
A practical, memorable framework for high-performing middle managers who turn strategy into results.
The Burger Framework™ gives middle managers a simple, practical way to understand and develop the capabilities they need to lead effectively up, down and across.
The Results:
📌 Few Escalations
📌 Faster Decisions
📌 Greater Accountability
📌 Stronger Execution
And the bottom line ... senior executives creating innovative strategy versus being constantly pulled down into the weeds


Leadership frameworks only create value when managers can remember and apply them in the moments that matter. The Burger Framework™ turns critical middle management capabilities into a practical visual model that is easy to recall, discuss and apply.
Every ingredient has a job. Miss an ingredient and leadership performance suffers. Strengthen the whole burger and the middle becomes stronger.

BUILT FOR THE REAL WORK OF THE MIDDLE
The Burger Framework™ is Sally Foley-Lewis' proprietary model. The capabilities inside it aren't arbitrary. They are grounded in established research about the behaviours that drive middle management effectiveness and organisational performance.

Each ingredient plays a powerful leadership role:

MANAGING UP
Build confidence upward
_
ASK YOURSELF
Am I making it easier for my senior leader to trust me with greater authority?
KEY RESULTS
More
- initiative
- reliable
- strategic thinking
Honest feedback
Faster results

LIFTING OTHERS
Turn expertise into shared capability
_
ASK YOURSELF
Am I solving this for someone, or helping them become capable of solving it themselves?
KEY RESULTS
More
- engaged teams
- productivity
Less turnover
Succession path clearer
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PROBLEM-SOLVING
Exercise judgement
_
ASK YOURSELF
Should I solve this here, or does it genuinely need to travel upward?
KEY RESULTS
Less
- escalations
- mistakes
- costs
Speed of execution
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LEGACY
Make improvement repeatable
_
ASK YOURSELF
What am I leaving better than I found it?
KEY RESULTS
More
- credibility
- visibility
- influence
Faster results
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COMMUNICATION
Create understanding and action
_
ASK YOURSELF
Is my communication producing the understanding and action I intend?
KEY RESULTS
More
- engagement
- accountability
- productivity
Better decisions
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SELF-LEADERSHIP
Lead yourself deliberately
_
ASK YOURSELF
Am I managing myself as deliberately as I'm managing the work?
KEY RESULTS
More confident
and stronger leadership
More initiative
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VALUES ALIGNMENT
Know what guides your judgement
_
ASK YOURSELF
Are my decisions aligned with what I and my organisation say matters?
KEY RESULTS
More
- confidence
- integrity
Stronger organisational alignment
Stronger team culture
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LEADING
YOUR TEAM
Create capability rather than dependency
_
ASK YOURSELF
Can my team perform effectively without everything depending on me?
KEY RESULTS
More
- engagement
- productivity
- accountability
KPIs achieved faster

TOP BUN
MANAGING UP
Influence, insight, judgement, recommendations, trust.
THE INGREDIENTS
The capabilities you use to lead yourself, your people and the work.
BOTTOM BUN
LEADING YOUR TEAM
Direction, capability, accountability, development, performance.
Each component of the Burger Framework™ is connected to established research.
Supported by established research across middle management, people leadership, decision-making, self-leadership, communication, coaching, knowledge sharing and organisational performance.
Middle managers have a unique role in every organisation. They must:

TRANSLATE
Organisational intent into execution.
CONNECT
Inspire down, collaborate across and influence up.
DECIDE
Turn information and problems into judgement and action.
MULTIPLY
Turn individual expertise into team capability and lasting impact.
Technical Expert
Reactive
Individual Contributor
Problem Solver
Permission Seeker
Communicator
Operational Manager







Intentional Leader
Purposeful
Organisational Connector
Capability Builder
Trusted Decision Maker
Influencer
Strategic Contributor
See how the ingredients work together in real leadership situations:
Five questions you can use today.
❓ What am I holding onto that someone else could own?
❓ What should I solve here before escalating?
❓ Where am I communicating information when I need to influence?
❓ What improvement have we made that isn't yet repeatable?
❓ What does my senior leader need from me right now?
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Sally Foley-Lewis: Your Trusted Expert for Middle Manager Development
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