We're delighted to welcome Wayne Turmel to Management-Issues as our latest regular columnist.
Wayne is well-known for his podcast, The Cranky Middle Manager Show, for which he has interviewed dozens of thought leaders – including our own columnists René Da Costa and (shortly), John Blackwell.
Originally from a small town of Mission, British Columbia, Wayne has a unique insight into management issue born of over 15 years spent working as a stand-up comedian throughout Canada and the US. But waking up one morning with a wife and child to support, he quit the road and entered corporate life with jobs including car sales and telemarketing computer parts.
Fortunately, he discovered that his true vocation was teaching adults in the business world. He is currently the Manager of Instruction for training company Communispond, as well as a widely-respected writer and speaker.
Wayne's column, View from the Middle, is all about getting the people at the top of organisations to start recognising the value of the people in the middle – in other words, the managers who keep things going, day-in, day-out.
That means planning and investing accordingly in order to reap the long-term results of retention, productivity and good morale.
As Wayne argues, the problem isn't simply recognizing what these people bring to the table – most senior executives will trot out the mantra that "finding, developing and retaining good managers" is one of their top priorities. But what are they actually doing about it? Do they value the role enough to invest the time and resources necessary to make it strategic, rather than simply tactical?
"I'm really happy to be joining such an impressive group of thought leaders. The reaction to the Cranky Middle Manager podcast, and my inclusion in this group speaks volumes about the size of the challenge for organisations as well as for those of us working in the middle," Wayne said.