“Deliberately seek the company of people who influence you to think and act on building the life you desire.” – Napolean Hill

Middle Managers are the…

engine of the business.

conduit from strategy to operations.

cogs that make things work.

glue that keeps the company together.

The Trilogy of Success:

Middle Managers are perfectly positioned: to influence up, collaborate across and inspire down!

“By mid-2023, middle managers were clearly starting to feel the heat—both from above as senior leaders sought to increase worker productivity and from below as frontline employees increasingly felt overextended,” Glassdoor chief economist Aaron Terrazas explains.

The burned-out second rung of leadership is the least satisfied with their jobs right now, according to Glassdoor’s 2024 Workplace Trends report.

Middle managers in hybrid workforces feel the most disconnected from their company since they’re tasked with monitoring and catering to multiple individual needs, per a 2022 Gallup survey.

When managers are leading themselves and their teams they are achieving better results, faster in their own work and the work of their team. Through boosting the leadership of middle managers, confidence and contribution improves and increases, leading to greater value to the organisation.

With an average of 50% of middle managers not receiving any training or development, this leads to low engagement and high turnover of the middle layers.

Since the pandemic, the mash up of remote and/or hybrid work arrangements have put a spotlight on three big issues middle managers face:

• an ongoing lack of specific leadership development,
• the challenge of leading a team that were once together but may now remain remote or hybrid, and
• limited networks and support as compared to their executives or direct reports.

Long working hours for middle managers means increased fatigue which leads to poor decisions, focus and attention. This is turn leads to costly mistakes that negatively impact organisational culture, productivity and the bottom line.

According to Bloomberg Business, of all office workers, middle managers are reporting the highest levels of stress and anxiety and the worst work-life balance.⁣ That’s according to new research by Slack’s Future Forum, which found a record 43% of managers say they’re burned out — the highest of any job level. Slack polled more than 10,000 desk workers in the US, Australia, France, Germany, Japan and the UK.

The bottom line of your business depends on your operational staff who, study after study report, get their direction, inspiration and guidance directly from their direct line manager.

The CONFIDENCE Program: Middle Managers Mastermind is for the busy middle manager.

A 12 month program designed to amplify the confidence and leadership of middle managers. When middle managers have more capability, capacity and conviction, they have more confidence, are more productive and leverage their unique role for greater business / organisational success.

This is the perfect blend of one-on-one and group development; self-paced learning; support and coaching from a globally recognised expert.

Embark on a Transformational Journey: The Confidence Program isn’t just about learning; it’s about transforming. As a middle manager, you stand at a pivotal point in your career. This program is your gateway to not only enhancing your skills but also discovering your true potential as a leader.

Ignite Your Passion for Leadership: Every masterclass, every coaching session, and every course in The Confidence Program is an opportunity to reignite your passion for leadership. Feel inspired by stories of success, and let this energy fuel your journey to becoming a more confident, impactful manager.

Unleash Your Potential: Within you lies untapped potential waiting to be unleashed. The Confidence Program offers the tools, support, and community to help you break through barriers and soar to new heights in your career.

Build Lasting Relationships: More than a program, this is a community of ambitious professionals, just like you. The relationships you build here will be a source of support, inspiration, and camaraderie long after the program ends.

Your Gateway to New Horizons: The Confidence Program is not just an investment in your current role; it’s an investment in your future. Each step in this journey equips you with the confidence and skills to explore new horizons and seize opportunities you never thought possible.

In my work with middle managers, they often tell me…

• I’m burnt out and I struggle with setting and holding boundaries.
• I feel as though I’m often invisible and wish I had more influence with senior leadership.
• I struggle to engage and empower some of my team at times.
• I avoid the difficult performance conversations because I don’t want to be accused of bullying.
• I want my frontline leaders to lead and not pull me down into the weeds all the time.

What’s really going on is that many middle managers are burnt out; concerned about speaking up and stepping up in a way that has positive influence; have imposter syndrome; and are too busy and unsure how to built collaborative networking across the business.

Many middle managers, especially over the last few years, have been left to navigate situations that often leave them unsure, burn out and feeling powerless.

Many middle managers are hard working, professional and driven but they can sometimes spend too much time contemplating issues rather than setting the scene with clarity for their teams and clarity for the work to be done.

