The most underestimated person in any transformation…

The most underestimated person in transformation might be the person caught in the middle.

The middle manager.

We ask them to champion the transformation…while they are still trying to understand it themselves.
We ask them to create clarity for their teams…while decisions above them are still changing.
We ask them to deal with resistance, keep people motivated, adopt new technology, change ways of working, hit their targets - and keep business running as usual.(of course!)

And then we’re surprised when they struggle.

I’ve seen middle management described as a barrier to change more times than I can count.
Sometimes that criticism is justified.

But I think we should ask another question first:
Have we actually equipped them for the role we’re asking them to play?
Do they understand not just what is changing, but why?
Can they translate a transformation story into what it means for their team on Monday morning?
Do they have somewhere to take their own doubts and questions?
Do they have the skills to lead people through uncertainty?
And perhaps most importantly:
Have we given them the space to lead change - or just added change leadership to an already impossible to-do list?

Middle managers aren’t simply a communication channel between leadership and employees.

They are where transformation gets translated into everyday reality!

And if we want organisations to move faster, perhaps we should stop treating the middle as a layer to push change through…and start treating it as a place to build change capability.