Every business has them – the managers and team leaders who keep the engine running day to day. They’re not setting the grand in the boardroom, nor just starting out at the bottom. They sit in the middle, translating strategy into reality, shaping culture in the moment, and leading the teams that drive performance.
Yet this ‘squeezed middle’ often carries the greatest responsibility with the least support. Neglect them and strategies stall. Invest in them, and you unlock growth, and sustainable change.
The Vital Link Between Vision and Reality
In real terms, middle managers are the vital link between vision and reality. They convert strategic intent into daily action, set the tone for how culture is lived, and balance the demands of senior leaders with the needs of their teams.
Their role is complex and relentless: they must deliver on the expectations handed down from the top while motivating, supporting and developing their teams. They are often caught between senior leaders pushing for change and frontline staff navigating uncertainty, and are rarely given the tools, support, space or trust to lead effectively.
However, when you get this layer right, it can become one of the most powerful drivers of organisational success.
Why the Middle is So Often Overlooked
Development budgets are typically focused on the extremes:
- Senior leaders receive bespoke development programmes, coaching and strategy retreats.
- Frontline staff receive inductions, compliance training and technical skill building.
- Those in the middle are often left to fend for themselves.
CIPD research shows that first line and middle managers receive the least structured development compared to both ends of the organisational spectrum. Many are promoted for technical skill or tenure rather than leadership potential – then left to ‘sink or swim’ without preparation for managing people, conflict or change.
Being a subject matter expert, top salesperson or 10-year veteran is no guarantee of being able to manage or lead others. Overnight these leaders inherit responsibility for people, budgets and performance, but without the training to manage conflict, motivate teams or have difficult conversations.
The result? Overwhelmed managers and underperforming teams.
The Culture Cascade
We’ve said it from the beginning: culture isn’t built on slogans, it’s sustained by how people learn and lead every day. Middle leaders set that tone. When they feel supported, coached and psychologically safe, they create the same conditions for their teams. Learning becomes normal. Development is valued. People stretch themselves and grow.
When that support is missing, fear, silence and disengagement take hold. Empowering the middle means enabling culture to cascade – creating confidence, connection and performance at every level.
Where Strategy, Culture and Leadership Collide
Peter Drucker identified three forces that drive organisational success and change.
- Strategy sets direction
- Culture shapes how people behave and feel
- Leadership ensures both are delivered
The squeezed middle sits at the intersection of all three. They turn strategy into operational reality, bring culture to life and model leadership that enables or blocks change.
Ignore them and the connection between strategy, culture and leadership breaks down. Invest in them and you multiply impact, build trust, improve productivity and lead change faster and more effectively.
The Future Depends on Them
The world of work is evolving faster than ever – Cranfield University predicts more change in the next five years than in the previous fifty. Adaptation isn’t optional, but effective change leadership is. If you want your strategy to land and your culture to thrive, focus on the critical middle: support them, grow them, and empower them to lead with confidence.
How Culture Consultancy Can Help
At Culture Consultancy, we help organisations align strategy, culture and leadership so that change isn’t just a top-down directive but a shared and lived reality.
We offer tailored, modular management development programmes designed to address the evolving demands placed on modern managers. Built on insights from diagnostic data and grounded in real-world challenges, our workshops are practical, engaging and directly aligned with your business strategy and culture.
To find out more, book a call with one of our expert consultants.
About PJ Stevens
PJ is our expert in leading purposeful business change, working with business leaders using industry-leading change management methodologies to deliver outstanding commercial outcomes. He does this by harvesting the talent and knowledge that exists in people and teams, but too often lays dormant in businesses.
PJ has worked for clients such as Rolls Royce, Bunzl, EDF Energy, Clifford Chance and Shell, and has created programmes such as the Champions Programme for potential and new-to-role leaders in an international hotel group. He has also more recently run an accelerator coaching programme for middle and senior leaders and managers who want to make a faster and better impact in their teams and projects.
