3 Ways to Stay Sane and Upbeat When You’re a Middle Manager
By Jo Miller
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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
A leading authority on women’s leadership, Jo Miller is a sought-after, dynamic, and engaging speaker, delivering more than 70 speaking presentations annually to audiences of up to 1,200 women. Her expertise lies in helping women lead, climb, and thrive in their corporate careers. Jo has traveled widely in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East to deliver keynotes and teach workshops for women’s leadership conferences, women’s professional associations, and Fortune 1000 corporate women’s initiatives. Jo is founding editor of BeLeaderly.com. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.net 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
A leading authority on women’s leadership, Jo Miller is a sought-after, dynamic, and engaging speaker, delivering more than 70 speaking presentations annually to audiences of up to 1,200 women. Her expertise lies in helping women lead, climb, and thrive in their corporate careers. Jo has traveled widely in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East to deliver keynotes and teach workshops for women’s leadership conferences, women’s professional associations, and Fortune 1000 corporate women’s initiatives. Jo is founding editor of BeLeaderly.com. Learn more about her speaking engagements at www.JoMiller.net and follow @Jo_Miller on Twitter.
