Show Notes
In this solo episode, host Amanda Goetz answers a question from a reader that deserved a full episode of its own: "As a middle manager, I'm struggling to find the balance between managing up to my director while also managing a team that reports to me. Help."
Drawing on her experience as a two-time founder, five-time CMO, and author, Amanda breaks down one of the most underrated (and hardest) jobs in the workforce, with real, tactical advice on managing up without people-pleasing, managing down without burning out, and proving your value at a time when middle management roles are shrinking.
Hit play if you're ready to make your impact impossible to ignore!
Got a question for a future episode? Send it to @girlboss or @theamandagoetz on Instagram.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
02:25 What a middle manager actually is
04:20 Why middle managers feel so much pressure right now
05:45 The most misunderstood things about middle management
07:45 Why middle management is the hardest leadership level
10:00 Three habits of the middle managers Amanda can't afford to lose
13:55 The "great flattening" of org charts
15:50 How to be seen as strategic, not administrative
17:40 How to manage up without people-pleasing
20:15 How to build trust with leadership
21:40 Managing down without micromanaging
25:30 How much to share with your team (and the KUBA framework)
28:55 Holding people accountable without feeling like a villain
30:10 How to stay visible and get promoted
31:40 What to document as a middle manager
32:30 Outro
Key Takeaways
Send a "Managing Up Monday" email every week with your top two to three priorities, any blockers, and last week's big wins, and copy your boss. It gives leadership a regular line of sight into your team's work.
Show up to one-on-ones with problems and potential solutions, not a list of what you're working on.
Stop reporting activity and start reporting impact. "The event was amazing" says nothing to leadership. Earned media value and brand sentiment do.
Manage up without people-pleasing by asking your boss to help you rank their priorities by level of impact and level of effort.
Push back on blurry feedback. Ask for an example, or ask what exactly they're reacting to.
Skip triangulation. If you have a problem with someone on another team, go to them directly instead of through your boss.
Use KUBA to give your team a safe way to ask for context: Do you know what to do? Do you understand why? Do you believe it's the right thing? Do you have the resources to act?
Hold people accountable by agreeing on KPIs and expectations up front. It takes the emotion out of hard feedback.
Guard one to two hours a day for "offense mode," strategic work you do before meetings and your inbox take over.
Document the impact of your work, how your people are performing, your processes, the high-level strategy, and how it all rolls up to a KPI.
GUEST LINKS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
Book: https://bookshop.org/a/116169/9781464233258
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Amanda Goetz: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/
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Powered by Girlboss, Ambition 2.0 is a podcast where we'll be exploring what it really means to "have it all" in work, family, identity, and self… and if it's actually worth it. Each week, you'll hear from hardworking women who've walked the tightrope of ambition. They'll share their costly mistakes, lessons learned, and practical tips for how to have it all and actually love what you have. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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