logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2022
20m 3s

Why Middle Managers are Feeling the Sque...

The Wall Street Journal
About this episode
Middle managers are in charge of implementing the slew of changes taking effect in workplaces nationwide — and polling shows it’s making them miserable. A new report from the Future Forum finds that middle managers are more stressed than any of their co-workers. Why? According to Brian Elliott, a senior vice president at Slack and Executive Leader of the Fut ... Show More
Up next
Jun 2023
Your Boss Is Checking Your Social Media. It’s Not As Scary As You Think
Worried that your boss – or soon-to-be boss – is checking your social media? Some employers are screening social media as part of background checks, and what you post can make a difference in whether you get a job. But that doesn’t mean you have to scrub your online history. Back ... Show More
15m 16s
May 2023
Having a Productive Summer While Your Team Is Out of the Office
Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. It’s also the unofficial start of summer vacation season, when your team starts jockeying to take time off. But what happens to your big project when your manager, and co-workers, are out of the office? We hear how some companies ... Show More
15m 7s
May 2023
Co-Workers Getting On Your Nerves? Here’s How to Handle It Better
Are your co-workers' quirks driving you crazy? From the cubicle-mate who talks too loudly on the phone, to the person who always microwaves fish for lunch, to the supervisor who’s never on time for a meeting, every office has people who get on your nerves. But you don’t have to l ... Show More
18m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Will generative AI hurt middle managers—or help them?
Bogged down, bothered, beleaguered: Many middle managers have it bad—and they can also have a bad rap. In Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work (Harvard Business Review Press, July 2023), McKinsey talent experts Bryan Hancock and Emily Field sought ... Show More
25m 13s
Jul 2023
In Defense of Middle Management
Middle managers are meant to serve as a go-between for leadership teams and individual contributors. But in large organizations, with many layers of hierarchy, some of these roles feel like bureaucratic bloat, which, in tighter economic times, makes them a target for elimination. ... Show More
28 m
Jan 2024
Managers are Burned Out, too 6 | 2
Managers are burned out AF. A boss’s job is to guide a team to achieve results. However, in the current landscape of constant disruptions, this job is feeling impossible for some managers. What’s more, disengaged managers lead to disengaged teams. Is all hope lost? Kim, Amy and J ... Show More
1h 9m
Jul 2023
Are middle managers your next ace in the hole?
<p>Business lore is freighted with misadventures in middle management. Yet middle managers are critical to organizational health and performance, and they are only becoming more so as work continues to transform, according to the new book <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/feature ... Show More
15m 36s
Apr 2022
Let’s Redefine the Role of Manager
Most managers today are overwhelmed. Thanks to rapid technological change, flattening hierarchies, agile work, and new attitudes about talent, they have to do more than ever. Lynda Gratton, professor at London Business School and the founder of HSM, points to a few ways we can so ... Show More
24m 25s
Apr 2024
The End of Middle Management (For Real)
Middle management. Senior leaders say it’s a sticking point; individual contributors say it’s not meeting needs; middle managers themselves say the role is a source of burnout. Julia Dhar, founder and leader of BCG’s Behavioral Science Lab, imagines a future in which AI takes ove ... Show More
32m 58s
Jan 2024
Helping the accidental manager: Trends for work
<p>The role of managers are pivotal in our working lives but most managers aren't trained or prepared for the responsibilities that they are given.</p><br><p>When we look at the research from Gallup about burnout and why people hate their jobs managers are regarded as having the ... Show More
31m 31s
May 2022
#278 How to be a good manager
Managers have a significant impact on people's engagement in their work and squiggly careers can often feel like it makes the job of being a good manager even harder. This week, Helen and Sarah go back to basics on the 5 factors that make a 'good' manager and share 3 ideas for ac ... Show More
38m 13s
Oct 2023
Tools for Managers to Help Employees with Their Mental Health Challenges
It’s a reality that more employees are discussing their mental health in the workplace. And proactive leaders can serve their teams better by listening and responding. At the same time, managers can’t play the role of a therapist or the HR department. Counseling psychologist Kira ... Show More
26m 37s
Jun 2025
How to Get Out of the Hybrid Work Rut
With some high-profile CEOs demanding workers return to the office five days a week, and others touting the benefits of fully remote work, many companies compromised and ended up somewhere in the middle. But that hybrid compromise can often bring the worst of both worlds. Wharton ... Show More
31m 52s