Career – The Heart of the Middle

BLINDSIDED

The definition of “blindside” is to hit unexpectedly from or as if from the (blind) side; to surprise unpleasantly. In middle management, one of the most frustrating and anger evoking actions a colleague can take is to blindside another colleague. When this unpleasant surprise is directed toward one of your employees, the instinctive reaction is emotional and protective. I have found that the most challenging part of dealing with a blindside is knowing that the very first action I want to take is the very last thing that I should do, which is to react emotionally, protectively, personally.

WORDS, ACTIONS, RESULTS

I started my career in 1998 at Hormel Foods Corporation. At that time, I listened to a lot of people. I took instructions from managers and colleagues, listened to advice and tried to understand industry terminology along the way. There were a lot of words and acronyms to absorb.

BACK TO THE BASICS

I have recently noticed a trend. It is a trend that is consuming my calendar and filling my email in box. I also have to admit that the trend has become so consuming in my work life that I have been sucked into it at times. It is the trend of copying everyone in the organization on an email and including everyone (and their brother) on conference calls just for the purpose of CC’ing and covering tracks. I will be the first to call out the trend so that I can also be the one that tries to do my part to stop it.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

A reader recently submitted a question that I promised to address in an upcoming post:

“What are strategies to move up the middle management ladder within an organization?”

This question is a BIG one. So much to unpack here and the strategies that would be effective in one organization could honestly be ineffective in another. I will not claim to be an expert in this area; however, I can pull from my own experiences and those that I have witnessed with colleagues and friends. The strategies I can share are broad, perhaps general but can be effective both in corporate organizations and in life.