Leading from the Middle: A Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization

by Scott Mautz

In another big, multi‐industry study, researchers from Columbia University and the University of Toronto found that employees in mid‐level roles in their organization had much higher rates of depression and anxiety than employees at the top or bottom of the organizational hierarchy. In fact, 18 percent of supervisors and managers experienced symptoms of depression (40 percent said the depression derived from stress), 51 percent of managers were “constantly worried” about work, and 43 percent said the pressure they were under was excessive.9 Eric Anicich of the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business says the constant micro‐transitions from frequent role changes are psychologically challenging to the point of detriment.10 For example, disengaging in a high deference task to engage in a high assertiveness task leads to even more stress and anxiety, and a host of related physical problems like hypertension and heart disease.