Leadership Conversations: Challenging High Potential Managers to Become Great Leaders

CHAPTER 27

Conversations for Managers of Managers

I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.

—CHARLES SCHWAB

If you are a midlevel manager, you manage other managers rather than production work. You may have succeeded in earlier positions without engaging the leadership mindset and growing your leadership capabilities, but that will no longer work. Manage your people through delegation and assist them in growing as well. You may also be managing high potentials who work at remote sites, which is an additional challenge. Furthermore, you now report to an executive leader who has broad responsibilities and expects you to ...