DDI’s Talent Management Intelligence

Rescuing the 'Accidental Manager'

By Kris Routch

The Washington Post’s leadership blog “Post Leadership” published a piece about the accidental manager—individuals who were promoted into mid-level leadership positions without preparation—and even interest—in the job and the additional responsibility.

We’ve seen a lot of research on this topic this year—and the blog post referenced DDI’s own research conducted this year on mid-level leadership—and how this management population has been impacted by the economic events of the last several years.   

Perhaps the biggest thing impacting this group and the roles that they have assumed can be summed up in one word; complexity.  Just think for a moment of the levels of complexity faced by today’s business leaders;  systems complexity, organizational complexity, global complexity, partnership complexity, supply chain complexity, not to mention our  increasingly  complex personal and professional networks. few.  In fact, in a recent IBM study of 1500 CEO’s, complexity was cited as the biggest challenge that today’s CEO’s and their companies are facing.

If CEO’s are worrying about complexity, imagine where that leaves our mid-level leaders who live in the middle of this maelstrom. It reminds me of a  time when my grandfather and I could open the hood of a car  and easily see how everything worked inside, how every issue could be easily diagnosed and fixed, and how everything could be put back together again just the way that we found it. But then engine technology changed and one day I opened the hood of my new car and my grandfather stared blankly at the confusing, complex, computer-controlled, hi-tech engine that lay in front of him and sadly looked at me and let me know that there was nothing he could do to help me anymore. 

I think of this story as we talk to more and more mid-level leaders who have found themselves staring into that proverbial engine that represents their current role in the organization and wondering how it ever got so complicated that they are having trouble figuring out where they start to try to unravel the complexity in front of them. To make matters worse, when they turn to their senior leaders for help, too many times their senior leaders stare back at them with that same look my grandfather once gave me as they realize that the mid-level role they once had wasn’t nearly as complex as today’s role.  

Our research has shown that most organizations continue to struggle with finding ways to effectively address the challenges facing their mid-level leaders and, as a result, these “accidental managers” continue to drift in their sea of complexity yearning for the good old days when it was far easier to make sense of it all.

Kris Routch is an executive consultant with Development Dimensions International (DDI).

Leadership Lessons from a 16-Year-Old.

By Kris Routch

Recently the LPGA came to Pittsburgh for their signature event, the Women’s US Open, at historic Oakmont Country Club. Among the many stories told that week, perhaps none was more compelling than that of Jaye Marie Green, an amateur golfer who had qualified for her sport’s highest championship at the ripe old age of 16. While that in itself might seem remarkable, that’s not what attracted me to her story. And no, she didn’t set any scoring records; in fact she didn’t even come close to making the cut. What brought her some notoriety wasn’t how she played but rather how she approached the experience.

Sometime during the second round of her sport’s penultimate event, while standing in the middle of a fairway on one of the most historic golf courses in the world, she stopped what she was doing, turned to her caddy (who was also her father) and asked this simple question “What can I do to improve myself?” Keep in mind that this was a girl who had ascended to the top ranks of her sport in an amazingly short time, was already living the dream of any girl who ever picked up a golf club, and who had every reason to assume that if she just kept doing what she had been doing thus far in her career she would continue to succeed. Instead she had the maturity to stop and realize that if she was going to continue to succeed in her profession, she had to be humble enough to realize that she still had a lot to learn and the sooner she started, the sooner she would see results…even if that meant starting right in the middle of the biggest tournament of her life.

It got me wondering about business leaders, especially those who have had a lot of success and have moved up the ladder to mid-level or even senior level positions and how they might handle a similar situation. How many of these leaders, in the middle of the biggest project they had ever been assigned, would be willing to turn to their boss and ask: “What can I do to improve myself?” My firsthand experience working with executives would tell me that only a small percentage would.   

So, let me rephrase my challenge: How many of those who would ask the question do you suppose would end up accelerating their development ahead of those that wouldn’t?  Who would get to hear critically important feedback before the other? 

And what about the impact to the relationship between the leader and his/her boss?  Would it build trust or reduce it? Would it inspire a senior leader to take a personal interest in the development of an individual who asks such a poignant question at such a critical time? To answer that, we have to go back to the middle of that fairway at Oakmont and see it through the eyes of her caddy (and father) who said:.  “We mended together, right there on that fairway, she bares her soul right there…”  

I think it inspired him to commit to do whatever it took to help her improve. Especially when the next day, while the rest of field was playing the third round of the US Open, and the other competitors who missed the cut were journeying to the next tournament, Jaye Marie and her father hit balls on the practice range at Oakmont in searing heat for over six hours.

I, for one, am rooting for her to be successful on the tour for years to come. Whether she is or not, I’m confident of one thing …whatever she decides to do in her life, she’ll be successful not only because of her physical talents, but because of her mental maturity and the commitment to excellence that she showed on that bright sunny day in the middle of that Oakmont fairway.

Kris Routch is an Executive Consultant for Development Dimensions International (DDI).

“Lost” in the Middle

By Kris Routch

In a month, ABC television will end one of its most interesting and cult-creating shows after seven wild, mind-bending seasons. The show is “Lost” and whether you watch it or not, you probably are aware of the show’s premise. A plane crash strands a group of characters on a strange island in the South Pacific from which there is seemingly no escape while at the same time danger, mysteries, and evolving personal relationships test each of the characters (as well as millions of the show’s followers).   

So how is this relevant here? Well, to understand that let me share with you some personal background. As someone who has spent the better part of the last few years studying the plight of today’s mid-level leaders, I’m starting to realize that their life is more similar to the poor souls on “Lost” than we might imagine. So let me explain why.

Like our “Losties” (as they are referred to by “Lost” groupies), today’s mid-level leaders began a corporate journey that somewhere along the way changed direction and they ended up in a strange place called “middle management” that they neither recognize nor for which they are adequately prepared. As they struggle to survive in their new world, on instincts alone, they get progressively frustrated by not seeing a way to escape their “island” in the middle of the organization. Those that have managed to survive are having to do more with less and are getting more stressed and less effective. Most importantly, while they know they need help, they are having trouble seeing any on the horizon.          

So begins the story of the plight of today’s mid-level leaders. Stay tuned for my upcoming blogs where I will explore how and why they’ve ended up on their “island”, why we should care about them, and what we as organizations can do to rescue them. However, for now, like a good serial television show, you’ll have to wait until the next episode.   

In the meantime, feel free to tell us why you believe your mid-level leaders may be “lost” within your organization.

Kris Routch is an executive consultant for Development Dimensions International (DDI).