Great Manager Newsletter - June 18, 2025
How to Tell if a Middle Manager is Burning Out
I read an interesting stat that I will be exploring more in the coming weeks and months. It said that at least 25% of help that people get at work (from coworkers and managers) is described as unhelpful.
Which means that at least 25% of help is probably making an employees job harder.
Managers like to talk about how they can’t fix a lot - this is something they can fix.
This is one reason why I created this community. So we could identify and address these issues together. The Great Manager Community only succeeds when our community is growing and thriving.
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1 Big Thing
How to Tell if a Middle Manager is Burning Out
Middle managers face "perfect storm" conditions with decreased productivity, missed deadlines, and high turnover being key burnout indicators. They're caught between executive demands and team needs, showing twice the likelihood of job-seeking compared to other employees while managing overwhelming workloads with insufficient resources.
Watch This
The Great Flattening
There are a lot of organizations now trying to “flatten” their organization by getting rid of managers. I explore the myths and problems that will occur by this approach. Key lesson - the number of levels of management you have is irrelevant. The quality of the managers is the key.
By the Numbers
2 Minutes
On average, employees are interrupted by a meeting, email, or ping every 2 minutes.
Words of Wisdom
The magic formula that successful businesses have discovered it to treat customers like guests and employees like people.
― Tom Peters
Business Laughs
Discussion Topics
What steps do you take to ensure a positive work culture in your team?
During June, I will be working on a refresh that will be released in July. I really want your feedback on what you like, what you don’t like, and what you would like to see added!
Don’t be shy.