Episode 51: Managing Up for Middle Managers - Dealing with Difficult Situations
Welcome to another edition of “Around with Randall,” your weekly podcast making your non-profit more effective for your community and here is your host the CEO and founder of Hallett Philanthropy, Randall Hallett. It’s another terrific day here on “Around with Randall” and I’d like to thank you for joining me.
Today's conversation is about middle management. We find often ourselves in very interesting scenarios and situations that are really middle management challenges and today we're going to talk about what those look like and why they're an issue in non-profits, and then most importantly, we'll get into the tactical. What are some things you can do to help yourself if you find yourself in a particular scenario? So, let's talk about first who is a middle manager, and because a lot of organizations are small they assume we don't have any middle management but yet I find the challenges of what might be construed as a middle manager constant in smaller organizations. So, let's define a middle manager. A middle manager is someone who probably reports to the Chief Development Officer or the Head of Philanthropy or fundraising - might even be the Chief Development Officer if they report up into some type of executive structure, but I would also add that many times I believe major gift officers or annual giving directors are middle managers, even if they don't have someone reporting to them, because the challenges and tribulations that go along with their job are sometimes very middle managerial-esque in what they run into on a daily basis. And certainly if you report up to someone and you have someone who reports to you it seems fairly logical that that's a middle manager.
So, what are some of the challenges that middle managers face, and this is all precipitated on a couple of issues that I’ve run into with clients. None of them are overly serious but they do present issues that need to be dealt with. So let's start with maybe the biggest premise, kind of the theory, and then we'll jump into the the tactical and outcomes of what you can do. In some ways, middle managers have to live in two spaces. Their feet are in two paradigms. One is is that there is a leadership component, an accountability component, and that they are or should be somewhat aligned with the department or the organization in the direction it goes. But at the same time they have a foot in with actual work that's being done at the ground level or with the team that they're supervising, that is the ones pushing things forward, whether that's the the effects of a major gift officer actually going out raising the money or if it's the head of infrastructure or database having to make sure data is moving correctly. The real challenge in all of this is from a theoretical perspective is there's two worlds for them and they're trying to figure out which world they live in at which moment. So once we get past that we get into some of the details that might be of interest in this particular situation when we talk about middle management.
Number one is is that there's politics versus outcomes. Many times middle managers, if you're the gift officer you probably see this very often, are - even if you don't have someone reporting to you - often are looking at practical solutions. And many times we'll see that it's much easier to get something done if we remove the politics out of it. Yet their bosses have the challenge of the politics that go along with any organization. With leadership the way I kind of look at it, it's like it's wasting time. Why are we not just making decisions here? That's the vantage point of the middle manager and it's usually politics that are part of this process. Middle managers also are challenged with the idea of self-interest, meaning growth for themselves, opportunity down the road versus the overall development of their operation, their organization, their responsibilities ,the people that report to them.
How do you balance when there is strife? The issues of how do I make sure I’m protected versus how do I protect what I’m responsible for, versus what is it that I’m willing to give up? Those three paradigms create intense conflict in many middle managers. The other thing that middle managers struggle with is this idea of control. Many times they're asked to solve a problem but yet they're not given the authority or the control to actually do so. So let's use a couple of examples. We need to raise more money, yet in many instances gift officers, if they're looking to increase or being asked to increase the amount of money they raise, aren't given more needs. That's an issue. That's a middle management issue, you know, challenge at its essence, because they don't have the ability just to manufacture need within the organization and as we've talked about many times, need is a critical component of partnering those who want to make a difference with the organization that's trying to make a difference. What are we going to do with the money?
Another way to look at it is is that organizations, particularly larger ones, may have issues with HR. Meaning, it's hard to get rid of people or to instruct them to do certain things, even though we know those things are tried and true and it may take a lot of extra effort to move someone along either to progress in the job or to move them out. A third issue is just power. Sometimes middle managers are asked to do something that the boss, supervisor, doesn't want to do and it's a power struggle or a different way of or different circumstance. It could be a scenario in which the boss is not able to handle the stress and strife of the organization and that manifests itself in different ways to be a negative in terms of what are we trying to accomplish daily activity or simply it's a battle of power between two people in the organization. Maybe the Chief Development Officer and the CFO and the major gift officers are caught in the middle. There's all of these challenges that occur on a regular basis and I’m just naming a couple because those individuals, which is a majority who in a non-profit who don't have control, are really trying to figure out how do I do what it is I want to do? What it is I need to do? What I know is right to make the organization more successful when there are hurdles and challenges placed in front of me to do so and I don't understand why that's happening? And if you don't learn to deal with these situations, well, correctly what you end up happening is is that you end up might taking the blame or having the consequence.
