Press Release

Middle Managers Most Resilient in Workplace

Cleveland, August 8, 2006: Middle managers are the most resilient group in the workplace, according to a study of more than 2,000 employees by PsyMax Solutions, a human capital assessment firm.

The firm analyzed the profiles of district and regional managers, department or unit managers, supervisors and foremen for tough-mindedness and resilience, also known as ability to accept criticism. The middle managers' median tough-minded score was the highest of all groups. In comparison, company presidents and CEOs ranked the lowest for resiliency, followed by executives, and professional, technical, and administrative employees.

"The study suggests that middle managers have the greatest ability to accept criticism," said PsyMax Solutions CEO Dr. Wayne Nemeroff. "Perhaps because of the nature of the middle management role they continuously get feedback from all directions, from above, below and sideways. Those at the center of the organizational structure demonstrate strength in being able to manage stress and to keep resilient in the face of frustration, disappointment or criticism."

PsyMax provided the tough-minded scores for all employee groups in the study:

According to Nemeroff, resiliency is an essential skill for middle managers. "Their jobs involve providing leadership to front line supervisors. They plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of companies. Middle managers may also be owners who head small businesses and require the capacity to handle frequent criticism or rejection, to work through tough negotiations and to build credibility by remaining even-tempered."

Problems can result when the resiliency skill is not developed, Nemeroff advised. "Common issues that might emerge are allowing stress and frustration to show, becoming defensive in response to criticism and having difficulty rebounding from setbacks."

According to Nemeroff, people who need to develop resilience should readily accept critical comments and seek to learn from them. "They should also try to share their thoughts or reactions, and not bottle them up. In fact, too much emotional control may cause people to close down their open communication and listening skills. So they should speak more openly and be more willing to be self-revealing. Don't make people guess where you're coming from and question whether or not you're really listening to them."

PsyMax Solutions

Founded in 2002 by Dr. Wayne Nemeroff and headquartered in Cleveland, PsyMax Solutions is a pioneer in the application of smart systems to human capital assessment for employee selection and development. For more information call 440-603-9000 or visit www.psymaxsolutions.com.

Contact: Dr. Wayne Nemeroff, CEO, PsyMax Solutions, 440-603-9000, or Shari Fryer, Shari Fryer & Associate, 970-846-6607.

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