The Peanut Butter Sandwich Syndrome (aka Middle Management)

Anyone who has ever partaken of a peanut butter sandwich can relate to the feeling of the gooey spread becoming stuck to the top of one’s mouth and how tired a tongue can get trying to make it “unstick” so chewing can resume.

But has anyone ever stopped to think how the peanut butter feels, spread thinly across 2 slices of bread and then pressed tightly together so the bread is glued together? If you have ever been a manager in a corporate, educational, retail or other environment, you might just relate….

By definition, a middle manager (the peanut butter) is the conduit between senior management and the employee (two slices of bread). A middle manager’s job is to ensure that departmental goals are achieved, timelines are met, budgets are not exceeded, meetings are represented, and superiors are kept well informed, while simultaneously monitoring employees’ performance without micromanaging and being the answer for the employees’ every knowledge gap, human resource issue and emotional meltdown.

You’re rarely involved in decisions yet the solutions consist largely of your efforts.

A little fluff with that peanut butter is sounding rather nice right about now, to ease the crush and buffer the thin spread…

Unless you are callous, detached and uncaring, being a middle manager can be stressful and thankless at times.

Not everyone is made for management nor should managers be made simply because an employee excels in his/her individual performance. Individual aptitude rarely translates into group-think.

Often times, the money is in management, but before you accept the offer and climb to the next rung on the ladder ask yourself if the price you’re about to be paid is going to be worth the price you pay. While you’re at it, check out a great related post from one of my favorite colleagues, the HR Bartender.

Wishing You Success,
Natalya