The Silent Struggle of Mid-Level Managers — And What You Can Do About It

We’ve been talking a lot about leadership at the top. Executive coaching, culture shaping, strategic alignment…. and rightfully so.

But while we’re looking up, something’s quietly breaking down in the middle.

I’m talking about mid-level managers, the sometimes forgotten frontline of performance, morale, and culture. The ones who carry the weight of KPIs, team well-being, and conflicting priorities, often without the tools or emotional bandwidth to do it well.

And they’re burning out.

The Overwhelmed Middle

These managers are tasked with driving results, managing people, giving feedback, running meetings, and holding teams together across time zones and screens. And somewhere between quarterly reports and one-on-ones, they’re also expected to coach, motivate, and care.

But here’s the truth: A lot of them were never trained for this level of emotional and operational complexity.

We assume that if someone’s good at their job, they’ll be good at managing people.

We assume that if you’ve been promoted, you’ve “figured it out.”

We couldn’t be more wrong.

Then Came Hybrid Work… and AI

As if the job wasn’t already complex, we’ve layered on two more factors:

• Hybrid/remote work has diluted culture and clarity. Emotional signals are lost in video calls. Many managers feel like they’re leading in the dark. Conversations that would have happened informally now require scheduling. Emotional check-ins get missed. Teams feel distant.
• AI integration is reshaping how work gets done …. faster, yes … but also with new tensions. Managers are expected to stay on top of tools they barely understand, while supporting team members who feel uncertain about what AI means for their roles. Performance reviews now include questions like: “Did the person do the work, or did ChatGPT do it?”

This is more than a skill gap. It’s an emotional capability gap.

The Current Solutions Aren’t Working

• Generic empathy workshops? Not enough. These sessions often create awareness but lack application. Managers walk away feeling good but still don’t know how to navigate conflict, give hard feedback, or handle emotional volatility.
• Performance management systems? Too transactional. Metrics and dashboards don’t tell you why someone is disengaged or what’s driving underperformance. We need human insight layered on top of data.
• AI rollouts? Focused on productivity, not on people management. The emphasis is on how AI makes work faster … not how it changes the way people interact, express themselves, or feel seen in the workplace.

What we’re offering isn’t wrong … it’s just incomplete.

Mid-level leaders don’t need more theory. They need real tools to:

• Navigate emotional tension in conversations
  Whether it’s a team member who’s disengaged or a peer who missed a deadline, these moments require emotional dexterity. Managers need to know how to name what’s happening, remain steady, and keep the conversation constructive.
• Give meaningful feedback without losing rapport
  Most managers avoid tough feedback because they fear damaging relationships. But feedback, when done with empathy and clarity, strengthens relationships. It’s a skill that can be taught and practiced.
• Coach performance when they themselves feel depleted
  You can’t pour from an empty cup. Managers need tools to self-regulate and recharge, so they can show up consistently for their teams. This includes recognizing burnout, setting boundaries, and using reflective practices.
• Use AI without losing the human touch
  AI can draft reports, suggest email responses, and analyze data …. but it can’t build trust or inspire a team. Managers must learn to use AI ethically and wisely, keeping empathy and judgment at the center.

✅ There’s an Opportunity Here

And it’s not just to train people.
It’s to equip them emotionally and strategically for a new era of leadership.

This is what we need to focus on::

• A manager’s AI + EQ prompt library for difficult conversations
  Defining the key questions managers can use to start, steer, and sustain emotionally intelligent conversations, even in high-pressure moments.
• Live cohort sessions focused on real-world leadership scenarios
  To create spaces where managers can practice what they preach … not with theory, but with role plays, case studies, and shared learning.
• A reimagined performance management toolkit rooted in emotional intelligence
  Think feedback guides, goal-setting templates, and coaching questions that go beyond “What did you accomplish?” and into “How did you grow?”

Because when you empower the middle, you stabilize the entire organization.

 Final Thought

The truth is .. people don’t leave companies.
They leave managers who are overwhelmed, underprepared, and emotionally exhausted.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

If we give them the tools to manage not just tasks, but tension…

Not just goals, but growth…

We don’t just fix performance.

We fix culture.

And that’s where real transformation begins!!

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Tony Ragoonanan is the Founder of  V-Formation Training & Development. As a Performance Management Specialist and Emotional Intelligence Trainer, he helps individuals and organizations to align people, frameworks and outcomes. Outside of this, it’s all about family,  football, and fitness!!

868-681-3492 | tonyr0909@gmail.com