The Last Mile to the Boardroom: Why Do Middle Managers Stagnate?
Niti Mazumder (name changed on request) always had a stellar career. Working for an Indian IT MNC she had joined the industry at a time when it was on its most spectacular growth curve. By 28 she was heading a large program; one of the most critical ones in her company. Her spectacular rise had been noticed by many; especially since the tech industry still lags behind in gender diversity. At 29, Niti then a program manager was in the reckoning to be made the head of a strategic SBU but the position never materialised.
“I do not know whether my age or gender or not having an MBA degree worked against me. Or maybe the seniors were just not ready to let go and allow me to make the transition in 7 years where others normally take 15 years.”
Niti eventually quit the organization, finished her MBA and launched her own company successfully. However, not everyone has the opportunity or inclination to become an entrepreneur. Take the example of Punya Das, a senior architect at a product company. Punya’s contribution to the many successful product launches in his company has been acknowledged even by the CEO. But, Punya had his last promotion almost 4 years ago. His next promotion which would catapult him to senior management had been stalled for various reasons.
“The reason they gave me is that I have been too technology focused. I should have invested more in management skills.” Punya says, adding that career progression in most Indian companies is in a mess with the absence of clear guidelines or career paths. “I am a tech guy. The product portfolio here runs because of me. I am not the marketing wiz or the finance champ. I am not sure why I am suddenly asked to develop those skills. I have given this company 12 valuable years. I am not sure what I will do next.”
Punya and Niti are not isolated examples. While stagnation in middle management roles is a common problem faced by professionals around the world the problem gets exacerbated in India. The career progression line in India is still dominated by a candidate’s seniority rather than aptitude. As Punya puts it, career progression is still a grey area. How soon or how late should you be investing in general management skills? What are the career paths for technical experts? Is there an experience criterion for transitioning into senior management roles? The answers are still grey. While we have examples of Francisco D’Souza becoming the CTS CEO at 38, a large section of 30+ year olds are languishing in the same role for years.
A HR head said on the question of anonymity that the middle to senior management transition is till a pain area. The people at top are not moving out fast enough. Add to it subconscious age or gender biases ruling the Indian mindset, not to mention that often the candidates themselves are at fault. Middle management is mostly about execution while top management is about strategy and decision-making. Most people do not invest in building these skills in the early stages of their career.
“We are great order-takers not necessarily original thinkers.” Says a VP at a media house. “Rarely I see a young man or woman who stands out on dint of leadership or decision-making skills. You might be a great employee, an asset to the organization but to transition into leadership roles you need to have more than talent; you should have guts, a holistic approach and an ability to take crunch decisions.”
It is easy to blame the system when we stagnate in our careers. But to cover that last mile to the corner office or the company board there are considerable investments that we have to personally make. Make a conscious effort to hone leadership and strategic skills. Be seen as the go-to person by rising above your job description. Be the first one to raise your hand when offered a bigger opportunity.
To quote Mr. V. Srinivas Rao, CEO and Chief Digital Consultant at BT & BT, the three factors are: Middle level managers focus on operational excellence rather than delivery excellence, they become irrelevant to the new world because they lack new skills and new behaviours and struggle to change their leadership style and hence get rejected by their team! Read more in his blog:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/indian-laying-off-middle-managers-social-unrest-vsr-
“A couple of years back I had a chance of managing the full product division. Our global product head was quitting and my name came up in consideration. Though I was made no explicit offer, I could have been more proactive and gone for it.” Rues Punya. While he still blames the system he does acknowledge that he could have made a difference to his career himself too. Niti thinks she did not network enough. “Probably I was still not known to the power heads. I should have made a conscious effort to grow my network.” She says.
As Sheryl Sandberg puts it: “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.”
My friend and I got into a taxi on a Monday morning to catch a flight. My friend told the chauffeur, “Take the shortest route.” As the taxi entered the lane we noticed the traffic moving at snail’s pace and we were sure to miss the flight. My friend said, “Drive fast”. I could see the confusion on the chauffeur’s face. Noticing his predicament I told him, “Please ensure we reach the airport before 9 am. You decide the route.” When we reached the airport I looked at my watch, it was 8:50 am and I noticed a victory smile on his face. Lessons learnt: What we need is strategic thinking, in order to reach the destination (airport) by 9 am what route should we take rather than taking a known route because we have always traversed on that road.
An HR head said on the question of anonymity that the middle to senior management transition is till a pain area. The people at top are not moving out fast enough. Add to it subconscious age or gender biases ruling the Indian mind-set. Very often the candidates themselves are at fault. Middle management is mostly about execution while top management is about strategy and decision-making. Most people do not invest in building these skills in the early stages of their career.
“We are great order-takers not necessarily original thinkers.” Says a VP at a media house. “Rarely, I see a young man or woman who stands out on dint of leadership or decision-making skills. You might be a great employee, an asset to the organization but to transition into leadership roles you need to have more than talent; you should have guts, a holistic approach and an ability to take crunch decisions.”
Most of the corporate employees belong to Gen Y reporting to managers belonging to Gen X. The days of command and control are over. The preferred leadership style of Gen Y is that of participation and collaboration. “Respect my ideas” has been replaced by “Respect my skills” and “Focus on results” to “Focus on my involvement.” Because of inappropriate leadership styles, many middle level managers are not accepted by their team members.
What worked yesterday may not work today. The world is changing fast, so is technology, so are people. Lot of middle managers get complacent after a few years in the corporate and make the mistake of assuming training programs are meant for their juniors. They become irrelevant to the new world. The Project Management Institute, Inc. conducts annual seminars in different parts of the world. I have known people who do not attend because they feel “we know everything.” What a shame. I have been attending seminars since 2001 regularly and many a time I am the oldest delegate and each time I learn something new. Lesson to be shared: Keep current and up to date.
It is easy to blame the system when we stagnate in our careers. But to cover that last mile to the corner office or the company board there are considerable investments that we have to personally make. Make a conscious effort to hone leadership and strategic skills. Be seen as the go-to person by rising above your job description. Be the first one to raise your hand when offered a bigger opportunity.
It is easy to blame the system when we stagnate in our careers. But to cover that last mile to the corner office or the company board there are considerable investments that we have to personally make. Make a conscious effort to hone leadership and strategic skills. Be seen as the go-to person by rising above your job description. Be the first one to raise your hand when offered a bigger opportunity.
As Sheryl Sandberg puts it: “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.“
M.R. Sriprasad, one of the first to receive Project Management Professional® credential in India, manages SABCONS that helps modern organizations and professionals to accelerate their growth through high-end training and consulting engagements in project management, leadership, and strategy.