Overloaded workdays leave many middle managers appreciating diversity of thinking, ideas, perspectives and team culture, but not having the confidence and capacity to culttivate diversity. Despite any desire to cultivate the diversity, without confidence, capability and capacity, middle managers will inadvertantly leave value on the table and miss opportunities for the business.

Many middle managers are good at what they do, yet can fall into compliance for a sense of safety; often triggered by being too busy, pulled into the daily minutia, and unsure about how to proactively build their capability. For decades, middle managers have been considered the neglected level, often lacking access and opportunities to build their leadership skills.

While many middle managers are efficient, the work gets done, but it often comes at a cost as they are fire-fighting and being reactive. They aren’t amplifying their capacity because they aren’t understanding and appreciating their personal power and how to drive performance. This leads to a methodical approach – again, staying safe – not stepping up, speaking up and standing out with conviction.

Imposter syndrome underpins all of this, affecting confidence.

When middle managers are confident in themselves, their leadership and the drive they are capable, have capacity and conviction. They become the powerhouse the business needs! 

Participating in The Confidence Program promises a myriad of benefits, equipping middle managers with the tools and insights to thrive both professionally and personally.

• Strategic Skill Enhancement:

  • Sharpen your strategic thinking and decision-making skills, empowering you to navigate complex challenges with confidence and foresight.

• Effective Leadership Practices:

  • Gain insights into advanced leadership practices, honing your ability to inspire and guide your team towards collective success.

• Expanded Network:

  • Connect with fellow middle managers, fostering a supportive network for idea exchange, collaboration, and potential future partnerships.

• Personalised Career Growth:

  • Receive tailored guidance for your specific career goals, whether that involves advancing within your current role or exploring new opportunities.

• Innovative Problem-Solving:

  • Develop a creative and innovative mindset, equipping you to solve problems efficiently and find strategic solutions that drive organisational progress.

• Enhanced Emotional Intelligence:

  • Elevate your emotional intelligence, strengthening your ability to navigate workplace dynamics, build effective relationships, and foster a positive team culture.

• Leadership Resilience:

  • Cultivate resilience in leadership, enabling you to adapt to change, overcome setbacks, and lead your team through periods of uncertainty with composure.

• Increased Job Satisfaction:

  • Experience a heightened sense of job satisfaction as you see the positive impact of your enhanced leadership skills on team dynamics, individual growth, and overall organisational success.

In the work I’ve done with middle managers the results have been transformative, with middle managers being:

✓ able to translate strategy into action, ensuring a continued focus on the big picture – no longer stuck in the daily minutia

✓ a leader who considers all stakeholders, not just the team that reports directly to them

✓ a proactive influencer, contributing to the vision of the organisation

✓ a more engaged employee with team members also more engaged in their work

✓ less burnout and and having less turnover in their teams

✓ confident problem solvers with less procrastination

✓ agile and resilient and able to help their team members be more agile and resilient

✓ strong contributors for greater competitive advantage for the business

✓ more confident leaders!

The CONFIDENCE Program: Middle Managers Mastermind… at a glance:

Individual Development Plan: Value $1,500

Development Assessment: Value $250

Professional Development Book Club™: Value $400

Full Academy Access: Value more than $10,000

Monthly Masterclasses: Value $15,000

Quarterly Group Coaching: Value $15,000

Monthly Ask Me Anything Sessions: Value $15,000

Private Online Community: Value $1,500

Monday Motivation: Value $250

Copies of Sally’s Books & Management Success Cards: Value $242

Discounts: Lots of savings

TOTAL VALUE over $59,142

Your Expert Facilitator & Coach

Sally Foley-Lewis inspires and skills managers to be high performing, purposeful and productive. Obsessed with leadership and professional development that ensures people reach their potential, Sally’s presentations and programs positively impact confidence, leadership and results.

• 2023 Gold: ROAR Awards – Service Business of the Year
• 2023 Silver: ROAR Awards – Best B2B Business
• 2023 Bronze: International Business Award – Thought Leader of the Year: Business Services
• 2023 Gold: Beam Australia Awards – Emerging Leadership
• 2023 Silver: Asia Pacific Stevie Awards – Thought Leader of the Year
• 2023 Woman to Watch in Management – Women in Biz Global
• 2021 USQ Outstanding Alumnus of the Year – Business and Enterprise
• 2021 Winner: A.I. Influential Businesswoman – Most Inspirational Leadership Development Specialist (Australia)
• 2021 Silver ROAR Success Awards – Leadership Award

Also, named a LinkedIn Top Voice, Breakthrough Speaker of the Year and Female Entrepreneur of the Year, she is also a global Certified Professional Speaker, and has authored five books. The drive to support and skill middle managers comes from her own diverse roles, CEO and senior leadership experiences. Sally delivers presentations, keynote speeches, workshops and coaching – live online and face-to-face – to skill managers, boost productivity, engagement and self-leadership.

