I started kitesurfing ten years ago.

Kitesurfing consists of being pulled by a kite while riding on a board. The pulling force of the kite is exerted on a harness through four lines, around twenty-five meters long each.

When you get on the beach, one of the first tasks when rigging the kite is to deploy and often untangle the lines.

A kite usually has 4 lines (sometimes more depending on the model). Two are attached to the central part of the kite and two are attached at its extremities.

All the lines are important, and especially the ones at the extremities. If one of those lines breaks or if both lines get tangled, it becomes very dangerous. The kite will start spinning, becoming uncontrollable, and will pull the kitesurfer very strongly downwind. That’s why it is advised to kitesurf away from any rocks or hard surfaces or structures, like jetties. Unfortunately, several kite surfers are severely injured or die every year.

On my kite, the right line is black and on the left one is red. The attachment points on the kites are of the same color to avoid making mistakes and tangling the lines. It is not unusual to walk several times all along the lines to spot any knots or lines crossing each other. Lines are connected to the kite when the lines are properly untangled.

At take-off, the kitesurfer does a last check. A helper holds the kite. The kite surfer pulls the lines to make sure they are untangled. If the lines are ok, the kitesurfer gives a thumbs up to the helper. The helper then releases the kite for take-off. If the lines are tangled (that does happen, despite all the pre-checks), then the kitesurfer will put his hand on top of their head, giving the signal to the helper to securely put the kite back on the ground. Take-off is aborted.

The kitesurfer is responsible for making that last check. No one else is.

Once on the water, the kitesurfer will adjust the position of the kite for optimum power and direction by pulling and pushing the bar that connects the lines between the kite and the harness, to the right and to the left as needed. Pulling vigorously the bar all together, with equal amount of pressure on the right and left side, will generate enough force to lift the kitesurfer above the water and jump… The best kitesurfers (and the most daring ones) will jump above twenty-five meters in the air. Just a couple of meters are enough to give a powerful adrenaline rush. That is why this sport is so addictive.

But to be safe and enjoyable, the right and left lines must be untangled and pulled with the right amount of pressure.

Great, thanks for the explanation Matthieu!

What does that have anything to do with middle management?

I am sure you have come across the Eisenhower Matrix.

It is a task management tool that passed the test of time. The concept is very simple, and I do not intend to lecture you about it – many have done that better than me and at length. I can recommend Hasard Lee’s book, “The Art of Clear Thinking”. Hasard tells a great story about how General Eisenhower followed his eponymous principle during operation Overlord. Fascinating…

Back to our corporate world!

The Eisenhower Matrix helps categorize (and that way, prioritize) the tasks at hand in four boxes along two axes. One axis represents the degree of importance of the task, and the other one, the degree of urgency.

Although this tool is simple and proven, it is useless if one cannot make the difference between the important and the urgent tasks.

I must admit that I still find myself mixing up both, and that way, not effectively using my time.

That happens especially during periods of intense activity when tasks are piling up. Stress impers my capacity to sort out what is important and what is urgent. This can also become a disturbance to my team if I create a sense of false urgency. Not ideal…

When both important and urgent issues are tangled, like when my kitesurf lines cross each other or one breaks, it can spiral out of control and take the best of me.   

The same way that I must resist the urge to rigg my kite hastily at the risk of putting myself in danger, I must also pause during busy work periods to keep a clear sight of what is urgent and what is important.

What is urgent?

Urgent tasks have a hard deadline and require immediate attention. They are often associated with achieving someone else's goals. They are driven by external factors.

Let us get to the details, which might help you (and me) to get an idea of what typical urgent tasks are when you lead from the middle.

• Crisis management – As a middle manager, you will often have to manage unexpected crises or emergencies. In my field of work, that would typically be a workplace accident that requires immediate actions to minimize negative impacts.

• People issues – Whether personal or work-related, your team members might find themselves in situations that require your immediate attention and support (i.e., grievance, bullying or harassment, performance…). By acting promptly, you will help maintain morale, productivity, and overall team cohesion.

• Project management – As I mentioned in the case for leading from the middle, middle managers must be good at project management, which implies being good at meeting deadlines. If there is a risk that an important deliverable is delayed, you must take immediate action to reallocate resources, adjust timelines, or mitigate obstacles to meet project goals.

