Center Leaders Create Champions
Mar 29, 2026
Have you ever felt stuck between strategy from above and results demanded below?
Were you surprised when senior leadership's plans failed because no one in the middle could translate them into action?
You have a leadership crisis that leaves the most important positions underdeveloped. “Center leaders” determine whether strategies become results or remain wishes.
Middle Management is Now a Myth
Think about how deeply we undervalue center leadership:
- You focus development budgets on senior executives while middle managers figure it out alone.
- You expect center leaders to translate strategy without teaching them how.
- You wonder why initiatives stall when the people who could make them succeed receive the least support.
Tony O'Driscoll, author of Everyday Superhero, told me on the Work Positive Podcast that center leaders "sit between strategy and results. They know if the strategy coming down from on high is not going to work before the people on high know."
Shift from Controlling to Empowering
The traditional approach to leadership said, "Control from the top and manage from the middle."
The L.E.A.R.N. framework says, "Center leaders grow on the edge. Let go to grow."
Think of NASCAR crew chiefs. They lead more teams to win more championships than any other position. They coordinate learning from every team member, digest all the data, and act through collaborative relationships to win. They inspire confidence so each person believes, "I am the best."
Tony quoted Mary Parker Follett from 1914: "Leadership is not defined by the exercise of power but by the capacity to increase the sense of power among those led." Center leaders are uniquely positioned to do exactly that.
“Live Your Edge”
On her Work Positive Podcast episode, Angela Cusack encouraged leaders to "live your edge." The edge is where learning happens. You coach people to find their edge and give them support to stay there without burning out.
Roberta Matuson shared with me and the Work Positive Community on her podcast episode, that managing up is critical. She said, "I think it is important for us to manage up first, before we manage down." Center leaders build relationships with those above, understand their priorities, and frame learning initiatives in terms that matter to them.
Your L.E.A.R.N. Challenge
Try these three actions this week:
- Start Each Day with Growth: Tomorrow morning, before checking email, ask yourself: "What will I do today to help someone on my team learn and grow?" Then do it.
- Let Go to Grow: Identify one decision you currently control that someone closer to the work could make better. Give them the authority this week.
- Manage Up for Learning: Frame one development initiative in terms of what matters to senior leadership. Translate learning into language they value.
The Work Positive Bottom Line
The best leaders today develop center leaders who increase the sense of power among those they lead rather than exercising control that diminishes growth.
Stop controlling from the center. Start empowering from the edge so everyone wins the race to develop talent and you L.E.A.R.N. @ Work.
Taken from Dr. Joey's newest book, L.E.A.R.N. @ Work: The Race to Develop Talent.
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