Effective Middle Management (Forgive me, Martha Stewart)
By Julie Adamen

(This article is reprinted from our August 1999 issue)

The Manager's Luncheon Recipe or, Span Scramble

INGREDIENTS:

• Several Homeowners Associations
• Several Managers (pinch to see if alive)
• Smidge of support staff
• Dash of accounting
• 3 dozen competent and semi competent Board Members
• 8-10 certifiable Board Members
• Smidge of remuneration
• Large quantity of abuse (Tamp down to ensure proper measurement)
• Endless paperwork

Take all ingredients and mix well. Place in pressure cooker set on highest setting. Stand back a good distance, observing either explosion or a slow draining away of ingredient # 2. Oh, wait! I forgot an ingredient! And the funny thing is if you add it in the recipe, the on page mixture cooks beautifully and feeds the industry for years! Here it is:

"Add Effective Middle Management in an approximate ratio of 1 supervisor to 5 man­agers if the supervisor managers up to 3 accounts, or 1 to 8, if the supervisor does not manage any accounts."

When we say "middle management," we often think of a bloated, bureaucratic organiza­tion populated by bloated bureaucrats with no real job descriptions taking up space at the cof­fee machine and the water cooler. But effective middle management is essential to effective organizational management. It is the missing ingredient in our business. Its elimination or the loss of its effectiveness through inappropriate span of control (ratio of supervisors to man­agers)-has cost and is costing us our managers - and - those supervisors.

If a Management Company is small, say 20 or fewer associations, its need for dedicated middle management - someone between the owner/CEO and the manager(s) -is negligible. Often, the owner is the manager, and so is their spouse, or one other employee. It's the classic "Chief Cook and Bottle Washer" scenario. But once you begin to reach beyond this point there is a real need for some level effective middle management, and the larg­er the firm, the larger the need. All too often, the need goes unmet.

Yes, most large firms have the ubiquitous position of "District Manager," "Senior Manager," "Division Manager" or some such title. This position is usually held by someone who is a good manager and employee, and it evolves out of mutual need. The compa­ny needs someone to help supervise the managers and the candidate needs to move up in the organization. Middle management? Yes. Effective? Not likely - you see, as with any ingredient, it you water it down enough- example, with the responsibility to manage 5 - 10 accounts - its potency, its Span of Control becomes smaller and its impact diminishes Soon, the ingredient is so ineffective that we either eliminate it altogether or ignore the ineffectiveness with a shrug of our shoul­ders and say, "It's better than nothing," or, worse "It's always been this way."

Effective middle management is the unsung hero of managers and management companies alike. Unfortunately, the middle management position will often be the most overworked and under appreciated position in the firm. Middle management is overworked because they have to split duties, usually have a full load of properties and are expected to supervise 3-5 managers. This usually causes the supervision of staff to suffer. Middle management is under appreciated because middle managers would be the glue that holds the company together if only the position, and its impact, were recognized and treated accordingly. Here's why imple­menting effective middle management is so important and, in the long run, the most cost effective position in the firm:

For the management companies, life has a certain reality, and the reality is this: No matter how good your firm is and how well you treat your managers, their life with your firm is, on average, 3 -5 years. And at any one given time your firm has at least one load of accounts that has had 3 managers in the last 18 months. This is the executive's worst nightmare, but a daily reality. The one thing that can save those accounts is the continuity of an ongoing relationship with someone at the company who knows them and knows their account over a long period of time: The District/Senior/Division Manager. And the only way for that position to be effec­tive is for a long term policy decision to be made that gives this position the tools, training and time to be effective.

For managers and support staff, an effective immediate supervisor can mean the difference between 2 years in the industry and 10. Middle managers are the people who know the accounts and know the business and are someone to bounce around problems and ideas. A "gate­keeper" to help deal with the worst of homeowners who tone down three notches when they perceive someone "higher up" is listening to them.

Effective middle management means there is someone to train and educate the managers, give them personal support, and give them the tools to deal with the difficult parts of our industry Middle management is that someone to help line managers see they are part of a team, of a whole, and that they are not alone. And to help them see the joy, yes, the joy that can be a part of CID management. The industry middle manager positions are suffering in silence, for most part. The larger paycheck does not always factor into the Recipe for Success.

Here is a successful management recipe:

Middle Management Soufflé by Julie Adamen

1. One organizational Chart
2. Supervisors and Managers (ratio of 1-5 depending on other "ingredients," assuring proper Span of Control)
3. Generous Amount of Company Recognition (Owners and Executives acknowledge importance of middle man­agers through actions and words)
4. Smattering of Industry Recognition
5. Training and Education

Mix all ingredients well. Place in warm office or cubicle. Stand back and watch the soufflé rise - and reach for new heights.

Now, wouldn't Martha Stewart proud?