Mid-Level Managers: The Must-Have Skills to Drive Long-Term Success

The business case for developing middle management

The research is compelling and cannot be denied: an organization’s success is directly correlated with the skills and capabilities of its mid-level managers. The responsibilities and challenges leaders face in rapidly changing business landscapes are as complex as they’ve ever been, yet many of these managers lack mid-level management training, and are unprepared to take on the demands of their role and ill-equipped to lead others successfully.

The unique skills needed by middle managers

Mid-level managers are key members of an organization; they are the linchpin in its structure and the gatekeepers of its success. Operating from this vantage point comes with some distinct challenges. Not only do mid-level managers need to be effective at developing front-line leaders, they also have to communicate and collaborate across the organization and balance current operational demands with positioning the organization for long-term success. What this means is that they have unique development needs—and in most organizations, those needs go unmet. Organizations cannot expect to simply hire highly capable mid-level leadership; there just aren’t enough candidates with superstar middle management skills in the talent pool. Equipping the organization with top-notch leadership requires mid-level management training and development from within.

CMOE’s leadership-development program, Mid-Level Managers: The Must-Have Skills to Drive Long-Term Success provides leaders with the most critical skills needed at this level to drive results for the organization:

Align the Team
Coach for Results
Think and Act Strategically
Demonstrate Self-Awareness and Composure
Follow Through and Be Accountable
Lead Groups to Solutions
Solve the Tough Problems

CMOE’s research and experience shows that these topics are the middle management skills that must be mastered in order to execute on the organization’s strategy and build a strong foundation for long-term success. That said, CMOE understands that every organization is unique—and we have the ability to customize your mid-level management training workshops and development program to meet your leaders’ exact needs and the competencies they need to develop for your organization.

Objectives & Outcomes

As a result of participating in CMOE’s leadership-development program, Mid-Level Managers: The Must-Have Skills to Drive Long-Term Success, participants will be able to

Facilitate communication with front-line leaders, leaders of other functions, and senior leaders as well as customers, partners, and other stakeholders.
Understand the dynamics of managing in the middle and lead others with an enterprise mindset.
Shape and share a clear strategic direction that aligns with the organization’s overarching strategic priorities.
Coach and engage their team of leaders.
Actively develop and grow the capabilities of the leaders who report to them to strengthen the organization’s leadership pipeline.
Respond flexibly to business challenges, solve problems, and make decisions.
Build the company’s culture and brand by creating the conditions for the workforce to have a rewarding experience at work.

Our Approach

Our relevant and highly-applicable program addresses real challenges and key competencies that are unique to mid-level managers, equipping them with the skills needed to drive results for the organization. The engaging, practical, and experiential nature of our program helps leaders efficiently address opportunities for improvement, build on their strengths, and return to work feeling more capable and confident in meeting the demands of their role.

The hallmark of our program is that we align the topics, skills, attitudes, and behaviors to your organization’s leadership-competency model and expectations. We also provide relevant tools that support the organization’s priorities.

As with all CMOE programs, we are acutely focused on accountability and sustainability measures to ensure that the program generates targeted results, has a clear impact on retention and engagement, strengthens the leadership pipeline, and establishes a common leadership approach and language across the organization. Using a proven learning process combined with ongoing learning on the job, mid-level managers are immersed in an impactful and integrated learning journey.

Call CMOE today for a complimentary consultation on how to build a development program for mid-level managers that really works—and discover how strengthening the skills of your middle managers strengthens the entire organization.

Delivery Options

In order to meet the specific needs of each client we partner with and make the most of the learning and development investment, CMOE offers programs in the following formats and lengths:

Instructor-led training (delivered onsite by a CMOE subject matter expert/facilitator)

Digital learning program (self-paced or live)

Blended and layered solution (combining instructor-led training and digital learning)

Train the trainer services (certifying internal trainers in CMOE's world-class programs)

Curriculum integration (deliver the topic in conjunction with another topic or event or build it into a development curriculum)

4-16 hours (8 hours preferred) for instructor-led variable for digital learning

Contact a CMOE Client Services Specialist to discuss a targeted solution that is right for your organization.

Related Services

Customized Leadership Development Programs

Transition to Leadership

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Courageous Conversations Workshop

Contact Form

Need More Information?
Please fill out the following form and we will be in contact with you with more information.

Recent Blog Posts

How to Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams in the Workplace

A cross-functional team can bring together people and departments that are as...

The Need For Strategic Perspective

Innovative and rapidly developing technologies have created a “need for speed” in...

Do We Expect Too Much from Leaders?

The Expectations of a Leader Are leaders expected to know and do...