The Mid-Senior Sandwich

When I was a little girl, I used to visit a Great Aunt who owned a beach hut on the South Coast of England. It was always windy there…and cold. My hair would blow into my eyes as I played on the damp sand. At lunchtime, we’d crouch behind the blue-and-white-striped windbreak and unwrap our sandwiches with sandy fingers. No matter how careful I was, there was always sand in the bread. A crunch with every bite. During a recent family holiday, as I watched my own children grapple with a beach picnic and sandwiches of their own, it struck me that the sandwich might be a useful metaphor to think about the mid-senior manager (MSM) experience in organisations today.

The Bread

The top layer is, of course, the exec team, senior leaders and, ultimately the board. Reporting up and into this layer of our metaphorical sandwich, MSMs are typically expected to deliver on the organisation’s strategic priorities, role-model expected behaviour, navigate change, and keep performance on track, all while managing, coaching, and supporting their team.

MSMs have little or no say over the layer above them and are required to navigate the different personalities, behaviours and expectations of their more senior colleagues, often without question. This can be challenging for MSMs if they are not given leadership support to translate strategic priorities into operational requirements and can result in a misalignment on expectations and results.

The bottom layer of bread is the team who reports into the MSM. They look for practical guidance and mentorship, often to fulfil operational requirements and meet performance KPIs.

MSMs generally have greater influence over this layer. Budgets permitting, they can hire new people, selecting for culture-fit and capability, promote and champion top talent and positively impact the behaviours expected of the team. Like the crew in a rowboat, the team looks for practical direction and guidance, so they are all pulling in the same direction.

However, this is only half of the story. MSMs often don’t have full choice over their team and can struggle to effectively facilitate real change in performance or engagement at this level if they inherit individuals who are not meeting performance or behavioural expectations. This can be due to their own inexperience, lack of training or simply the time it takes to follow due process. The impact of team members not pulling in the same direction can lead to additional pressure for the MSM and be a distraction from their primary objectives.

The Filling

MSMs are often promoted because they are great at what they do. They are usually high performers, trusted and capable. They’ve invariably spent years building expertise, delivering results, and becoming the dependable “go-to” person.

Yet, without sufficient support and coaching, they can feel overwhelmed with the new responsibilities of people management and the challenges this brings to fulfilling the expectations from above.

MSMs are expected to know how to lead through complexity, navigate team dynamics, build trust, hold boundaries, communicate with influence…often without any structured support to develop those skills.

This needs more than classroom-based training or the odd e-learning course. Developing the skills to be a great MSM, to role model expected behaviours and to lead a team of naturally complex human beings, requires a multi-layered approach. Yes, traditional leadership training has a role to play. But without a safe space for personal reflection, real-time problem-solving, and individual growth, MSMs risk being squeezed from both sides.

The Sand

Finally, let’s not forget the sand. Remember those sandy finger tips?

The sand is a metaphor for the really uncomfortable bits that creep into a MSM’s day job, the unspoken tension between delivering on strategy while also carving out space for their own personal and professional growth. Often, the emotional labour of supporting their team gets prioritised over their own wellbeing and development. Meetings pile up. The pivot between tactical firefighting and strategic focus becomes relentless.

It’s the feeling of being stuck in the middle, accountable for everything yet rarely afforded the time or space to pause, reflect, or reset.

No single grain of sand is the problem. But collectively, these small moments of friction add up, contributing to stress, fatigue, and, ultimately, burnout.

So, what does this mean for senior leaders?

The long and short of it?

MSMs need your investment. Not just in courses or content, but in meaningful, sustained development that builds confidence, supports wellbeing, and strengthens leadership capability.

The most effective development approach is multi-layered, combining structured training with coaching and real-world reflection.

Coaching, in particular, provides a dedicated space for MSMs to think deeply, build awareness, develop skills, and work through challenges in a way that’s personalised and practical.

Burnout rates among MSMs are on the rise. According to a recent Deloitte survey, over 70% of middle managers reported feeling overwhelmed, with many citing a lack of development support as a contributing factor. Coaching helps mitigate this by offering MSMs the tools to manage stress, set boundaries, and lead with resilience.

And here’s the business case: investing in coaching is not just good for your people, it’s good for business. When MSMs are supported, their teams are more engaged, productive, and aligned. Retention improves. Absence decreases. Strategy translates more effectively into action. The return on investment often outweighs the initial cost, making it a cost-neutral decision in the long term.

Fail to invest, and you risk more than individual burnout. You risk weakening your culture at its core. Because MSMs don’t just sit in the middle of your structure, they are the bridge between vision and execution. Their mindset and capability shape the everyday employee experience.

Why it matters

This might sound dramatic, but it’s true: MSMs are the gateway to your culture. They are the layer where strategy becomes action and where performance is either amplified or lost. They hold the threads between people and purpose, operations and aspiration.

Coaching gives MSMs space. Space to think clearly, build confidence, reconnect with their strengths, and lead with intention. It helps them turn down the noise and tune into what really matters.

It’s not a ‘nice to have’. It’s a strategic imperative. Coaching is how you protect, enable, and empower the very people holding your organisation together.

In the end, the quality of your sandwich depends on the strength of your filling.

So let’s not overlook it.

Let’s invest in it, develop it, and support it, because that’s how we build organisations that are not only productive but human, resilient, and ready for the future.