The other day I received an email from Talent Zoo with the subject line “Striving for Middle Management.” Inside it had a list of articles with the first being
“Learning and Leading from the Middle”
By: James P. Othmer
“Most of us will not reach the top. Many will rise to the middle. Others will yo-yo back and forth from the middle, and others, frankly, are there for a reason.”
…
I was thoroughly depressed. I understand the realities that I may or may not make it to middle management or above but the last thing I should do is strive for middle management. The way I see it, it is running a marathon but hoping to only get half way. Have we forgotten that the finish is the best part? Has the recession changed us in to believing that at best we can be middle management?
I love a quote by THE JC Penney…
Show me a store-clerk with a goal, and I’ll show you a man who’ll make history. Show me a man without a goal, and I’ll show you a store-clerk. – JC Penney
If we aim for middle management that is as far as we will get. Even though the title and caption of the article annoyed me enough to write a blog I decided to read the article regardless. James Othmer has an interesting take and one that I would agree with. The paragraph that most captured me was, (emphasis in bold added by me)
I recently told a version of this story to an audience of students at the Brandcenter at VCU on a stage usually frequented by true titans of the ad industry. I told them that I was far from a titan. And it is precisely because I had never had my name on the door of an agency, or made the legendary Super Bowl spot, or been on the cover of Fast Company in an ironic t-shirt that there was value in my tale. Most of us will not reach the top. Many will rise to the middle. Others will yo-yo back and forth from the middle, and others, frankly, are there for a reason. They don’t have sufficient creative or strategic brilliance or a personality capable of withstanding the daily pressures of high profile leadership. One student raised her hand and asked if I was suggesting that she aspire to middle management. “Hardly,” I answered. “But if that’s what suits you best there should be no shame in it. And if that’s where you end up despite wanting to rise higher, you can still be of great value to an agency.”
We must strive to be the best we can be. Regardless of our position within a company; keep fighting, keep contributing and keep living. I may never be Creative Director of an agency (Kudos to Wieden + Kennedy for promoting a planner as CD!) but I will be proud of where I stand as long as I know I haven’t given up.
