Power to the Middle

CHAPTER 9 Connecting the Work to the People From Manager of Work to Manager of Inspiration

Olivia was the branch manager of a bank, and every day she thought about quitting.

Olivia loved coaching and developing her team of tellers, loan officers, and office workers, and she enjoyed interacting with the local community. That’s what she thought she would mainly be doing when she took the position three years earlier. But lately she had only been able to spend about 20 percent of her time on that part of the job.

The rest of her job—the other 80 percent—Olivia had come to hate. She hated having to be responsible for financial targets. She hated scheduling. She positively despised administrative work. She hadn’t yet been able to fill a vacancy ...