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

by Scott Mautz

The definitive playbook for driving impact as a middle manager Leading from the A Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization delivers an insightful and practical guide for the backbone of an those who have a boss and are a boss and must lead from the messy middle. Accomplished author and former P&G executive Scott Mautz walks readers through the unique challenges facing these managers, and the mindset and skillset necessary for managing up and down and influencing what happens across the organization. You’ll learn the winning mindset of the best middle managers, how to develop the most important skills necessary for managing from the middle, how to create your personal Middle Action Plan (MAP), and effectively Anyone in an organization who reports to someone and has someone reporting to them must lead from the middle. They are the most important group in an organization and have a unique opportunity to drive impact. Leading from the Middle explains how.

Genres: Leadership, Business, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Management, Professional Development, Audiobook

224 pages, Hardcover

Published May 18, 2021

About the author

● Scott Mautz is a popular business-inspirational keynote speaker who talks and trains internationally on leadership/self-
leadership, world-class teams, employee engagement, thriving in change, peak performance, and creating meaning at work
● He's a former Procter & Gamble senior executive who successfully ran four of the company's largest multi-billion dollar
businesses all while transforming organizational health scores along the way
● He's a multi award-winning author who's books include: Leading from the Middle, Find the Fire, and Make It Matter
● Scott is Faculty at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business for Executive Education, where he teaches others-oriented
leadership and the secret to sustaining motivation
● He's been named a "CEO Thought-leader" by The Chief Executives Guild and a "Top 50 Leadership Innovator" by Inc.com,
where he was a top columnist with well over 1 million monthly readers
● Scott's the CEO of Profound Performance™, a keynote, training, and coaching company that helps you ignite profound
performance
● He's a frequent guest across national media

Scott lives in San Diego, CA with his wife and daughter (who is growing up too fast)

Reviews

[Chelsea Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new year is bringing me more career opportunities (yay!) and I feel like this book is exactly what I needed to have a playbook for being a new manager. I loved the advice and I really do feel more confident having read it!

[Arjit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, I really, really tried to like this. I really did.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

My stream of consciousness notes:
I want the team to grow and the business to grow.
I want to keep my house in order and have a firm grips on my job: delivering results expected, do i know my business and out (be honest of knowledge gaps), organized and prepared for interactions with my boss so they see that you are intentional with your time, are you brining the attitude that you hope to be reciprocated, purposeful support (go to player).

Keep your boss informed (as much as they want to be) (idea: split 1:1 what you need to know. What I need from you)

Ask boss what is overwhelming them now and how to help. Take more things off their plate, then on it.

Praise your boss quietly to other people.

It is ok to disagree with the boss when called for for the business: 1) I want to remind you that I respect you but I have a different view and this is why. Discuss intent before content 2)


Understand the middle
The middle is messy
Scope of responsibility is unclear, so messy. Figuring out what that scope is.

Clear self identity to switch roles fatigue due depending on situation. Collaborative. Automany. Direct.

Not scared of conflict: Resist. Lack of interest.

Conflict: shurk . Shrink or shine

Resourceful

Conflict: I want Healthy debate. Not quick agreement

Worried: aligned objectives; being a bottle neck. I want to keep my teams flow.

Tradeoffs: there is a cost of knowing. I can ask the right questions and delegate the tasks. The details should be known by the smes. should I know everything or build a knowledge system of someone that knows.

I am present and engaged and know the fundamentals.

Leading from the middle can take a toll because it is stressful. Give example of how I manage stress better now because I have gotten sick

Filter. Not need fire drills.

I want my coworkers to know they can vent so we can connect and understand how to build bridges.

Always in control of my attitude

Know you can’t make a plan in a silo

I learn quickly because Critical of what I Learn and hear. I am skeptical. I look for what is missing

I admit mistakes

Champion ideas of team

It is not about me. It is about the ecosystem. Not the egosystem. Advocating for the team.
Team grows. Get the business needs achieved and

Not fear of the use of authority.
Figure out what kind of praise the each person needs

Explaining the WHY and not dictating the HOW

zeal of mother bear protecting her cubs. Helping them achieve their personal and professional goals

AM I ASSISTING SUCCESS OR AVOIDING FAILURE

This is a way for me to grow.

