I I’m have interviewed for higher management positions during my career. One question which pops up in all of them is this:

“do you have experience in leading through middle managers”

A fair question one would think given that as a higher position manager you’ll have some other managers below you. However, there is one thing I’ve seen many places which too many higher level managers miss. That’s the ability to keep in touch with what’s happening on the lowest level. To me that should be the number one question interviewing for higher level manager positions: “how do you know what’s going on in the lowest level?”

The answer to this question should, in my opinion, be what determines if you’re qualified. A false answer would be “through my lower level managers”. I have seen so many people disappear into the fog of upper management. The air up there is thinner and the details blurry. Humans become numbers in columns. The product becomes an abstraction consisting of stats and fiscal figures.

Shoes like under cover boss clearly highlight that people who run stuff don’t really have a clue what’s going on. Their reality is like your Facebook stream: curated, delayed and filtered. As a higher level manager you need to have “an ear to the ground”. Weather you’re the CTO, Chief of HR or a upper middle manager that is the most important thing. Otherwise you’ll have no way of being proactive and noticing issues before they become huge problems. You’ll also gradually loose the respect you once had from those who used to be your peers as you’ll be disconnected from their reality.

I am a team lead and this is the thing I’m trying to focus on as much as possible. To not drift into that place where it’s all abstract and the big picture. I need to see individuals and stay in touch with their work. Be engaged and proactive to try and help out before things become too complicated.
I say I try, because I would not say I’m succeeding 100% with this today. As a leader I have tons of areas of improvement, but at least my goal is to have an ear to the ground like Lucky Luke in the comics. Too hear if there’s a train or a buffalo herd coming.