Ah, corporate America, where power shifts faster than you can say “quarterly report,” and every other week is marked by a new drama. Who’s up, who’s down, who’s in good with the big boss, who has allies that could complicate that connection? The org chart is a clue but tells only a fraction of the story of how power actually flows between employees, management, and owners.
The most important rule about corporate power is you don’t talk about corporate power. It’s a Darwinian viper pit where everyone wears an HR-mandated smile. Power shifts are a natural part of a company’s evolution. However, a power shift can redefine the cultural essence of a company. These power shifts happen for a variety of reasons, including:
Market conditions: During times of economic peace and tranquility, employees can ask for perks—such as not being overworked to the brink of exhaustion—without fear. But when the economy goes south, leaders put on their dictator hats and austerity vests.
Shareholder activism: Not the socially conscious kind, the shark-like kind. From shareholders who wouldn’t mind stabbing you in your 401K for those sweet dividends. (Not all shareholders and investor groups are here for a quick cash grab. Some are actually championing the crazy notions of sustainability, ethical practices, and long-term growth. )
Employee activism: 2023? More like 'The Year the Unions Went to Town'! Shout out to the Writers Guild, UAW, and Kaiser Permanente for leading the strike parade. From gender pay gaps to environmental issues, the whispers of employee discontent are now roars.
Wartime CEOs are creating a culture of assholes
But let’s focus on a certain kind of power shift that happens during a corporate emergency. Like, earnings are way down. Or the company expanded too fast and had to lay a bunch of people off. There’s been a legal defeat. Or something!
You know who thrives in these cultural shifts? The Wartime CEO. (The peacetime vs wartime CEO concept was popularized by Ben Horowitz, co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.) A chief executive officer who jumps into crisis mode a little too fast, taking swift and decisive actions, making the tough calls in response to threats. The vibe is: Shit is dire, the normal rules don’t apply, and we all have to buck up and get behind our guy! If a few hundred (or thousand) employees become collateral damage, that’s just war, baby!
Suddenly, coffee breaks are tactical retreats and emails are coded dispatches. In contrast to the “Peacetime CEO,” who operates under stable and predictable conditions, and focuses on growth, culture, and innovation, the wartime CEO doesn’t have to worry about all that stuff. I mean, at least not now, when we got to war on! Protocol, workers’ rights, safety, and jobs—we’ll come back to that when we can.
Everyone downstream from the C-suite gets it in the shorts, especially the middle managers tasked with transmitting the inspiring wartime vision downward. They’re caught in the crossfire between demands from above and complaints from below.
When there’s a shift in power dynamics, good middle managers shield their teams and craftily balance the need to kowtow with the needs of their people. But if they take the game of toy soldiers seriously, prepare for a workplace as comfortable as a bed of nails. The signs of trouble are many: a lack of clear expectations, bad communication, ghosting their own team, and playing hide-and-seek instead of offering guidance. Shitty managers have a greater influence on employee mental health (69%), outpacing doctors and therapists, and equaling spouses.
The worst are the middle managers who see gaze upon the little general at the top with puppy-dog eyes of adoration, and adopt the wartime persona as their own. Wartime personas often emphasize urgency. Take Amazon and their credo that it’s always “Day One,” and day one means URGENCY. So people feel the need to be busy, busy, busy, or at least to look like they’re busy. Another thing urgency demands is compliance. There’s no time for discussion or debate or dissent during a war. Bad news, wannabes: that substance cascading from the top of the company and completely covering you? Take a good whiff, because it ain’t glory. If you're looking for numbers, let Harvard Business Review lay it down for you: inept middle managers can drain up to a whopping $1 million per annum in squandered productivity.
Ambassadors > generals
But let's put the shoe on the other foot. What are tech billionaires rocking these days? Oh, Lora Pianas? Fine, I've got my fucking Lora Pianas on, and fully invested in the idea that wartime leadership is the “it” thing my company needs to survive the rough patches. And let’s say there’s a more enlightened version of what we’re talking about: not just about guiding this corporate ship through the storm, but making sure the crew has got their life jackets on.
But going to “business war” isn't like picking out shoes. It's a colossal call, perhaps one of the weightiest a leader could face. (Sure, it's less “300” and more “negotiate and chat,” but you know what I mean.) As for you middle managers in this scenario, do they come off as drill sergeants or peacekeepers? Diplomatic endeavors and peaceful solutions offer a greater likelihood of long-term peace and prosperity without war's detrimental impacts. Diplomatic middle managers are unsung heroes promoting communication, collaboration, adaptability, and employee engagement.
Adopting Molly Graham's Lego-shedding philosophy can pave the way for managers to channel their inner ambassadors, rather than going full-on general mode.
Swap the boss hat for a coach's whistle: Focus on nurturing their abilities and expanding their expertise.
