Manager Sandwich: The Middle Manager's Survival Blog

     I remember how powerless I felt as an undergraduate college student while studying engineering. My future, my independence, my life, was balancing on a single event, graduation. Completing my studies had always seemed like a moving target. See my earlier post ( Three Men and a Truck - My 30 year journey ) about my trials and tribulations involved with transferring from U of M - Ann Arbor to U of M - Dearborn .       In that sordid process, there were several courses that didn't transfer towards my engineering requirements. I ended up taking an additional semester of coursework to finish my degree. During my senior audit, I was told that I was three credits short on my humanities requirement. I just couldn't believe it. During the prior semester, I had taken debate which was categorized as humanities, or so I thought. The department had recently reclassified the course.  I had used an older bulletin when originally choosing the class. After my final semester, I

Maj. Richard Winters      While I was watching HBO's " Band of Brothers " mini-series, for the twenty-something th time, I recognized something poignant. Maj. Richard Winters , who serves as the central connecting character, continually demonstrates exceptional middle management virtues.  His leadership is exemplary, not just in a military sense, but for any organizational setting.  He led by example and was always willing to go first, where he sent others.  He knew how to balance compassion with expectations. When it was necessary to be stern and authoritative, he was. When it was necessary to show empathy, he did.  He learned to delegate, even though it was never easy.  He gained the respect of his peers and his subordinates through his actions, not by intimidation or cruelty. Damien Lewis as Richard Winter s      Richard Winters knew he wasn't perfect. He didn't demand perfection, he demanded ultimate accountability. In contrast to Herbert Sobel's b