And so what are some of the tactical things that we can talk about in terms of the ability to control the challenges of middle management? Whether you're a gift officer reporting to a CDO, you have people reporting to you, what are some of the bigger things tactically you can do to control the situation? So, the first let me start with is you need to begin the process of identifying the root cause. What's actually going on here? I’ve learned over time in working with clients that many many occasions what is at the kind of the first level challenge is really not the root cause, it's an outcome of it. Is this a power struggle? Is there someone looking to gain more authority? Does somebody want more control? Philanthropy is rife with this challenge because we bring in revenue and revenue can be seen as a power base for people in the organization, whether it's the CEO the CFO of a board finance committee, what is it the root cause or is it just someone's bad leadership? Is it someone who doesn't understand what they're doing? The root cause and the clarity of that will help you define the next series of steps that will allow you to be successful, and the root cause may mean you need to ask in confidence some other people that can see the situation or that are great references - mentors - we've talked about coaching here recently… what's going on what am I missing? How do you get past that root cause once it's identified? Well the first thing is, and we've talked about this earlier on in a podcast, is the idea of managing up your responsibility, is to make ensure you are doing what job responsibility you have and that may include supervision. But the effect of success in middle management challenge is managing up so that takes on a whole bunch of different sub points which are all critically important to the tactical things you can use to to alleviate these situations, and you can go back and listen to the podcast about some of the philosophical things about managing up and how to work with your supervisor, but i'll cover a few here about middle management.
Number one is, you need to learn to ask the right questions but not be accusatory. They're very open-ended questions what is it you need me to accomplish what are the goals what outcomes are you looking for? I think the other question to ask is are they really looking for a solution? A couple of instances here recently I’ve run into where a gift officer was dealing with something that their supervisor wanted them to do and what I came to realize is that the supervisor really wasn't looking for a solution. They were okay with how things were in that moment, but they were being pressured by others to say maybe there's a different way of looking at the situation or finding it. So an actual answer to the problem - the thing was is they didn't want an answer. They liked it the way it was, so part of the right questions is doing some discernment about, is there actually a desire to solve the problem because there are times where supervisors are okay with the way things are, it gives them that chaos - that inefficiency - is what they know or they don't know of new ways. Or they're not someone who wants to look at new ways of doing things. So inside that idea of managing up, the first is to ask the right questions.
The second is to use data. If you can't find data to articulate the challenge and the possible outcomes then all it is is your opinion. Numbers mean something. This is why we benchmark in our industry. Oh, we need to raise more money, but we don't want to increase the number of employees. Well I have that conversation not all the time but more often than I’d like, with CEOs and boards. My comment is, okay let's look at the national benchmarking of what a major gift officer can raise and you want to raise three times that amount, there's something that doesn't work here. In the for-profit world, we'd hire more sales people if you wanted to have more revenue. Should we be hiring more gift officers? Data will help you define what's possible, and maybe more importantly, what's impossible. I love the idea of creating a plan and and I use the term one pagers a lot. Part of your responsibility is to solve what you can solve. Recently, I had a situation where I had a client who had a pretty intense challenge in terms of future opportunity for the organization and what we walked through was a scenario that really only 25 percent of it was really a problem, 75 percent of what might be part of the solutions to meet that goal were actually very achievable. And what we worked to was him having a better understanding that if he just took it all as well this is impossible and didn't come up with a plan for the things that were doable then that's on him, and if he did the things that were really really going to be cool for the organization and to move it forward within that 75 that would also illuminate the problem of the 25, which he can't control. So realize that the situation may be broken down into segments or pieces and you have a responsibility and that one pager is what I’d recommend in delivering potential solutions. Leaders don't have the time to read a five-page document and they certainly don't want to just listen to you. I’ve learned that the hard way. I used to try to do that and what I realized it was just much easier to put it on paper, one page front or back or both, but we're just going to have a series of of options for us to look at and choose, and if it was any more than one page it probably wasn't going to be read or digested very deeply and so keep it simple using data to do so and have a plan, by the way, with outcomes that helps solve the particular situation or challenge that you're looking at. The managing up aspect also in this process is really important when you deliver those kind of plans is, you actually have influence, probably more so than you realize. Many times leaders are looking for options. They're looking for somebody to help them come up with creative solutions. You know the old adage can you see the the the tree through the forest well sometimes leaders can't because they're too ingrained in the bigger problem. A one-pager can help come up with creative solutions and so you have more influence if you are positive, non-accusatory, and bring a plan, that one pager with with the right questions into the idea of how to manage up so that your supervisor or the group you're working with can better understand what's really at play here in terms of what's possible.