• Customer complaints – You might be responsible for the interface management with internal or external Customers. In this case, you will be required to handle swiftly any Customer’s complaint or request to maintain satisfaction and loyalty. That may include allocating resources to handle an issue raised by the Customer.

• Resource allocation – In a matrix organization, you will often have to adjust quickly to the demand of the business by allocating personnel to projects and operations.

• Change management – This is a classic. When leading from the middle, you are the catalyst for organizational changes. Your ability to quickly understand the new reality (i.e., new set-up, policy, or system) will be key to successfully rolling-out and implementing the change in your own organization. This will require communication to your organization, addressing resistance or concerns, and ensuring a smooth transition process.

• Reports and presentations – Like unexpected changes, you are most likely required to produce reports and presentations on short notice to the senior management or to external stakeholders. Though seldom, those deliverables must be accurate and of good quality. They are essential, not only for their recipients, but also for you’re the trust and reputation of your department.

• Compliance requirements – In my field of work, changes in the legal framework are frequent. As we aim to be compliant with the applicable regulations, the changes shall be assessed quickly to understand their impact on the operations.

Now that we have dived into urgent matters, let us have a look at what important tasks are.

Important tasks are driven by the impact they have on your personal and organizational goals. They align with your long-term vision, values, and strategic objectives. Important activities add value and drive meaningful results over time. Here are a few examples relevant to middle management.

• Strategic planning – As explained in my article on the operational framework, leaders from the middle must translate the company strategy – to which they might contribute – into relatable and actionable plans for their own organization.

• Goal setting and performance management – Alongside the operational framework, you will set objectives and measure the performance of your organization through key performance indicators (KPIs).

• Team development – You are responsible for the development and professional growth of your team members, through coaching, mentorship, and opportunities for skill-building. You need also to ensure your employees’ engagement and morale, by recognizing achievements, addressing concerns, and promote inclusivity and trust within your teams. Alongside managing your talents, you will need to future proof your organization by identifying skill gaps and developing succession plans.

• Budget management – Your responsibilities, as middle manager, include setting a budget for the coming business cycle and overseeing the allocation of resources. That also includes balancing competing priorities, optimizing resource utilization, and identifying opportunities for cost savings or efficiency improvements.

• Cross-functional collaboration – As eluded on in the case for leading from the middle, you need to develop a network and proactively manage interfaces with other departments to ensure your team members can collaborate well with the rest of the organization. Ideally, collaboration is developed before you are forced to do it.

• Continuous improvement – When you lead from the middle, you need to monitor the services and products you deliver to your organization or to your customers and seek opportunities for improvement. Like cross-functional collaboration, it is better to do that on a regular basis, so that Customers dissatisfaction does not become an urgent matter.

• Compliance management – I think now you get it. If you do not want your compliance becoming a matter of urgency, you will need to continuously assess risks, implement controls, and mitigate potential liabilities to protect your organization's reputation and integrity.

When under pressure, keeping your importance line untangled from your urgency line is not easy. Unlike my kite lines which have a distinct color to prevent mixing them up, the important and urgent matters can get intertwined very easily. An important task will quickly become an urgent one if it is left unattended for too long.

Since one of the root causes of the tangle is my own confusion because I am under pressure, I will look for some support from my team.

This is another collateral benefit of fostering a psychologically safe organization.

If your team members start noticing that you create a false sense of urgency, they are the best placed to alert you about it.

Seek feedback, especially when you know you are under pressure. Do not stay alone with your doubts as it will potentially be detrimental to your whole team dynamics.

This will be the right time to pause and put them to contribution in prioritizing the tasks for your organization.

Make a list of all the tasks at hand. Share it with your team and crowdsource prioritization.

By including them in the process, you will get new perspectives on what you think is your importance and urgency reality – the power of reframing.

Additionally, it will be much easier to agree on tasks to be delegated since it is no longer the result of a top-down arbitrary process.  

By deep diving into what means important vs urgent in my middle manager ecosystem, my goal was to help you make this distinction yourself.

The Eisenhower Matrix is a great tool, but if you do not know what tasks or activities go where, it is useless.

Like all tools, practice, practice, reflect, and practice again.

Involve your team in the process. It will help with your team cohesion and efficiency.

And what about you? How do you keep your lines untangled?

Get in touch!

As always, I will be happy to get your comments and feedback.