Managing and leading a remote team of line managers is the most challenging aspect of the middle manager role. It is quite normal for middle managers to see line managers infrequently and when they do, middle managers very rarely see their line managers 'on the job'. On the occasions when middle managers attend a line manager's work unit, they can often be presented with a fictitious picture of how the line manager performs or behaves and how the business unit is truly performing. Not having day-to-day physical contact as a line manager would normally have with their employees, makes monitoring and managing line manager performance extremely difficult for any distance manager.
To be effective in distance management and be able to overcome the many unique challenges distance managers experience, middle managers need to work to a clear strategy, learn and use a new set of skills and implement policies and procedures that all line managers must adhere to.
Putting into practice the strategy outlined in this short-book will help middle managers be more effective in managing business units at a distance.