Pop quiz: What’s administrivia? Answer: “... too much process, too much paperwork, too many meetings, too much performance by attendance,” says Bill Schaninger, McKinsey senior partner emeritus—and if you’re a middle manager, it’s very likely you’re bogged down by administrivia daily. “[Middle managers] are faced with an overwhelming demand on their time. On one hand, they have what their job has been created to be … ‘strategic planning.’ But in reality, it really is tactical and/or operational planning. ... Now they’re making plans to do plans, in many cases doing reports, doing PowerPoint decks, ‘administrivia’.” So how can your organization support your most crucial asset—middle managers—so they can shift focus from tedious paperwork to valuable people work? In their book Power to the Middle, Schaninger and partners Emily Field and Bryan Hancock offer a new model for companies to radically alter the way they hire, train, and reward managers—benefiting both employees and companies’ bottom line. Order the book to learn how to empower your managers to lead, and check out these insights for more highlights from the authors.
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