Find the right people to delegate to: It's not just about chucking tasks to anyone; scout for the competent, the reliable, and the passionate. Those who don't just nod, but get your grand vision.
Boost autonomy: This not only ups your team’s engagement, but also makes them feel more valued.
Provide clear instructions and expectations: No one's winning with vague gestures and mumbled instructions.
And now, the hardest bit: loosen those reins. Delegating isn't just about offloading work—it's about trust. To truly soar and scale, you've got to let others fly too.
Treading this path, managers can foster a vibe that's less "do as I say" and more "let's do this together."
If a company is struggling through the quagmire of subpar middle management—complete with disillusioned employees, a revolving door of exiting employees, and nose-diving productivity—it’s possible that coaching could be the missing link. Coaching has the potential to morph middle managers from corporate liabilities to assets, sculpting them into the mentor figures their teams desperately need. In the realm of corporate dynamics, coaching could be the way to win that war the wartime CEO is so excited about.
The company BetterUp makes the case that a strong coaching culture results in a 14% boost in revenue growth, and an eye-popping 26% boost in employee engagement. Of course any resource is only as good as the company that uses it, and it can very easily morph into a bureaucratic box-checking exercise and time-suck.
Advice!
If you—yes you, personally!—are managed by a shitty manager, your options might seem limited. That’s because they are! But there are some.
Manage up
Managing up means taking charge of the narrative. Your manager should offer you clear expectations and feedback, but absent that, you can articulate what YOU think their expectations are, and ask them to confirm them. Be very pedantic and precise. After you meet with them, send them an email with a list of all the shit you think you’re supposed to do and ask them if anything is missing. Like, yeah, at that point you’re doing their job for them, but this will help you.
Become cool with your boss’s boss
When you're stuck in the quicksand of an inept manager, sometimes the lifeline you need is hanging a level above, in the hands of your boss's boss. By connecting with them, you gain an ally with a broader view, who can provide perspective, mentorship, and, if needed, intervention. This isn't about undermining your immediate supervisor, but rather about finding avenues to thrive and be recognized.
Don’t compromise your integrity
When the captain is steering you into stormy waters, you need to keep a close watch on your own moral compass. Tumultuous times are when your integrity is tested, but also when it can be solidified. A shitty manager can make clinging to your principles seem counterproductive, or even career-limiting. Keeping that integrity intact not only fortifies your own character but also ensures you act in the best interests of the business, which will not thrive long-term by deviating from its stated mission—at least not in any way you want to be part of. Because a sure way to know if you’re in shady territory is if things are not being put in writing, and are at odds with your company’s statement of values. Which brings us to …
Align with the mission
Sometimes your best guiding light is that is that company mission statement. Align yourself to that mission and you’re more likely to be anchored to what truly matters. A shitty manager will make aligning yourself to that mission become less of a choice and more of a survival tactic. Because when you invoke your company’s mission, you can protect yourself. But not without some danger: Your boss could find it annoying to be confronted with the gap between what the company says and what it does.
War is a great excuse to ditch DEI
A caveat is in order though, because another lovely aspect of the wartime mindset is that it’s a great pretext to push DEI to the backburner. Who has time for equity when there's a corporate war on? For minorities in the corporate space, grappling with an inept manager isn't just a professional obstacle, but often layers upon an already complex matrix of systemic challenges.
The frustration of a lousy boss is exacerbated by the undercurrents of cultural biases, micro-aggressions, or even outright discrimination.
Traditional advice like “managing up” or “aligning with the company's mission,” often overlooks those added intricacies minorities face. Minorities, as always when navigating the dominant culture, need more finesse, creativity, and persistence than their peers. Their journey not just about thriving professionally, but doing so while constantly asserting their rightful place in the corporate mosaic.
The legacy of lousy leadership
There's an art to balancing this fierce wartime energy while preserving a healthy, harmonious workplace — one that doesn't push employees to the brink or endanger the business's future.
Leadership, however, isn't just about strategizing; it's about the ethics, values, and impact of decisions made. While jumping headfirst into battle might seem like the “strong” thing to do, it's a heavy choice laden with potential human and economic fallout. The consequences are often unpredictable.
Pointing fingers at subpar leaders for every hiccup in the universe? Okay, perhaps a tad melodramatic. But let's be real: from boardroom blunders to societal snafus, shitty leaders sure have a knack for keeping things... shall we say, spicy? And while blaming that horrendous morning traffic on them might be pushing it, their influence in shaping our world (for better or worse) is undeniable.
In a world teeming with leadership faux pas, it's time to reflect on whom we're letting take the reins. After all, leadership isn't just a title; it's an action, a responsibility, and most of all, a legacy. Let's make sure it's one worth remembering.