What I have found helpful is to first empathise and understand their situation. Middle managers are under a pressure sandwich and a mountain of expectations. Thus the urgency to get things done and prove. It’s important to remember that everyone wants to succeed and nothing wrong with that. Now, what is necessary to drive change effectively and sustainably with them is to create opportunities for them to win short term whilst gradually moving to the longer term vision. Finally simple, direct and regular communication along with progressive wins and voila they are now your enablers!

It’s super important for senior management to articulate and emphasize top company priorities at regular intervals, align incentives accordingly and recognize progress at quarterly company meetings (including shout outs to all project participants). Taking on big projects often adds extra workload and should be a win for both the employee and company. Mid-manager training coupled with the appropriate company structure to track and reward the right work are key.

It’s essential to cultivate a culture of empathy and empowerment. Middle managers often find themselves caught between the demands of their teams and the expectations of senior leadership. By recognizing their unique challenges and equipping them with the necessary tools and autonomy to effect change, we can unlock their potential and motivate them to commit to long-term change and foster sustainable growth.

Help them understand their growth path in both line of actions and let them choose! One cannot force anyone to choose, we also need to be respectful of individual choices as these could be closely linked to their personal situations at the time.

Its hard for middle managers to focus on long term gains when they are measured on the short term improvements. It is important to ensure the company's goals are kept in sight and that the measurement of the short term gains rolls into the long term changes required. This is the basis of goal congruence, needed for strategic success. Encouragement, transparent measurement and clear direction is very crucial.