In the early stages of a company, Founder CEOs are closer to peers than bosses. Everyone is working around the clock to make the business work. Relationships are often personal and somewhat informal.

In our previous blog, we discussed three of the common challenges new leaders face: (1) Communicating with your team in a way that boosts engagement and productivity; (2) Delegating effectively; (3) Managing your time. In this blog, we are continuing our conversation.

We Over the past two years, I have seen a dramatic rise in the number of middle managers seeking coaching because they are overwhelmed and uncertain of how to effectively manage their teams. They are putting pressure on themselves, but they are also feeling dissatisfaction from their team and their senior leaders.

We all remember that old game of “Telephone” or “Pass It Down.” You whisper a phrase to the person next to you, they pass it on, and by the time it reaches the end of the line, “Three Blind Mice” has transformed into “Freeze, Pine, Rice.” The changes are amusing. Now imagine playing that game with your team’s goals and objectives. It’s not nearly as amusing, and could cost you both significant time and money.

Hundreds of millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of hours are spent worldwide on leadership development. Yet, study after study shows that most leadership programs don’t result in any meaningful improvement long term.

Where’s the disconnect?

In the world of coaching and development, middle managers are gaining more attention. While executives and senior leaders often receive coaching, it's crucial to invest in the growth of middle managers too.

Communication is the lifeblood of every company. It determines how aligned, productive, and healthy the company is. Communication provides and circulates the information needed for an organization to function, and areas where communication does not flow are inhibited from contributing. Effective communication channels can foster trust, relationships, innovation, and alignment. Open and candid communication can also help you successfully navigate unexpected challenges and take advantage of new opportunities.

An organization can’t outscale its leadership. Leaders are the load-bearing walls of a building. They are the infrastructure – and, as with construction, you can only scale to the size your infrastructure will support. As an organization grows, it must constantly strengthen its leadership infrastructure to support more growth.

Among all of the challenges and opportunities presented by COVID-19, there is a potential impact that that isn’t being discussed very much – if at all: The remote work situation provides fertile ground for unconscious bias.

The old adage “it’s lonely at the top” has endured for generations because it is a universal truth. As an Executive Leader, you are responsible for the decisions and actions of every employee in the organization. You are responsible, not only for making sure the trains run on time, but also for the overall direction of the company.

On my way to Atlanta, my Delta flight was delayed almost two hours. Fortunately, I was flying in the day before my panel, but most passengers were flying in for business meetings that day, and the delay was causing significant disruption to their schedules. Tensions and frustrations were high.

Recently, I was out of town facilitating a Board/CEO retreat. The retreat was incredibly productive. Everyone willing to put tough issues on the table and candidly discuss them. At the end of the retreat, strained relationships had been strengthened, expectations had been clarified and agreed upon, and there was an understanding and appreciation of the value each member of the Board could bring to the CEO. There was an enthusiasm, cohesion, and excitement in the group that hadn’t been present for months. To say that I was riding high would be an understatement.

Growth is a double-edged sword. Success provides the opportunity to grow. Growth is a reward for hard work and success. And yet, growth is hard. It often requires a new focus, new leadership, different skills, and possibly a new structure. As CEO, you are tasked with building a new, larger company while continuing to run the company that currently exists.

The necessity of developing talent is at an all-time high; yet, prehistoric performance reviews roam free – devouring hours of productivity and lowering morale without having any meaningful impact on organizational performance.

Years ago, McKinsey popularized the phrase “The War for Talent,” and warned that the companies who were best at acquiring and developing high quality talent would be the most successful. Fortune 100 companies answered the call, as did many companies in Silicon Valley, where there was an urgent need to stay on the cutting edge.