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Caught in the Middle? 10 Ways to Better Manage Upwards, Downwards, and Sideways

9 September 2026

Strategy, ground realities and competing requests often meet at the middle manager’s desk. Here are 10 practical tips to help them lead with greater clarity, focus and confidence.

Middle managers sit at the busiest intersections of Public Service work. If you are a middle manager, you already know what it feels like to be pulled in three directions at once.

Strategy comes from the top. Realities come from the ground. Requests come from everywhere else. At the heart of it all, you are expected to make sense of evolving priorities, urgent timelines, and the human needs of the people you lead.

It is a lot. And if it sometimes feels like no matter what you do, someone is always a little unhappy—well, that is not a sign you are doing it wrong. It is part and parcel of the job.

But the role is also deeply influential (opens in new tab) and you are key to creating clarity in complexity for your team. There is no perfect formula for managing from the middle and no way to satisfy everyone all the time. But a few practical habits can help middle managers do their work a little differently, not just in getting work done, but in building the kind of trust that makes the hard days more manageable.

Here are 10 practical ways to help middle managers manage upwards, downwards, and sideways better.

Manage Better Upwards

Managing upwards is not just about negotiating requests or pushing back solely to protect your team. It is about giving your leaders the clearest possible picture (opens in new tab) to help them make better decisions.

#1 Price the trade-off clearly.

When a new request comes in, resist absorbing it quietly. Help leaders see the full operational picture. Your value is in making that picture clearer: what the issue is, why it matters, and what options are available. Make the trade-offs visible. Keep the conversation focused on choices, not complaints.

Try: “We can take this on, but it may affect the timeline for X. Would you like us to prioritise this over X?”

#2 Bring options, not objections.

Surfacing a problem is easy, but offering practical solutions quickly is not. When you translate ground feedback into clear assessments and options, you become someone your leaders genuinely rely on.

Try: “The concern is X. The impact of this concern is Y. We can explore these options A or B.”

#3 Give early warning, not late explanations.

If something is going off track, raise it early. Leaders can work with constraints, but they are less likely to appreciate surprises at the eleventh hour. Build trust by showing that you are watching the work closely.

Try: “This project is still going on track for now. But there is a risk around X. We are managing it by doing Y.”

Lead With Clarity

Instead of hovering over every task, give your team enough clarity, support, and trust to do good work.

#4 Translate the work, not just the message.

When a new direction or request comes in, do not simply forward the email. Help your team understand what has changed, why it matters and what it means for their actual work. Connecting the dots between big-picture intent and day-to-day action is one of the most valuable things you do.

Try: “Here is what is changing/ needed. This is what it means for us. Let’s discuss how we can approach it.”

#5 Define what “good” looks like.

Nothing wastes more time than unclear expectations or needs. Does the task require speed, depth, polish, or a range of options? Clarify standards before the work starts. This reduces rework and helps officers to understand what better judgement calls look like.

Try: “This task is meant for X. It should achieve these specific standards. I expect it by this deadline.”

#6 Coach instead of correct

It may be faster to fix the work yourself but faster for whom, and for how long? Instead, try to mentor your team (opens in new tab) and turn everyday work into capability-building, not just task completion, and help your team grow together.

Try: “Share with me your thinking behind this report. What are the main points you want readers to take away? How do you think this can be made clearer?”

Manage More Effectively Sideways

Middle managers need to work well with peers, other teams, and external partners. Build alignment early to prevent work from stalling.

#7 Name the owner before work starts

Cross-team work can get messy when no one is sure who should drive what. Before starting a task, clarify who is leading, who needs to contribute, who needs to clear work, and who only needs to be kept informed. It feels like an extra step, but it saves a great deal of confusion later.

Try: “Who owns the final decision? Who needs to be consulted before we move?”

#8 Surface assumptions early

Different teams may walk into the same project with different ideas of what success looks like, from speed and risk management to the final product. A short conversation before starting on the project to align on the direction can prevent abortive work down the road.

Try: “What are we looking at in terms of timeline, scope, audience, and desired outcomes?”

#9 Make the next step painfully clear

Sideways work can go awry after meetings. Avoid ending with a vague “let’s follow up”. Try tying up with clear steps on who is doing what, by when, and what input is needed next.

Try: “To confirm, X will do this by Friday. Y will provide inputs, and we will decide on Z after.”

#10 Bonus Tip: Go on a Meeting and Email Cc Diet

Not every discussion needs a meeting (opens in new tab) and not every update needs a long CC list (opens in new tab). Too many of these create an illusion of alignment while adding noise, slowing decisions, and making everyone feel overwhelmed with busyness. Email overload has also been linked to impaired well-being (opens in new tab).

Before calling a meeting, ask: Do we need discussion, a decision, or just an update?
Before adding someone to CC, or requesting to be CC-ed, ask: Does this person or do I need to act, decide, or be aware? If not, spare the inbox clutter.

Keep Learning as You Lead

Here is something every middle manager deserves to hear: you do not need to have all the answers, all the time.

Leadership is something you grow into every day. There will be unforeseen situations, difficult conversations, and decisions you wish you had handled differently. That does not mean you are failing. It means you are still learning, just like everyone else.

When mistakes happen, be honest about them, make things right where you can, and take the lesson with you. But do not forget to give yourself the same patience and understanding you would offer someone on your team.

Managing from the middle is not easy, and no one gets it right all the time. What matters is that you keep showing up, listening, reflecting, and trying again. You may not always see it, but every thoughtful adjustment helps you become a better manager—and makes a real difference to the people you lead.