If you are not a middle child but are in middle management, then you have become the middle child. Upper management is like the older sibling who tells you what to do and doesn't give you credit when you are smarter than them. The employees are like the younger siblings who blame everything on you and get you in trouble, even if you didn't do it. In a nutshell, this is middle management.
Granted, if you work for a great place and have not experienced these situations then you are part of a normal functional family and this is not applicable to you. If this does appeal to you, you are not alone. To make it easier and to relieve some of the pressure you may be feeling in these types of situations I have rediscovered a useful tip that I was taught, and you may have been taught as well but it is buried beneath a healthy skepticism. "Kill them with kindness."-Every mother everywhere.
It sounds easy and common sense but it can get lost amongst all the information stuffed into our brains over the years. I rediscovered it when the older and younger "siblings" were throwing tantrums up and down the cubicles. I had an "ah ha" moment and went to the first older "sibling" and asked a very simple question followed by a compliment, "Did you change your hair? It looks great!"
They were so happy someone noticed and complimented their hair that they immediately changed into a better mood and forgot all about what was agitating them. My single act of kindness-albeit a calculated one- created a ripple effect and soon the waters were running still and the "siblings" began to be civil once again.
Moral of the story: when your older or younger "sibling" is acting like a moody teenager and you need a break, compliment their hair.
All the best,
K-rock
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