Be Vulnerable

Health surveys. Ask and act about how people are doing and ask about their needs and concerns

Make a list of things the team doesn’t want to waste time on

ADAPTABILITY

Pre approval to move fast when the time comes

Ask what they have recently learned?

Keep the Big picture

I willl encounter: egos, rivalries, comp for resources, pet projects

Identifying constraints.

Ask why three times to get to the true constraint.

Types of employees
1. Rising star: learn quickly and adapt and influence personal, not position. Listen. Consistently solid decisions.
2. Everyday heroes
3. Unchecked underperformed: maybe the don’t know why, how, or why, or no positive outcome

Toxic behaviors:
1. Pay attention to how you allocate your resources. What is your race horse? How are you getting it resources
2. Promoting people only like me
3. Give credit when credit is due and evenly.
4. Underestimated the power of information flow. Think “would this help employees do their job better and understand
5. Reality vs. hope
6. Role model work life boundary


Be transparent
Be clear about your agenda
Be clear and concise
Sharp
SHARP
Pause
Hit man idea quickly
Add details sparklingly. Don’t over explains.
Relate to Audnce. Know what they want and put their needs first. What is in it for them. Say we. Be passionate and explain why you are
Prepare. Don’t wing it.

Ways to speak sharply
Quick short sentence to convey urgency.
Talk In 3s
Use stories to get the story across

Remove redundancy

Brett is my partner, for a successful relationship

Chase authenticity. Not approval. Don’t derive all my value from my boss

Understand the asks clearly.
Questions to help clarify the ask.
1. What does good vs great performance look like?
2. Let’s assume I get the results. What kind of behaviors do you want to see?
3. What business metrics are the most important to you and why?
4. This is how I am spending time? Does this feel like it is it is on the right things?
5. What measures does your boss discuss most with you?
6. What specifically will get you promoted?
7. What should I stop, start and consume doing to better succeed?
8. Think of the most effective employee you have had work for you. What did they do well?

Style awareness of your boss.
1. How do you prefer to communicate? Email or in person
2. Bosses want updates and more info
3. How do you like to make decisions? Do you like options or a firm recommendations
4. If you boss like conflict, equip them with data and arguments
5. Understand pressures, hopes, and fears of your boss and ask what they like most about their work day and what they like the least
6. What motives you and what drains you
7. What are your pet peeves



Look up the notes for giving feedback
Give feedback early, frequently and often
Be prepared
Tackle one pieces of feedback at a time
Teach at teachable moments

Transparency and Truth reign

Team needs to know its purpose

Your emergency is not their emergency

Make it their idea

[MJ Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for those stepping into management or are already in a management role. There’s a lot of steps/ actionable items to pull from depending on what stage you’re at and what challenges you may face.

[Courtney Smith Atkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to make too much of an effort to translate this from a business model to a social work model. I read this based on a book club at work. Otherwise I would have put this down long ago.

[Katherine Kendig · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some surprisingly usable tips and suggestions here for a book so loaded down with acronyms

[Wally Bock · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a ton of advice, but no guidance about what’s most important or how to decide what’s important. Scott Mautz knows a lot. I think this material might be great in a classroom or another place where he could respond to questions or offer examples. Alas, this book may indeed have just the thing you need to learn right now, but you’ll have trouble digging it out and putting it to use. Unless you’re willing to do that hard work, give this book a pass. 

Read my full review at

https://www.threestarleadership.com/b...

[Kyle McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leading from the Middle gave me a ton of super relevant perspective, actions plans, and advice for making the most of the position I’m in. The book was the perfect length to cover the topics it needed without constantly reframing the same problem that you get in a lot of similar books. Each chapter was digestible and there were a ton of highlights I will look back on!

[Michael Wolcott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely bursting with ideas, suggestions, and acronyms to support middle management groups. The book distilled a lot of useful concepts pulling from other references and books that can be immediately utilized. A very helpful reference.

[Jeffrey Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott Mautz offers a fantastic playbook for middle management, which is a position that is so commonly both misunderstood and under appreciated. Again and again Mautz writes to an audience who are leading “up, down, and across” organizations, which so many people do, but whose roles and contributions to the success of an organization are so commonly overlooked.

