Relationships.
Coaching managers on the art of 360 degrees leadership is essential to their being able to navigate their own progress to their next level of growth.
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