Many popular leadership and management books are focused upon supporting c-suite executives, business owners or perhaps new managers. Whilst these roles perform essential functions, fewer books are available specifically for middle managers looking to make a statement. In addition, many of these books use difficult synonyms and while this can make the theory more interesting, it can quickly make it less accessible for non-native english speakers who may need a dictionary to fully understand the meaning.
To address this gap, Birgitta Sjöstrand’s new book Outstanding in the Middle provides a practical and accessible guide to excelling in all aspects of middle management, including listening and supporting others, managing teams and handling conflict.
Birgitta’s specialist knowledge regarding the strategies and tips to stand out as a middle manager are evident from her distinctive track record. Birgitta is a professional public speaker, leadership trainer, facilitator and coach with experience working in both Sweden and the UK. Birgitta uses her extensive professional expertise, alongside her first hand knowledge of operating in different countries, to provide practical and effective guidance to middle managers that is applicable when working with international teams.
Within the book, Birgitta addresses many of the key areas that are often the responsibility of middle managers. For example, an area that can often be challenging is change management. Birgitta offers strategies to introduce the change, get team members on board and implement the changes successfully. Similarly, Birgitta offers techniques to get an extra hour in the day.
A common misconception is that middle managers are just there to deliver the decisions of those higher, however they do have the power to influence those very decisions using the right techniques. Birgitta shows how middle managers can influence the full 360 degrees, including the c-suite, their team members and peers.
The pandemic has served to prove the importance of middle managers for delivering change, protecting employee wellbeing and ensuring a productive workforce. Outstanding in the Middle is the perfect read for middle managers looking to make the difference, be a role model and lead their team from the front. The book is of particular interest to non-native english speakers looking to find ways to make their mark.
Outstanding in the Middle is available on Amazon now and is published by Panoma Press
