Finding Balance in the Middle
- Jun 21, 2025
- By personifyadmin
- In Newsletters
- 0 Comments
Being in the middle of an organization comes with unique challenges. You are accountable to senior leadership while also supporting the needs of your team. At times, those priorities align perfectly. Other times, they pull in opposite directions, leaving you feeling stretched and stuck.
Recognizing when you are caught in these “middle” dynamics is an important leadership skill. Without awareness, you can end up reacting to the loudest voice or the most urgent demand, rather than making balanced decisions that serve both sides effectively.
One common trap is becoming a constant messenger, passing down directives without context or pushing up concerns without solutions. While communication is part of the role, your value as a leader comes from adding insight, clarity, and perspective to both directions.
Another challenge is managing the emotional weight of two sets of expectations. The top may be focused on speed, efficiency, and results, while your team may need more time, support, and resources. Recognizing this tension allows you to navigate it more intentionally, instead of letting it wear you down.
The key is to step back and assess the bigger picture. Which priorities are non-negotiable? Where is there room for flexibility? How can you frame conversations so that both sides understand the other’s needs and constraints? Leaders who can translate between these perspectives build trust in both directions.
By noticing when you are caught in middle dynamics, you give yourself the opportunity to shift from feeling stuck to acting strategically. You can move from being pulled apart to acting as a bridge, to someone who connects rather than divides.
Our Core Program helps leaders develop the awareness, communication skills, and strategies needed to thrive in the middle, balancing demands from above with the needs of those they lead.
~by Michelle Cummings, Founder & CEO, Personify Leadership
Tip/Tool for Implementation: When pulled from both sides, pause to see the whole picture before you act.
Leaders in the middle must balance demands from above with the needs of their teams. Recognizing when they are caught in these dynamics allows them to act strategically, communicate effectively, and serve as a bridge that connects priorities at all levels.
Supportive Research: Sandwiched: Exploring role and identity of middle managers in the genuine middle. By Susann Gjerde and Mats Alvesson. 2019.
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