Does your middle management role hinder career progression? 

Have you put your career progression to one side while working in your middle management position? Or are you afraid of doing so? We’ve gathered our top tips for dealing with the challenges of middle management and how you can refocus on your career goals.

The many day to day tasks and duties you have as a middle manager, like shaping and executing the objectives of your team, can often cause you to turn your back on other important matters. One of these matters, your own career progression, may take a back-seat to other responsibilities. This could leave you wondering how you will get back on track to climb the career ladder and achieve your goals.

Multiple studies have been conducted on the happiness of middle managers, including one by Harvard Business Review of over 320,000 employees at various levels across a variety of organisations. The study found that middle managers were the least happy group of all respondents because they felt they were “on a treadmill rather than a path to a desirable career.”

Does this resonate with you? If so, follow our steps below to help you get back on track with your progression.

Career progression as a middle manager at a glance

Middle management development can be easily overlooked but don’t let that bring you down. Make time for yourself to look at how you can progress your career at a rate that you’re comfortable with.

The first thing you can do is upskill yourself and usually this is also beneficial to your current role, meaning that you could get support for it from your current employer. Secondly, you may need to reassess your career objectives. Perhaps you want different things now than you did when you got promoted. Make sure you have a clear set of goals to work towards.

Finally, don’t let the challenges that may get in your way bring you down. Consider these potential barriers ahead of time to ensure that you’ve got a plan for overcoming them if they do appear. Find out more about what you can do to boost your career progression as a middle manager below.

If you’re already considering your next step, get in contact with one of expert recruitment consultants for a confidential chat about the career options available to you.

Grow your knowledge

Career progression and continued learning go hand in hand. Teaching yourself something new won’t just bring you one step closer to your next promotion; it will also reignite that passion you felt when you first started out in your role. This enthusiasm will not only motivate you to drive your own career forward but will filter down to your team members and inspire them to grow their skills and expertise. So, as an added bonus, that will add credit to you and your strengths as a manager.

Furthermore, technological change is sweeping across most industries. The more you grow your industry knowledge and stay up-to-date, the better placed you are to suggest innovative ideas to senior leadership and make an impact within the business.

Reassess your career goals

No doubt you have plenty of experience helping your team to pinpoint their areas for improvement and plot out their goals for the next year. Now it’s time to give your own career just as much focus and attention.

Think back to that moment between being promoted and becoming so tied up in management duties. What did you envisage the next few stages of your career to look like? And has this ambition changed, now that you have a better understanding of where the organisation is headed and what their vision is?

Put together some objectives which both align to this vision and what you want next from your career. Just as you would with your direct reports, make these objectives SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-scaled) and regularly check your progress against your goals. Ultimately, start giving your own career progression the same level of focus and management that you give to your direct reports, starting from today.

Anticipate the hurdles ahead

It is one thing to acknowledge the need to focus on your progression, but it’s another to realistically make time for it in a busy schedule. However, you need to make an ongoing commitment to your development, otherwise, you will only end up back in the same stagnant situation that you’re in now. This means addressing the potential barriers to your upskilling, which may include:

1. Your mind-set

Be honest with yourself. At the moment, how do you view the tasks which form part of your progression plan? Do you see them as supplementary to your current role and something which you will do when you have time? If so, this may be your first barrier.

Upskilling yourself needs to be treated as a core part of your role as a manager and woven into your current workflow, rather than an afterthought. Otherwise, you’ll put it off when your workload is piling up. Don’t consider joining a webinar, for example, as far less important than ticking a task off your to-do list.

Ultimately, you need to think of upskilling as an investment of your time in your future, rather than a cost.

2. Your manager

You may now see your career progression as a priority, but you also need the buy-in from your boss if you want to make your plans a reality.

You may already have had an annual review with your boss in which you discuss your career objectives. If not, sit down with your boss and outline how you want to grow your skills and the ways in which they can support you. They could assist you with finding a mentor or allow time to attend a webinar or conference.

You may also request the organisation’s financial support for a professional course or training. When having this conversation, make the link between your upskilling and the resulting benefits to the business and your team clear.

Having been in your position before, your boss may be able to recommend other means of upskilling that you hadn’t thought of. They may also have tips for making time to upskill yourself when snowed under with middle management tasks.

3. Your busy workload

We understand how busy middle managers can get, but there are plenty of flexible self-learning options available that can work around you. You can usually access this on-demand on your devices. For instance, you could sign up to an online course and complete segments first thing on a Monday morning before the week gets away from you. You could download a podcast to your phone to listen to on your commute, or you could watch a TEDtalk on your lunch break.

Also consider upskilling yourself in ways that involve other people – because this way you can’t cancel and let them down. If you haven’t already, initiate regular catch-ups with your boss where you check in on your progression plan.

There’s also a lot to be said for meeting up regularly with a career mentor. This can be someone you look up to, can trust, and can rely on to give you confidential, neutral and useful career advice. You should also book yourself into any organisation-funded training, events and talks.

4. Your management skills

Lastly, many middle managers also find themselves holding on to tasks which could be delegated to others. Similarly, many feel the need to attend meetings and conference calls which could be attended by somebody in their team on their behalf. Perhaps it’s time to start handing more over to your existing team.

As your team begins to take on more responsibility, resist the urge to micromanage. Instead, be as clear as you can with your expectations, let them do their best, and feedback on improvements to be made for next time.

What you need to remember about career progression as a middle manager

Your career progression shouldn’t ever take a back-seat, no matter how many people you manage or how busy you are. The people around you need you to be motivated, satisfied and the best you can possibly be at your job. For this to be the case, you must make sure you are constantly learning, growing, and moving towards something bigger. This can’t be a one-off activity; instead, consider it your new habit of a lifetime.

So, take a moment to realise your end game, realign your focus, and in no time, you will feel like your progression plan is back on track.

Take a look at our career advice page to find more handy guides and top tips for your professional life.