Middle managers are the glue that keeps companies together; managing up and down, often with little guidance or training to do so. 

Their importance as the cogs that keep things going has increased where a large percentage of the new generation in the workplace are remote first. Work and life have integrated more than ever before and the distance between colleagues is larger than it has been previously.

These challenges mean that managerial roles have expanded. 

More responsibility, more demands

Now, managers are also expected to deal with conflict and represent guardians of employee health and wellbeing for their teams, while also overseeing their own learning and development. 

These are important responsibilities, so it is vital that L&D teams put the correct resources and training in place to offer adequate support for managers, and, in turn, their teams. 

With so much to oversee, the demands of today’s working environment are taking their toll on many managers. 

Now, managers are also expected to deal with conflict and represent guardians of employee health and wellbeing for their teams, while also overseeing their own learning and development

What skills are needed for middle managers to master their expanding roles?

• Interpersonal skills - being a conduit between top-level executives and frontline workers amplifies the need for managers to have strong interpersonal skills if they want to manage their teams more effectively. Focusing on interpersonal skills will help managers communicate the needs of their team, while also providing clarity on their team’s progression and roles
   
• Leadership skills - for many middle managers, being responsible for a team will be a new challenge. This is why leadership training is essential and managers should frequently seek out upskilling opportunities

How can this be achieved?

This can be achieved through training and development programs and clear career advancement opportunities provided by L&D teams. Examples include:

• Mentoring opportunities to allow mentors to pass on the skills and knowledge that they have developed over time, including their experiences in the industry and at your organisation
   
• Online training courses that cover specific topics so that managers can become even better at what they do. It’s likely that managers already have basic leadership skills, but developing these skills will equip them with everything they need to inspire, motivate, engage, strategise, and organise the rest of their team. It will be personal to each learner whether a mentor or training will be more effective for their development

Flexibility is sought after

Harvard Business Review argues that investing in these programmes and relevant training will reduce spiralling coordination costs, while helping managers efficiently handle day-to-day responsibilities. 

And importantly, this translates to the employees. Employees are often more likely to stay with a company that offers flexibility in their role as well as opportunities for professional development. 

Employees are constantly looking for chances to reskill and upskill. Therefore, to stand out in an already competitive market, organisations will need to utilise dynamic digital learning approaches to offer the right touch points to not only retain talent, but also foster a flexible and agile workforce. 

Employees are often more likely to stay with a company that offers flexibility in their role as well as opportunities for professional development

How to successfully deploy L&D

To address the time constraints faced by managers and provide them with ample support in learning and development, L&D leads must adopt an approach that minimises the need for managers to carve out additional time from their already demanding schedules. 

It is essential that L&D leads recognise managers require the space and resources to learn, just as managers themselves need to create opportunities for their employees to practise new skills, reflect on the outcomes, and set goals for continuous improvement. 

To stand out in an already competitive market, organisations will need to utilise dynamic digital learning approaches to offer the right touch points to not only retain talent, but also foster a flexible and agile workforce

Some examples include:

• The ‘Daily Extract’ strategy. Middle managers can help individuals set a habit of extracting learning from their work. For instance, invite people to join a ‘one minute a day’ challenge. To get started, help employees identify a point in their daily workflow for this activity and where they will make notes.
  
  Whether they would like to write it down privately or discuss it as a group, everyone reflects on one high and low from the day, as well as any lessons learnt. L&D leads can support managers here by sharing examples of improvements through Daily Extracts
   
• Go to Gemba strategy. In order to alleviate the time constraints faced by managers when implementing L&D initiatives, L&D teams should try to integrate into their already busy schedules.
  
  The Gemba strategy involves observing managers at work, paying attention to the resources and information that they search for, as well as the people they regularly interact with to identify and overcome any barriers that may hinder their progress.
  
  By adopting this strategy, managers can significantly reduce the time they need to allocate to identifying challenges in their teams when it comes to training and upskilling

By prioritising L&D and working alongside middle managers, organisations can cultivate a resilient workforce that embraces growth and adapts to the changing demands of the workplace.

If you enjoyed this, read: Skills are the new currency and managers are the new brokers