Speak Up

Good Middle Managers (MMs) risk a little in being bossy in order to get the job done.

Extremes are never good, so going too far in this direction is a bad idea. But it is better to be on the assertive side than the "wait and see" side of the table.

Its the difference between a.) telling a client you need something once, and then waiting around for them to get it back to you, and b.) telling them a week in advance a specific time and date you need an item from them, and then reminding them consistently up until that point. It also means having consequences for failing to meet those milestones - "if we don't get said materials by said day & time, project delays of one business week will occur", etc. Its the difference between a.) telling your boss you "don't know what to do" in a certain situation, and b.) telling him/her a problem and the three current solutions you are considering. Its also the difference between a.) asking someone when they can meet, and b.) telling them you'd like to meet on Wed the 12th @ 3:00 EST.

Don't tip toe around. Tell people - your boss, clients, colleagues - what it is you want them to do. Tell them how much it'll cost, what the best practices are, when you really should have that meeting, and how long it needs to take. Even if they are busy, speak up.

People want to be led - so lead.

[ For more thoughts on this, check out a previous posting on Drill Sergeant ]