More impact, more easily

We are facing the largest exodus of middle managers in history. According to DDI's Global Leadership Forecast 2025, which examined global responses from first‐, mid‐ and senior‐level leaders, a whopping 40 per cent of stressed leaders are considering leaving their leadership roles to seek better wellbeing. At the same time, those left behind struggle on without the support or structure they need to step into their full potential — and so ‘the problem with middle managers’ just gets worse.

Over the years, organisations have started asking more and more from their middle managers, including more results, more strategic leadership and more direct reports. But they haven't given them more power, clarity or tools. That mismatch is driving overwhelm and burnout while continuing to give middle managers a bad rap.

This has been confirmed through not only my work with middle managers over the last 20 years but also my research — specifically, BoldHR's 2024 B‐Suite Benchmarks, Australia's first comprehensive research into the issues facing middle management. This research reveals, for example, that 82 per cent of middle managers feel invisible or frustrated — and only 6.5 per cent deliver the kind of strategic impact their organisations need, according to their executives. And that's why this book exists.

This book is here to offer you practical systems to close the gap between expectation and empowerment and prove that you don't need to be in the C‐suite to ...