So managing up… various aspects kind of a three or four couple of others just to keep in mind… don't panic. I love the ad the the metaphor of the duck or the swan water off a duck's back that under the water the duck or the swan is just paddling like crazy it's chaos but above the water they're graceful as they cross the pond and that's kind of the way we should be in these situations. You can't panic. If you begin to show too much emotion it will be seen as a negative in terms of your ability to manage and create plans for the for the challenge or the the issue you're dealing with. Also don't take it personally. Don't carry baggage. If meetings go badly 99 percent of the time it's not personal. People are frustrated. There's a lot going on. People are trying to figure out what the answers are. The more you take it personally creates more emotion, which leads to more problems and that's true. It's hard. I’m not saying it's easy. I have that. I’m terrible at it but I have to keep that in mind of that duck. I’m going to be graceful above the water what everyone can see. I’m even keeled. Now I may go home and go take a long walk or run into the wall but when people are looking at me in these situations, I’m going to be calm and cool, lower my voice, slow the speed down, look like i'm an authority figure on this particular issue we're dealing with. I have answers that we can consider. Also on those one pagers, have a backup plan and then have a backup plan to the backup plan, because if you're having that, if you're being asked to solve something one answer may not be enough. It may be a series of answers and you may have to get creative.
Lastly, don't do it alone. There's no reason you have to hold this emotion, these challenges, to yourself. Find people you can trust and that may mean outside the organization because you don't want to be looked at as a troublemaker or someone who's causing problems. You want to be looked at as someone who's coming to the table with solutions and a good team player and that you want what's best for the department, the organization, the team, whatever that particular group is. Really important and sometimes that means coaching, sometimes that means an outside figure like myself who can help guide and take the emotion, and have it reduced so that you can go deal with it, with the people inside the organization in an incredibly professional leadership style way. So remember the root cause, ask the right questions, manage up by using data and one pagers, having a plan, having options, making sure that you understand you have influence when you do, that that you bring backup plans. You've gotta if A doesn't work B is gonna go, and if B doesn't work we're gonna add C. And lastly, take that emotion out of it. Don't hold a grudge…water off a duck's back. Sometimes that means bringing someone in from the outside that you can talk to to get a perspective and a bigger picture. Managing up, middle management challenges, all part of this bigger picture you don't have to be managing someone else to be caught in the crosshairs or the the challenges of a non-profit organization, it can happen to anybody, even very, very small organizations with two or three people.
Couple reminders. As always, don't forget to check out the blog post in two or three a week - 90 second reads hallettphilanthropy.com under blogs. Some interesting things there about what's going on in the world and overall in philanthropy, just some things to think about and realizations I have on a regular basis. Also, if you'd like to communicate with me about the podcast that's podcast hallettphilanthropy.com or if you don't agree with something i said please email me at reeks r-e-e-k-s at hallettphilanthropy.com. Don't forget you're doing incredible things to help people making an organization and a community a better place. I can't imagine not feeling like an impact and having an impact in my life in terms of the professional world that I work in and deal with. Why would I come to work if I couldn't have an impact, which brings me to my favorite saying. Some people make things happen, some people watch things happen, then there are those who wondered what happened. The great thing about our profession is we are people who make things happen for people in communities and places that are wondering what happened. That's the essence of the definition of philanthropy. Love of mankind, love of humankind, and I hope you feel that at least a couple times each day, because that's the reassuring factor that you're doing great things in the right profession. Look forward to seeing you next time right here on “Around with Randall” where we'll address another subject that's pertinent to the world we live in to make you as a professional, or your non-profit more effective. Thank you for your time and don't forget make it a great day.