Leading from the Middle: A Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization - Hardcover

by Scott Mautz (Author)

The definitive playbook for driving impact as a middle manager

Leading from the Middle: A Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization delivers an insightful and practical guide for the backbone of an organization: those who have a boss and are a boss and must lead from the messy middle. Accomplished author and former P&G executive Scott Mautz walks readers through the unique challenges facing these managers, and the mindset and skillset necessary for managing up and down and influencing what happens across the organization.

You'll learn the winning mindset of the best middle managers, how to develop the most important skills necessary for managing from the middle, how to create your personal Middle Action Plan (MAP), and effectively influence:

• Up the chain of command, to your boss and those above them
• Down, to your direct reports and teams who report to you
• Laterally, to peers and teams you have no formal authority over

Anyone in an organization who reports to someone and has someone reporting to them must lead from the middle. They are the most important group in an organization and have a unique opportunity to drive impact. Leading from the Middle explains how.

Front Jacket

Anyone who has a boss and is a boss is forced to lead from the messy middle. To do so brilliantly requires a mindset and skillset uniquely suited to managing up, down, and across.

In Leading from the Middle: A Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization, author and former P&G executive Scott Mautz delivers the definitive playbook for creating impact and achieving results as a middle manager. The book contains accessible, specific, and actionable directions for influencing your direct reports, your colleagues, and the people you report to with emotional intelligence and savvy, and empowers managers to create a personal MAP (Middle Action Plan) to drive impact across your organization. It shows you how to develop the mindset and skillset you need to get results.

You'll also discover how to lead teams and influence peers you have no formal authority over. And you'll be equipped with a specific model for leading change in a way that generates enthusiasm and commitment from employees--critical in times of flux when your organization needs to adapt in order to thrive, not just survive.

Perfect for managers, executives, and leaders of all types, Leading from the Middle is an indispensable guide for anyone seeking to increase their impact on the organization in which they work, or simply to better understand the realities facing middle managers in any organization. It is the ideal playbook for middle managers in organizations of all sizes and in all industries.

Back Jacket

Praise for LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE

"Too many leadership books are great on theory, light on applicability. Mautz nails the unmet need of helping middle managers with insightful, specific advice."
--Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of WHEN, DRIVE, and To Sell is Human

"The ultimate guide for middle managers to create the most value for their companies and increase engagement and productivity from their teams. A must-read!"
--Marshall Goldsmith, two-time #1 Leadership Thinker in the world and the New York Times #1 bestselling author of Triggers, Mojo, and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

"Influencing others is hard. For middle managers--who must lead up, down, and across--it's harder. Scott Mautz has created an insightful book filled with specific advice that will help managers right away."
--Dorie Clark, author of Reinventing You and executive education faculty, Duke University Fuqua School of Business

"Scott Mautz has led from every level of the organization, and knows exactly how to make your influence felt, regardless of your role. Leading from the Middle is a practical playbook from someone who has been there and done it."
--Todd Henry, author of The Motivation Code

"Middle managers have been unappreciated for too long. This book is a manifesto for their power and a manual for their growth."
--David Burkus, author of Under New Management

"If you're not at the top (yet) but no longer at the bottom, congratulations, you're in middle management! You need a leadership book written for the only people in the organization who honestly have to manage 360 degrees--up, down, and sideways. This is that book."
--Paul Smith, bestselling author of The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell

"Scott Mautz's wonderfully written book embraces the messiness of leading from the middle, offering a powerful model for anyone who has a boss and is a boss. The wealth of insights and actionable steps will help these leaders balance the needs of those above, below, and across them to drive their influence and success. A must-read for mid-level leaders looking to refine their leadership craft."
--Tanveer Naseer, MSc, Inc. 100 leadership speaker, award-winning leadership writer, leadership podcast host, and author of Leadership Vertigo

Author Biography

SCOTT MAUTZ is a popular keynote speaker, award-winning author, and faculty member at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business for Executive Education. Scott's a former Procter & Gamble senior executive who successfully ran several of the company's largest multi-billion-dollar businesses, all while transforming organizational health scores along the way. He's been named a "CEO Thought-leader" by The Chief Executives Guild and a "Top 50 Leadership Innovator" by Inc.com, where he wrote a popular leadership/self-leadership column read by well over 1 million monthly readers. He's a LinkedIn Learning instructor and is CEO and Founder of Profound Performance, a keynote, training, and coaching company. Connect with Scott at scottmautz.com.