09 May The BHAG Coming to Life
The grand vision, most organisations have one, often inspiring, futuristic and packed with possibility. But once the executive team has shared it, whether through a fancy presentation or an email surge, who actually makes it happen? Enter the middle manager. They are the bridge between ambition and action, between vision and people’s everyday work. Yet what’s often missed is that we hand them the ‘what’ without the ‘how’, no clear tools, limited context, not enough time, and rarely the clarity they need to succeed.
Often it is assumed that managers know how to interpret strategy, how to connect the big picture to their team’s reality, and how to hold meaningful conversations about where the organisation is headed. However, many middle managers, especially those newly appointed, are still figuring out their own leadership identity. The idea of “cascading the vision” feels abstract at best, confusing or even performative at worst.
In our LeaderShift conversations this week, the misalignment between the strategic direction and operational reality was a clear pain point as we were discussing the challenges faced by managers currently. Managers are often expected to bridge this divide, translating high-level vision into meaningful team deliverables, often without sufficient clarity or support.
Meanwhile, these managers are under pressure from both sides. Executives expect them to deliver results and drive performance. Their teams look to them for support, clarity, and guidance. On the other hand, they are expected to manage both task and people, yet they’re often excluded from the very conversations that would help them make sense of the bigger picture, of how we got to this Big Hairy Audacious Goal!
We also underestimate how hard it is to talk about vision in a way that lands, what does it look like for my team? What needs to shift in how we work? What parts of the old way no longer serve us? Without clear, contextual answers, a bold vision can quickly become just another internal campaign, with posters on the wall and little real change. So, how do we shift that? Middle managers need more than information, they need meaning. They need space to explore the vision before they’re asked to deliver it. They need tools to facilitate team dialogue, support to speak with both authenticity and confidence. Without that, the strategy risks becoming another top-down statement instead of a shared direction. This means that if we want the vision to live beyond the boardroom, we need to invest in the people who carry it forward every day, the managers. Perhaps it starts with these conversations, hearing what their struggles are
So how are you equipping your managers to do this crucial work in your organisation? If you’re a middle manager yourself, do you feel ready to translate the vision, or are you still looking for the words?
Connect with us to hear more about LeaderShift and how we help organisations improve performance through strategy, leadership and team development.
Join our OD Café on 21 May where we spend time sharing some thoughts and getting into conversations about what it is organisational design, who really does it, and what this means for strategy and for organisational effectiveness.