The Challenges of Middle Managers in Values-Based Leadership
Studies show that only 30% of employees understand their company's values, and most organizations (70%) struggle to align their culture with values. So, at least you’re not alone. Arguably, the single biggest cause is the glass floor of middle management, where so many big ideas, plans, and values stop dead. You don’t get it: you were once a good middle manager, a leader of people and big-picture thinker. That’s why you got promoted.
Or maybe you got promoted because you ignore all the new corporate kool-aid and just deliver. Regardless, you’re tackling the following problems:
Focus on Delegation: Middle managers are often promoted based on task execution rather than people management. Research shows they tend to prioritize task-oriented goals, viewing core values as elective or even a distraction (Goleman, 1998).
Limited Perspective: Middle managers frequently operate in silos. Caught up in daily operations, they often fail to see the bigger strategic and cultural implications of their decisions. A study in the Academy of Management Review found this operational focus can hinder collaboration across departments, stifling organizational alignment (Wooldridge et al., 2008).
Single-lane Promotion Ladders: Too often, technical proficiency leads to people management roles. Think of every organization you’ve been in— picture a subject expert who was a poor people leader in a high-visibility role, and made senior leaders look weak or incompetent, undermining values across the organization.
Resistance to Change: Middle managers may resist values-based leadership if it threatens their authority or disrupts the status quo. Research published in the Leadership & Organization Development Journal notes that fear of disruption frequently leads to stalling change initiatives at the middle management level (Kotter, 1996).
Bad Performance Metrics: The Journal of Organizational Behavior highlights how performance metrics encourage a “tick box” mentality. When behavioral expectations are poorly framed, values become ‘nice to haves’ rather than integral. Values-based metrics should include hard, practical content, such as 360-degree feedback (Morrison, 2011).
Do:
Lift the gaze through leadership programs and match detail oriented or less people focused personalities with the right coach.
Invest in high emotional intelligence (EI/EQ) development.
Establish a technical career stream that places top experts in advisory and QA roles, without forcing them into leadership.
Learn to assess values-based performance. There are simple, pointed ways to do this.
Don’t:
Tolerate EI avoidance. Exercise tough-love leadership for self-interested silo builders or change-resisters.
Promote people with low willingness or ability to lead others.
References:
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. Bantam Books.
Wooldridge, B., et al. (2008). "The Middle Management Perspective on Strategy Implementation." Academy of Management Review.
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press.
Morrison, E. W. (2011). "Employee Voice Behavior: Integration and Directions for Future Research." Journal of Organizational Behavior.
