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There’s a quiet crisis brewing in the middle of your organization. You might not hear it outright, but it’s there.
It’s in the delayed responses, the uncharacteristic tension in meetings, the sharp drop in energy from once-steady managers. It’s what leaders are calling quiet cracking: the silent unraveling of middle managers under the weight of compounding pressure from all sides.
These aren’t dramatic breakdowns.
They’re slow, internal implosions happening behind composed faces and well-worded updates. And they’re spreading.
Middle managers are being pulled in two directions. They’re absorbing executive expectations from above while shielding their teams from burnout below. Somewhere in between, they lose their own support system. They’re left to carry organizational stress without a clear outlet.
Quiet cracking is already impacting your business in the form of:
Manager performance: Poor focus, reduced follow-through, and inconsistent decision-making Engagement: Disconnection from the company’s vision and a loss of motivation Well-being: Rising stress, burnout symptoms, and mental health risks Career development: Stalled progress and a loss of confidence in their future at your company
The worst part? Most won’t raise their hand until it’s too late.
We’ll dive deeper into these quiet-cracking symptoms during an upcoming Perspectives webinar.
