My review on “Leading from the Middle” book:
Are you suffocating when you do your management job because you feel like you are being pulled away in multiple directions? It is the case for many managers, partly because they lack the proper mindset or skillset or both, and that is okay. We will learn new things about our job for years to come. However, learning only on the act will potentially cause learning fatigue because of the emotional baggage that comes with constant failures. Even if the mentally strongest of us will eventually suffer from the consequences of continuous failures.
If you know what’s awaiting you in your future, then you can be prepared for them. At least you won’t be caught off guard. Therefore, this book starts with the proper mindset that engineering managers should have as the first thing.
However, how do you know what areas to improve in yourself? That’s where proven experiences come into place. And the cheapest, more convenient, and fastest way of learning is to read books of those who have already passed the path you are currently walking.
Leading from the middle means you interact with people from the following sides:
- Down: People you manage.
- Up: Your boss.
- Right and Left: Your peers.
Each of these people requires a different set of interactions. You cannot treat them all the same. There are some overlaps in how you care about them or how you give them concise explanations, but they all need different answers and skills from you. All of them will contribute to your ongoing success.
One critical mindset above all is that people are imperfect, including yourself. Hence, we are operating in this climate. Imperfection comes with many things bottlenecks:
- Fear
- Forgetfulness
- Lack of motivation
- Hatred
- Etc.
Some of the antidotes for these potential weaknesses are psychological safety, clear communication, simple processes, encouragement and empowerment, and willingness to help.
The book gives actionable insights on leading your interactions in all directions. You don’t expect people to act for you. You act and continously influence the direction for everyone’s favor. But nothing comes from idleness. You create a win-win situation for everyone. Interacting effectively with people is hard, but it is rewarding once done properly.