Building Your Leadership Burger: How to Layer the Essential Ingredients for Success
Ever thought about how your leadership style is a bit like making a ripper burger? No? Well, stick with me here because this tasty metaphor might just change how you approach your role as a middle manager.
Middle managers are the burgers of the workplace, not just a filler between two buns, but where all the magic happens. Without the middle, organisations would be left with an empty bread bun. So how do we make sure your leadership burger isn't some soggy takeaway disaster, but rather a mouth-watering, nutritious masterpiece that has everyone coming back for seconds? Let's break down each ingredient and explore how you can develop them intentionally.
The Protein: Your Values Foundation
Just as a burger needs a solid protein base, your leadership needs strong values. But here's the thing, you can't just slap any old values on your leadership burger and expect it to taste right.
Quick Exercise: Grab a cuppa and jot down your top 5 values. Now for the real test, ask yourself honestly: "Did these guide my decisions last week?" If you're umming and ahhing, it might be time to revisit what truly matters to you.
When you're crystal clear on your values, decision-making becomes less of a headache and more of a straightforward process.
The Cheese: Self-Awareness That Matures
Like a beautiful aged cheddar, self-awareness develops complexity and depth over time. But unlike cheese, self-awareness doesn't happen by just sitting around in a cool, dark place (though some quiet reflection time isn't a bad idea).
Practical Tip: Start a "leadership reflection journal", but before you roll your eyes, I'm only talking about 3-5 minutes at the end of your day. Ask yourself:
What situation today brought out my best leadership qualities?
What triggered a reaction I'm not proud of?
What would I do differently next time?
The more you understand about your triggers, strengths, and blind spots, the more effectively you can lead. It's like knowing exactly how much cheese to add, too little and your burger lacks flavour, too much and it overwhelms everything else.
The Tomato: Communication That Adds Vibrancy
Communication is your tomato,bright, flavourful, and cuts through the richness of everything else. But just like you wouldn't chuck a whole, unsliced tomato on your burger, your communication needs to be properly prepared.
Communication Hack: Before your next important conversation, take 30 seconds to jot down your intention. Are you aiming to inspire? Collaborate? Influence? Knowing your intent helps you choose the right words, tone, and approach.
Remember, effective communication isn't about telling people things,it's about creating understanding, building trust, and moving people to action. If your team isn't quite catching what you're throwing, it might be time to adjust your pitch.
The Lettuce: Building a Legacy That Grows
Legacy might seem like something you worry about at the end of your career, but that's like waiting until you've finished cooking to plant your lettuce, it doesn't work that way, mate!
Legacy Builder: Identify one team member who could benefit from your mentorship. Schedule a regular 15-minute check-in focused entirely on their development, not on tasks or projects. What skills could you help them cultivate? What doors could you open for them?
Your legacy isn't just what you accomplish; it's who you help grow along the way. The seemingly small seeds you plant today,the time you invest in others, the culture you create will flourish into the legacy you leave behind.
The Pickles: Problem-Solving with Zest
Every leadership role comes with its share of pickles (see what I did there?). But like those tangy circles of goodness, challenges add character and cut through the mundane.
Decision-Making Framework: Next time you face a tough decision, try the 10/10/10 rule. How will you feel about this decision 10 minutes from now? 10 months from now? 10 years from now? This simple perspective shift can help you avoid short-term thinking.
Great problem-solvers don't avoid the pickle jar,they develop a process for tackling challenges systematically, considering multiple perspectives, and making decisions that align with broader goals.
The Secret Sauce: Lifting Others
What makes your leadership truly special isn't just how well you perform, it's how you help others shine. Your secret sauce is how you lift your team to heights they might not reach on their own.
Team-Lifting Challenge: In your next team meeting, try "spotlight moments" where you highlight specific contributions from team members who might otherwise fly under the radar. Not just the usual suspects, but those quiet achievers whose work deserves recognition.
When you actively look for ways to develop others, you create a ripple effect that extends far beyond your immediate influence. That's the kind of leadership that people remember and strive to emulate.
Putting It All Together
A great burger isn't just about having all the right ingredients,it's about how they come together. Each element complements the others, creating an experience that's more than the sum of its parts.
Similarly, exceptional middle leadership isn't about mastering these ingredients in isolation. It's about developing them intentionally and using them together to create impact.
The beauty of the burger approach is that you can focus on strengthening one ingredient at a time. Maybe your values are rock solid, but your communication could use some work. Or perhaps you're a problem-solving whiz who needs to invest more in legacy-building.
Wherever you are in your leadership journey, remember this: the best is in the middle. You're not just holding things together,you're adding flavour, creating experiences, and making the whole organisation more satisfying.
Now, who's hungry for some leadership development?
