3 Ways to Stay Sane and Upbeat When You’re a Middle Manager
By Jo Miller
An executive, an entry-level employee, and a mid-level manager walk into a bar. It’s happy hour, but only two of the three are able to put work aside, relax, and unwind. Can you guess who, statistically speaking, is the one feeling the most stressed and least happy?
It’s the middle manager. Numerous studies have uncovered the truth about being in mid-level management: It’s downright stressful!
The data, in fact, is pretty depressing:
• Middle managers have higher rates of depression and anxiety than their superiors and subordinates.
• 18% of supervisors and managers have experienced symptoms of depression.
• More than half say they feel “constantly worried”.
• 47% take their work worries home with them.
Yikes! Those are some serious numbers. But before you start thinking “thanks, but no thanks” regarding that promotion to management, keep in mind that it’s really not all doom and gloom.
In fact, the job can be incredibly rewarding. You’ll get to be a talent scout, a mentor, and a team builder. So how do great managers do it: love their work and stay upbeat? First, it helps to figure what causes the pressure and stress. Second, you can do these three things…
Jo Miller
Jo Miller is a globally renowned authority on women’s leadership. She’s dedicated two decades to helping women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their leadership strengths. Based on her work with hundreds of thousands of women, she developed a pragmatic and powerful roadmap that guides women to become the leaders they aspire to be. Jo shares this proven process in her book Woman of Influence: 9 Steps to Build Your Brand, Establish Your Legacy, and Thrive (McGraw Hill, 2019.)
Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.com and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.
By Jo Miller
An executive, an entry-level employee, and a mid-level manager walk into a bar. It’s happy hour, but only two of the three are able to put work aside, relax, and unwind. Can you guess who, statistically speaking, is the one feeling the most stressed and least happy?
It’s the middle manager. Numerous studies have uncovered the truth about being in mid-level management: It’s downright stressful!
The data, in fact, is pretty depressing:
• Middle managers have higher rates of depression and anxiety than their superiors and subordinates.
• 18% of supervisors and managers have experienced symptoms of depression.
• More than half say they feel “constantly worried”.
• 47% take their work worries home with them.
Yikes! Those are some serious numbers. But before you start thinking “thanks, but no thanks” regarding that promotion to management, keep in mind that it’s really not all doom and gloom.
In fact, the job can be incredibly rewarding. You’ll get to be a talent scout, a mentor, and a team builder. So how do great managers do it: love their work and stay upbeat? First, it helps to figure what causes the pressure and stress. Second, you can do these three things…
Jo Miller
Jo Miller is a globally renowned authority on women’s leadership. She’s dedicated two decades to helping women advance into positions of influence by leveraging their leadership strengths. Based on her work with hundreds of thousands of women, she developed a pragmatic and powerful roadmap that guides women to become the leaders they aspire to be. Jo shares this proven process in her book Woman of Influence: 9 Steps to Build Your Brand, Establish Your Legacy, and Thrive (McGraw Hill, 2019.)
Jo is CEO of leadership development, consulting and research firm Be Leaderly. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.com and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.
