What Great Middle Managers Do Differently | Anil Srinivas

What does it take to become a better middle manager, not just someone who gets the work done, but someone who builds capable teams, manages priorities, and creates strong relationships across an organization? In this episode of Middle Manager Mastery, I speak with Anil Chilla, a corporate leader with 25 years of experience across digital businesses, transformations, and multi-market leadership. We discuss the realities of middle management through practical examples from Anil's career, covering delegation, coaching, prioritization, burnout, managing upwards, disagreement, and stakeholder relationships. About Anil: Anil Chilla is a bestselling author, leadership educator, and former senior executive at L’Oréal, Levi’s, and Dell with 25+ years of leadership experience across Asia. He combines practical business experience with insights from the Ramayana and Indian Knowledge Systems.Timestamps: 01:14 - Why delegation feels terrifying 02:23 - When too much delegation goes wrong 05:07 - When should a manager step in? 07:12 - Relationships vs. deliverables 09:04 - Three ways to get a project back on track 13:08 - Delegating when your team is already overloaded 13:35 - The “ball should never be in your court” principle 15:44 - Preventing burnout through prioritization 17:59 - The 70/30 rule for managing priorities 19:19 - Coaching instead of firefighting 23:02 - Why one-on-ones should start with the person 24:51 - Managing agencies and external partners 26:01 - How to disagree with leadership effectively 28:16 - A real example of “disagree but commit” 33:00 - The art of managing upwards 35:00 - How to say no without being abrasive 36:55 - Never bring a problem without a solution 38:45 - Practical ways to push back 41:24 - The biggest leadership lesson: invest in relationships 43:29 - Final takeaway