The secret to success in middle management? Less is more.

That is, less of you is more. That’s because, as a manager, your success is measured by how effectively you clear pathways to growth for your people, eventually building teams that work without you.

Yet, when great individual performers are promoted to management, they are often surprised to find that knowing how to do is not the same thing as knowing how to teach, or even more importantly, how to lead. And that can be frustrating. Middle managers often report feeling unprepared, underappreciated, overworked, and stuck in the middle–caught between disgruntled team members and demanding executives. With Core Leadership, executive coache, speaker, and team-culture guru Stacey McKibbin and illuminates a clear and inspiring path that leads not only to getting unstuck, but to tapping the power of the middle–building a connected culture and fostering the growth of every individual on your team.

Core Leadership begins by taking a fresh look at the manager’s true role and what it means to redefine your personal vision of success. McKibbin offers up the same management wisdom and strategies she has applied successfully with managers and her teams over years of experience with companies and organizations ranging from family-owned local businesses to multinationals like Google and MetLife. Each step along the way is illustrated by stories ranging from humorous personal asides to some of her clients’ real-world success stories.

The inspiring and immediately actionable topics they explore include:

• The mindset of exceptional managers
• Building a connected culture based on core values
• Accountability and self-governance
• Mastering the art of effective communication
• Coaching forward
• Building a culture that works without you
• Healthy communication with leadership

So much attention and so many resources have been directed at training and supporting C-Suite executives and front-line performers. Yet, relatively little expert and focused guidance has been available for people in critical roles leading and serving in the middle. With Core Leadership, McKibbin spans that gap and provides a comprehensive and definitive guide for middle managers that is both a playbook and an inspiring call to action.