Blending 20+ years of working with a diverse range of people and industries, in Germany, the Middle East, Asia and across Australia Sally has extensive qualifications, a wicked sense of humour and an ability to inspire and energise.

Qualifications

• Master of Business Administration
• Graduate Diploma in Management
• Diploma of Career Guidance
• Bachelor of Leisure Studies
• Cert IV in Workplace Training and Assessment
• Certificates in Coaching and Executive Coaching
• Certified Confidence Coach
• Effective Workplace Leadership – microcredential

Publications

• The Middle Matters: Ten Strategies Successful CEOs Use to Lead High-Performing Middle Managers
• SPARK: 9 Simple Strategies to Ignite Self-Leadership
• The Productive Leader: How to Achieve More, Reduce Stress and Gain Two Hours Per Day
• Successful Feedback: How Leaders Can Increase Performance, Motivate and Engage Their Team
• DELEGATE: Double the Results! Half the Effort!
• Management Success Cards and Management Success Workbooks

Accreditations

• Certified Professional Speaker – Professional Speakers Australia
• Fellow – Asia Pacific Institute of Learning and Performance
• Certified Virtual Presenter
• Certified Virtual Facilitator
• Leadership Effectiveness Assessment – 360
• Belbin Team Roles
• DISC, DISC-360 and DISC Leadership
• EIQ-2 and EIQ-2 – 360
• Motivators
• Conflict Dynamics

Case study: Clinical Leaders

Leaders based in a range of health services

ROI: sample

• Bianca N calculated AUD101,000.00 program ROI
• Sree A. calculated AUD34,230 program ROI
• Fiona N. calculated AUD687,000 program ROI

“The most valuable and useful thing I have learned is to faciliate the team and to challenge the assumption that I need to have all the answers; that by engaging the team, their solutions become more embedded in practice and sustainable and it builds staff ability to contribute / foster a culture of being heard and have their input acted on which leads to an overall positive culture. I am incredibly grateful for Sally without whom my progress would not have been as significant.” Bianca N.

Case study: FMCG Multi-National Brand

40 Middle Managers based in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei

Workshops: Overall Satisfaction: 100% rated Excellent

ROI: 290% – calculated on time saved, process efficiencies and cost reductions.

One participant reported a MYR192,000.00 (AUD63,518.00) ROI cost saving attributed to the program.

Image below supplied by client…

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

The coach-client relationship generates learning and clarity for forward action with a commitment to clear, measurable outcomes. Coaching offers a great return on investment for individual clients and offers significant return on investment for companies.

This Women in Leadership Retreat was outstanding, an excellent networking opportunity to share skills and learnings with other women from diverse roles and backgrounds. Our wonderful facilitator [Sally] had excellent knowledge and tools to provide. I left this conference feeling confident and ready for anything. The organic way the sessions where facilitated. The networking opportunities! Sally was an excellent facilitator, very engaging and entertaining.

– Participant at Women’s Leadership Retreat

Sally is the best! I was lucky to work with her on the Productive Leader Seminar in Kuwait. One of the most cooperative and professional speakers I have worked with. Not only she is engaging, knowledgeable and interactive during the seminar, but also she is a smooth communicator, understanding and modest when dealing with others. She was very present and responsive from the first contact and contributed in making a very successful event with a very high clients’ feedback. I am glad I had the opportunity to work with her and will never hesitate to work with her again whenever there’s an opportunity.

– AbdulQaiom Ali, ALLGAS Events

Sally was an outstanding facilitator and strikes a good balance of content, conversations and activities.

The content was personalised, extremely well informed. It is evident that Sally has learned experience in leadership. Her delivery of the content was articulate and impactful. I also felt the design of the event led to authentic participation and camaraderie. I will value it for a long time.

-Participants at Women’s Leadership Retreat