Most middle managers will never make it to the C-suite – and I profiled 1000 managers to find out why
Most middle managers will never make it to the C-suite – and middle management expert Rebecca Houghton profiled 1,000 Australian middle managers last year to find out why. Here she shares the key barriers they face and what they can do to overcome them.
When I first took up my executive role at the Australia Post Group, I was often asked why I bothered posting on social media. After all, I had secured one of the top jobs in Australia, and everyone in my industry already knew me. But they didn’t know my secret.
Headhunters approached me for that fabulous job because I was visible – thanks to posting and commenting regularly on LinkedIn, contributing to and speaking at events, and writing for publications and online forums. The truth is, there were plenty of more senior and, in my view, more capable people in the industry than me. But no one had even heard of them.
And therein lies the crux of my secret: these capable professionals were invisible, and headhunters couldn’t find them in the external market. The same thing is true inside your organisation – if your executives can’t see you, or find you, you’re not valuable to them.
This article highlights some valid individual factors affecting middle managers’ progression, but it leans too heavily on personal shortcomings while ignoring systemic barriers. The emphasis on self-promotion and “wielding influence” risks encouraging a leadership culture that prioritizes style over substance—rewarding those who play the game rather than those who lead effectively. If middle managers are stagnating, perhaps it’s less about their lack of ambition and more about a leadership pipeline that favors narcissistic self-branding over genuine capability. Organizations should be asking why so few talented individuals see the C-suite as worth aspiring to.
Interesting take, however referring to middle managers who have ‘changing career aspirations’ as ‘mediocre counterparts’ is more than a little contradictory – and condescending.
It’s a changing world with professional and social norms being upended. People are questioning their “why” and “purpose” in business and prioritizing their wellbeing over career. My question is when good competent people lose out on their next and those who expose themselves get promoted; is the workplace and government then subject to being led by only a certain personality type?
Nice article. I predict there will be few people in management seeking such roles in future due to another factor. Middle management is made redundant. Flat organisation due to information technology filling the gaps reduces the demand for smaller reporting roles in offices. The bottom and top speak to each other directly.
A major reason is maths. The further you go up the pyramid of management, the fewer the roles. Even if everyone wanted to and had what it took, you just can’t squeeze a bigger number into fewer roles.