Middle Management Matters More Than Me

Almost all the advice I ever offer anyone is secretly meant for myself. That’s probably true of all counsel we share. I write down these thoughts so I am reminded. My own dim-wittedness has been my best teacher.

Today’s tip: Respect middle management. This most difficult admonition to follow may be the most important as well.

From time to time, I reflect on my extraordinary luck. Some smart people have entrusted me to lead an institution.

But for me to do a good job, I am dependent on many others. I do nothing alone and little directly.

At an institution of higher education, at least one as small as mine, the structure is flat compared to corporations. Although we are affiliated with a great system, we are a standalone school with our own governance, policies, and budget. Our total payroll does not exceed 275 full-time equivalent employees.

There are not many layers of administration. All told, the organization chart would display five levels from top to bottom. Some divisions have three layers, counting me. Our arrangement belies the canard of a vast bureaucracy within colleges.

Nonetheless, I can cause mischief. The mistake I am tempted to make on a daily basis is to intervene.

I need to develop a strategy, communicate it, coordinate well, and resolve conflicts. But if I have been clear, I should not even want to interfere with operations — other than during a crisis, and even then, the place usually benefits from my self-restraint.

The main problem is that however much I might believe I know, the people who report to me know more. I am a generalist and an amateur. They are specialized and expert.

Even if I were competent to implement a policy, it is a poor use of my time — which should be expended as an institutional resource rather than a personal one. No matter how well I might execute, I would be inefficient compared to the alternatives.

The other problem that I can produce inadvertently is that of conflicting signals. If I, as the boss's boss, ask a question, it may generate work that is unnecessary to come up with an answer, or it might be interpreted as a signal about priorities. Unintentionally though worse, it may be taken as a criticism of middle management for not having addressed of the issue.

But the problem also runs the other way. If I allow too much access, then people are tempted to circumvent intermediate decisionmakers. I render them irrelevant. That not only angers them, it also will aggravate me as petitioners make their way to my office.

In virtually all instances, people who have an individual situation should be doing business with others who will investigate the facts and apply the rules. My involvement would be inappropriate.

I realized, however, that these insights, which are not especially original, require that I suspend a philosophy I may have had before coming into this role. I must be practical.

Outside work, I strive to be egalitarian, progressive, easygoing, open, and informal. I shun hierarchy and do not admire the assertion of authority. I prefer casual conversation to programmed speeches.

But the more I do what I do, the more I appreciate process and order. They enable a group to cooperate; without them, the natural tendency is toward chaos. I always have an agenda, in the smaller sense of a list of discussion items and the bigger sense of a positive vision to advance.

I want to succeed. That means I want others to succeed. I have to give them the opportunity to do so.

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