Middle Managers Are Burning Out, How Can Companies Help Them?

As organizations become flatter and delegate more responsibility to middle managers, these managers are not receiving the necessary leadership development training to manage these responsibilities effectively.

A recent study by Harvard Business Publishing revealed that less than 30% of organizations believed their development programs had adapted to meet the evolving needs of middle managers, while over two-thirds expressed the need to overhaul their middle manager development programs completely.

How can your company retain middle managers while handling their hefty responsibilities?

1. Groom Leaders Earlier in Their Careers

If middle managers are being tasked with greater responsibility early in their careers, you can enhance their ability to cope and reduce burnout risk by ensuring they receive the necessary training and development to tackle the challenges they face.

Many companies have adopted a 'barbell' approach, heavily investing in training senior executives at one end, and providing basic training to new managers at the other, while neglecting the middle ranks.

A 2013 survey conducted by Harvard Business Publishing with 400 talent development professionals found strong support for enhancing the strategic capabilities of middle managers. An overwhelming majority (80%) of respondents stated that their organizations were focused on enhancing change management skills among middle managers, while 76% indicated efforts to improve their communication and talent management capabilities.

2. Recognize That Time Is The Biggest Hurdle, Not Money

The 2013 Harvard Business Publishing survey found that time, not money, is the main obstacle to new development initiatives. This suggests that traditional leadership development approaches may no longer be effective, requiring middle managers to step away from their daily tasks for lengthy off-site programs.

Even with the best intentions to reduce middle manager burnout, delivering leadership training in a way that fits seamlessly into their busy schedules is crucial.

3. Utilize Technology To Reach Middle Managers When Available

Despite the high familiarity of business leaders with common web-based communication platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, WebEx, GoToMeeting, and Skype, talent development professionals may not be utilizing online meeting software tools in their leadership and development learning programs, which represents a missed opportunity. Technology can assist in breaking down the time barrier and address burnout issues by enabling managers to incorporate learning into their busy schedules whenever and wherever they can.

4. Help Managers Acquire A Leadership Mindset

Leadership success relies on more than just skills. According to a 2012 Harvard Business Review survey, two-thirds of respondents from large corporations agreed that organizations needed to focus on developing mindset, self-awareness, and leadership behaviors alongside skill-building efforts.

Transitioning to a middle management role often requires a significant mindset shift, moving from personal achievements to team accomplishments. However, in flat organizations, middle managers may lack formal authority to direct their teams' actions. Being responsible for results without the power to achieve them can lead to burnout.

To reduce this risk, ensure middle managers are equipped with a leadership mindset that fosters trust, motivation, and a positive team culture so they can achieve results through persuasion and collaboration.

5. Expand Leadership Training Beyond Classroom Education

Three Harvard Business School professors published The Handbook for Teaching Leadership: Knowing, Doing, and Being in 2011. This book convincingly argues that leadership development relies not only on acquiring new ideas (knowing) but also on practicing leadership (doing) and changing one's mindset (being).

To apply the Knowing-Doing-Being principles to your leadership development program, consider blending experiential on-the-job learning, coaching, and feedback with formal classroom training, which creates a 360-degree learning environment that helps managers avoid burnout and fosters continuous improvement through positive feedback loops.

For an even more significant impact, adopt a cohort approach to leadership development. Have middle managers go through the training program in groups to foster a sense of unity. This will enable them to build lasting relationships with peers and forge connections that enhance collaboration across your organization.