Years of impact
Leaders transformed so far
Countries worked in so far
ASX top 50 companies
Key insights
Maximus Directors and leadership transformation experts Brent Duffy and Mark Sowden discuss how People & Culture leaders can unlock value at the core and transform the middle into a catalyst for change. Here are the key takeaways…
The middle is the engine, but it’s under pressure
Middle leaders bridge strategy and execution while staying closest to customers and culture. Yet our discussion highlighted that they’re squeezed by workload and capacity compression, psychosocial safety obligations, rising complexity and competing priorities, and AI-driven uncertainty. Left unchecked, the middle risks becoming overwhelmed, disengaged, and transactional — opting out rather than stepping up.
The middle holds the brightest value
Organisations that proactively ignite ambition and capability in middle leaders now will gain a distinct edge, building future-ready talent, strengthening culture, accelerating innovation, and lifting performance from within.
The Triple A is the unlock to value-making leadership
The next era of leadership belongs to Value Makers — courageous leaders who balance bold purpose, commercial impact and human outcomes. Anchored in Ambition, Agency and Accountability (the Triple A), we see this mindset as the unlock that transforms middle leaders into true value multipliers:
Ambition — reigniting meaning, purpose and progression in new (non-linear, experience-based) ways.
Agency — creating clarity, autonomy and curiosity while eliminating pacesetting leadership behaviours that kill initiative and create learned helplessness.
Accountability — reframing it as proof that “what I do matters”, combining high standards with high care, enabling feedback to flourish.
Growth in the middle happens in motion, not in theory
Real impact in a digitally enabled, AI-driven world requires applied development and real-time enablement. The most effective uplift blends deep identity work, immersive simulations, and powerful peer-based connection, ensuring leaders grow in their real context, immediately activating new value in the flow of work.
Middle leadership needs ‘collective tissue’
Empowering middle leaders requires changing the organisational conditions in which they operate. That means aligning strategic clarity, psychological safety, accountability mechanisms, and cultural signals, so leaders have the skills and permission, reinforced by the environment, to sustain uplift.
How we unlock the middle
Introducing the Middle Multiplier Solution by Maximus
Grounded in a deep understanding of your organisation’s unique strategic context, our distinct approach ensures every intervention delivers outcomes that work in practice, not just in theory.
MULTIPLIER 1
IDENTITY SHAPING
Unleash the leader within
“When you know who you are, you lead with conviction.”
MULTIPLIER 2
APPLIED LEARNING
Where real value is activated
“Growth happens in motion.”
MULTIPLIER 3
CREATING BELONGING
Connection transforms culture
“When people feel they belong, they go beyond.”
The impact? A high-performing middle that drives cultural transformation from the inside out.
