Financial Services Operations: How Middle Managers Can ‘Lead More and Do Less’

When the senior executives that run the operations functions of big financial services firms are asked what they want from their middle managers, they will routinely say, “lead more and do less.”

What they tend to mean is they need their middle managers to help employees succeed during all the change management that’s going on, and all the problem solving and interpersonal skills that requires.

Based on work CEB has done with financial service operations managers around the world, there are three lessons for operations teams who want to ensure their middle managers excel in a difficult role.

1. Maintaining the status quo is not enough: Just doing your job effectively is important, but to truly be leaders, managers need to help their team continuously improve.

   While, 56% of continuous improvement initiatives fail, managers can employ simple techniques — like creating a contest — to get their teams excited and enthusiastic about improvement.

2. Network performance is invaluable: In today’s increasingly networked world, building connections with peers inside or outside your organization is critically important. Start by simply sharing data more frequently with key stakeholders.

3. Inspiration on a personal level: Most managers will say that developing and engaging their staff is one their favorite responsibilities. Research shows a strong working relationship with one’s manager can boost employee performance by up to 39%.

   Something as simple as a written thank-you card goes a long way in engaging staff in this digital age.