Mautz reveals how middle management are the real work horses of an organization, who have to constantly be leading everyone around them, even including their boss.
Backed up by research and experience, Mautz affirms that it “takes multiple volts of positivity from a leader to overcome one volt of negativity.”

Mautz details how to lead from an “others-oriented” mentality. That middle management has to put others first by constantly giving praise, encouragement, respect and empowerment to all those around them to make the organization more successful, while first and foremost surrendering their own “self interest as a first priority.”

Through experience and research, Mautz makes a clear distinction between leading to assist success vs leading to avoid failure. This rang true to me as I’ve personally found myself doing both in various roles, and Mautz described exactly what I’ve seen and experienced.

Mautz states that when you’re leading for success you’re living the organization’s values and exuding “unswerving support and empowerment” to those around you. But when you’re leading to avoid failure “you’re indecisive, you micromanage…you’re unwilling to take risks…you spend too much time crafting careful explanations up the chain and ask for too little support down the chain”.

The great thing is that if you find yourself managing to avoid failure, all you have to do is focus on his “one sentence” description of leading to assist success “to change the coarse.”

I would recommend Mautz’s book to all my fellow middle managers out there, who on the daily lead up, down and across organizations.

[Elena J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leading from the Middle by Scott Mautz is a masterclass in one of the most overlooked and essential forms of leadership the art of influence without authority.

Mautz, a former P&G executive and renowned leadership strategist, dismantles the myth that power only flows from the top. Instead, he equips middle managers the true engines of every organization with the mindset, strategy, and tools to lead in every direction: upward to executives, downward to teams, and laterally across peers.

Through his clear, actionable Middle Action Plan (MAP) and his grounded, empathetic tone, Mautz transforms “middle management” from a position of constraint into a platform for exponential impact. His approach blends psychological insight, communication precision, and organizational strategy showing readers how to navigate politics, motivate teams, and gain trust from every level of leadership.

With its blend of research-driven frameworks and relatable case studies, Leading from the Middle redefines what it means to be an effective manager in today’s complex corporate world. Mautz reminds us that the middle is not a limitation it’s the leverage point where influence becomes leadership in motion.

For anyone caught between leading and being led, this is the playbook that turns pressure into power and hierarchy into harmony.

[Sarah Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes the advice we receive feels philosophical. It is too ambiguous to turn into action and we lack the practical steps for how.

That was certainly something I felt when I sought out this book. The title spoke to me. It seemed like something that was right up my alley for where I am in my career. It is.

This book takes relatable experiences and breaks them down. It gives language for the why and practical, actionable guidance for the how. Specifically, the SHARE framework for feedback is something I was able to utilize with success. I also really appreciated the tips for managing up and sideways. These frameworks are helpful tools that I think can too easily be taken for granted. Learning to lead is challenging and certainly not a purely intuitive endeavor. It’s all about striking a balance between empathy and inspiration.

I’d recommend this to anyone mid-career who is new to managing or who is looking to grow into their leadership potential. It definitely was helpful for me.

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leading From the Middle by Scott Mautz explores the vital role of middle managers in bridging the gap between leadership and frontline employees, offering practical strategies for enhancing influence and driving results from this pivotal position. Mautz combines personal anecdotes and research to illustrate how middle managers can cultivate a culture of trust and collaboration to navigate challenges effectively.

I found this book echoed a lot of realistic sentiment as a middle manager. It provided valuable insights and actionable tips to empower a middle manager to thrive in their role. I thought Mautz did a good job of demonstrating the value these roles play and the unique position they hold in an organisational structure. The engaging writing style and relatable examples made some of the more complex concepts accessible. A great way to get you thinking on ways to enhance your leadership skills and have greater impact within an organisation.

[Sarah Oubre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Leading from the Middle actually pretty insightful. The book gives a clear structure for thinking about influence in all directions (up, down, and across) and offers practical methods that feel usable in day to day work. And even as someone who is not in a middle management role, I still walked away with insight into what effective leadership can look like.

The only drawback for me is that the book stays fairly broad. It covers a wide range of leadership situations, but does not go very deep into any of them. Because of that, I can see newer or emerging leaders getting a lot from it while more experienced managers might want more nuance and advanced detail. Overall it is a strong and accessible leadership book even if its depth is limited!

