Building Strength in the Messy Middle
March 11, 2025 – The managers who bridge senior leadership and frontline teams play a vital role in shaping organizational success. Many of these professionals have been promoted from an individual contributor position into leadership for the first time or are in an elevated leadership role without the necessary guidance and training to address increasingly complex challenges and systems, according to a new report from Dallas-based executive search and talent development firm Bryant Group’s Emili Bennett. “These leaders execute strategy, engage teams and navigate competing priorities,” she said. “Despite these leaders’ critical contributions, organizations often underinvest in leadership development at this level, leaving these managers without the tools to thrive.”
Often referred to as the “messy middle,” this group of leaders is pivotal in organizational success, yet many times overlooked in leadership development efforts and investment, according to Ms. Bennett. She noted that the consequences of this neglect are significant: disengagement, siloed teams and high turnover. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2024 Report, only 30 percent of managers and 23 percent of employees worldwide were engaged in 2023. “Addressing this gap isn’t just about fixing problems—it’s a chance to strengthen organizational culture through collaboration, resilience to change and cross-functional alignment,” Ms. Bennett said.
“We like to think of the messy middle as any level of leadership that is between executive leadership and individual contributors,” said Ms. Bennett. “There may be many layers of leadership in the messy middle. And if you are one of those leaders, please don’t be offended by the term messy. We take this from Brené Brown’s (research professor at the University of Houston) and others’ concept that the messy middle of a journey or a learning experience is where the magic happens. We think the same way about the leadership journey. One never has it all figured out, but knowing that the middle is going to have life lessons and that most people are not born knowing how to be a great leader.”
Rethinking Leadership Development
To truly support this critical group of leaders, organizations need to go beyond traditional approaches, Ms. Bennett explained. She explains that leadership development should focus on closing skills gaps with practical tools to lead effectively, build trust and drive results immediately.
As the vice president of leadership development at Bryant Group, Emili Bennett has earned a reputation for transforming leadership strategies across higher education, healthcare, and corporate sectors. Over her career, she has worked with a diverse range of clients, from executives at universities to leaders at Fortune 150 companies like PepsiCo, Eli Lilly, Salesforce and Oracle. Ms. Bennett’s work also extends to government entities, including the FBI and the U.S. State Department, where she has helped leaders achieve greater effectiveness for societal impact. Before joining Bryant Group, she served as an executive coach and organizational development leader during Indiana University’s $4 billion Bicentennial Campaign.
Ms. Bennett points to some of the most impactful areas for development:
- Self-Awareness: Helping leaders recognize their strengths and improve communication and decision-making.
- Crucial Conversations: Teaching skills to build trust and psychological safety through honest, empathetic dialogue.
- Change Management: Guiding teams with clarity and confidence through times of uncertainty and transition.
- Team Effectiveness: Breaking down silos and fostering collaboration to enhance overall performance.
“At Bryant Group, we believe leadership development is not a remedial process—it’s a strategic investment in the organization’s future,” Ms. Bennett said. “Research supports this: high-engagement teams experience 70 percent higher employee well-being and significantly greater productivity, profitability and bottom-line results compared to low-engagement teams.”
The Organizational Ripple Effect
“When organizations prioritize developing this group of leaders, the impact is undeniable,” said Ms. Bennett. In Gallup’s 2024 meta-analysis, it was revealed that highly engaged teams outperform their peers across critical metrics, including:
- 78 percent fewer absentee days.
- 51 percent lower turnover in low-turnover organizations.
- 23 percent higher profitability.
“The benefits go beyond numbers,” said Ms. Bennett. “Managers who serve as “engagement-creating coaches” foster behaviors that lead to extraordinary outcomes, such as collaboration, accountability and proactive problem-solving. Conversely, disengaged managers often create environments that lead to higher stress and dissatisfaction among employees.” For example, 54 percent of actively disengaged workers report high levels of daily stress, undermining their productivity and overall wellbeing
The data is clear: investing in leadership development—especially for those in the messy middle—has a transformative impact, according to Ms. Bennett. “Organizations that empower their managers to create conditions for their teams’ success and well-being see improvements in financial performance, employee retention and overall organizational culture,” she said.
Bryant Group specializes in advancement, fundraising, and leadership for universities, hospitals, and other non-profits. Its services include recruiting, talent development, and leadership coaching. The organization’s higher education clients include Stanford University, Harvard University, Michigan State University, Baylor University, the University of New Mexico, and others. Its healthcare clients include UCLA Center for the Health Sciences, the Mayo Clinic in both Minnesota and Arizona, Henry Ford Health Systems, Betty Ford Center, to name just a few. Its other non-profit clients include the American Heart Association, March of Dimes in both California and New York, the J. Paul Getty Trust, and more.
Bryant Group is led by CEO Sally Bryant. She joined the search firm in 2007 and brings 30 years of experience in advancement management, consulting and recruiting, as well as achievements from the corporate sales arena and success in other entrepreneurial activities. Christopher P. Bryant, co-founder and advisor of Bryant Group, is a leader in the recruitment of advancement, development, and fundraising professionals. In 1988, he helped start what the firm describes as the country’s first executive search firm to specialize exclusively in philanthropy recruitment.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
