Diagnosing Why Your Mid-Level Managers Are Failing

During our advisory work with a media group scaling across Asia, it became clear the bottleneck wasn’t at the top or the frontline — it was in the middle.

Mid-level managers had been promoted rapidly. They were good operators, but suddenly expected to lead without training, mandate clarity, or tools.

The result?

• They micromanaged or avoided decisions

• Teams were confused about direction

• Founders kept getting pulled back into the weeds

It’s a familiar story: the middle breaks before the top notices.

🔍 The Challenge: Promoted, Not Prepared

In growth-phase businesses, managers often rise through loyalty or speed — not readiness.

They’re rarely equipped with the mindset, mandate, or rhythm to lead at scale.

Common signs:

• Managers can’t translate vision into execution

• They escalate instead of owning decisions

• Their teams experience inconsistent expectations

• They’re reactive, overworked, and uncertain

When the middle is shaky, scale stalls — no matter how strong the founder or strategy is.

🛠 DIY Tool: Manager Capability Snapshot

We developed this tool to help founders and COOs quickly assess — without judgment — where mid-level managers are strong, and where support is urgently needed.

Use this in a 45-minute leadership check-in or skip-level 1-on-1.

Here’s how to use it:

List your key managers or team leads

For each one, score them 1–5 across five categories:

• Clarity: Do they understand their role and goals?

• Mandate: Do they know what decisions they own?

• Team Impact: Can they lead, not just manage?

• Execution Rhythm: Do they plan and follow through?

• Escalation Judgment: Do they know what to handle vs. escalate?

Identify patterns across the team

Highlight where enablement (not just accountability) is missing

Create a 60-day coaching or upskilling plan

💡 Why This Matters

Your middle managers carry your culture, your execution, and your people.

If they’re guessing their way through leadership, the whole organisation absorbs the cost.

The fix isn’t complicated — but it does start with visibility.