[Chuck Cova · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great "workbook" on the subject. I reached out to the author to inquire about getting a PDF of all the exhibits discussed, as I bought this on Audible. Not necessarily earth shattering or new material, but great reminders or reinforcement or differing approach to the tried and true subject matter. Sometimes leadership is about being the great rememberizer :) and Scott served that role for me in this book. Gave me plenty to think about and consider as I move forward in a new role that feels much like leading from the middle.

[Jessica Jeppson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The people I work with loved this book, but for me the focus was way too broad. I think he could have taken the "AMPLIFY" chapter and turned that acronym into an entire book. There were so many acronyms, bulleted lists, etc. that I felt like the book didn't have any one theme--rather, it was an amalgamation of a bunch of little pieces of advice.

There were some bits that I found helpful and will be trying to implement in my own management style, but I don't think I'll be recommending this book to anyone.

[Jer · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it’s almost a bit “textbook-y,” and perhaps a bit paternal in its language, this book has a lot of really decent information.

Perhaps using it more as a reference manual would be the ticket, but I liked some of the ways it characterizes leading in the middle (like how a good manager increases employee buy-in by 12% and reduces likelihood of leaving for a competitor by 20%) and would go back to a digital copy for references.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed with proven approaches, backed with rigorous data and illuminated with real world applications, Scott Mautz offers a compelling narrative that’s easy to grasp and hard to put down. These leadership lessons are timeless and yet never more relevant than in today’s dynamic and rapidly changing environment. I’m sure to reference to this book and refer others to it for years to come.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle management is HARD! I just wrapped up my 4th such position. The job switch is due in part to this book helping me identify where I did and didn’t have influence over some unfavorable dynamics with the job. I found the examples and guidance helpful but this is not a solves-it-all read by any means. 3.5 rounded up

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I didn’t necessarily learn anything I *didn’t* already know but I really appreciated how it was laid out and took things I’ve learned on-the-job and made them easy to understand. I would’ve loved to have this even before I started managing! Lots of useful tidbits I’m going to pass along to my team too, only a 3 just because it didn’t totally blow my mind with anything.

[Lauren Del Ciello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some business books are BS... this was not! What a nice surprise.

Others-oriented leadership golden question: am I assisting success, or avoiding failure?

Skills for leading effectively from the middle: AMPLIFY=adaptability, meshing, political savviness, locking in, influence, fostering compromise, you set the tone.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good advice and perspectives can be found amongst the ultimately scattered and unfocused chapters. There’s about 100 different clever acronyms and models and listicles mashed together without a clear through line or connection. I’m leaving the book feeling like I’m not quite sure if I actually retained any of it.

[Ericka Ciganek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too many steps and ideas thrown together in one book. The author would benefit from either writing multiple books on the large variety of ideas covered or pick the best three ideas in this book and simply stick to those. This is a confusing read.

[Janine Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good roadmap, but could use more actionable suggestions, or use more examples, especially for folks trying to change from servant leadership to others-oriented leadership. Definitely a good place to start for middle managers feeling burnout.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't have high expectations going into this book, but ended up really liking it.

Save for the frequent usage of acronym mnemonics, but that's personal taste. Those find them cheesy, and only useful when you're trying to rote memorize or name something.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit heavy on acronyms & buzzwords, but the advice rings true.

If I’m being brutally honest, the book feels soulless and like it is trying to artificially manufacture a cheap version of great leadership.

[Leonie Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Interesting ideas and useful tips. I think this is a book that is good to go back to when needed. It would be useful if there were some examples from public sector or non-profit organisations. However the theory can still be applied as they are universal concepts.

[Caryn Jeanne Olson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off strong and is relatable for middle level leaders. But to anyone who has been through any sort of leadership training, it isn’t effective. I found myself relating to the content, but little resolution to navigating the messy middle. Just the feelings that I’m not alone and that I’m thankful my company has invested in leadership training as this felt remedial to me.

[Meg Hutchins · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best management books I’ve read. Finally felt seen as a manager in the middle. Some great ideas and strategies that would make anyone successful. Felt validating and empowering to read. I will be recommending to anyone who is in middle management or just wants to be a better leader.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had a promising premise and start before devolving into a greatest hits of things I’ve read in a dozen other books just like this: psychological safety, difficult conversations, getting buy in, feedback, coaching your reports, etc.