By Chantel Hayward (Fox & Fable)
Agencies celebrate bold leaders at the top and fresh talent at the start, but what about those in the middle? The Account Directors, Senior Creatives, Ops Leads and Strategists who hold culture together, deliver under pressure and carry responsibilities that rarely make the headlines.
These are the people who keep teams motivated, clients reassured and the day-to-day of agency life moving. They are often the first port of call for support and the last to take credit when things go well. Yet, despite their critical role, their influence is not always fully recognised.
We talk a lot about the ‘next generation of senior leaders’ or the ‘ones at the top’, but it is those in the middle who quietly shape the reality of agency life. This blog shines a light on their essential influence: the invisible work they take on, the pressure they absorb, the culture they shape and why backing them could unlock the transformation agencies are searching for.
The invisible load
The middle layers of agencies are full of unsung responsibilities. Beyond their job descriptions, mid-level talent often:
- Mentor and support junior colleagues becoming the first port of call for questions, moments of doubt and even quiet tears in meeting rooms.
- Absorb emotional labour, smoothing tensions, keeping morale high and quietly helping to hold the team together.
- Manage upwards while managing downwards translating leadership direction into action while protecting their teams from overload.
- Step in as culture keepers, organising the socials, welcoming new starters and role modelling the behaviours that set the tone.
This often invisible work matters. It creates belonging, stability and trust in teams. But it also drains energy and often goes unrecognised when performance is measured only in billable hours or new business wins.
Pressure from all directions
Mid-level roles are uniquely positioned and uniquely pressured. They are the bridge between three worlds:
- From above leaders expect flawless delivery, commercial awareness and resilience under pressure.
- From below teams need support, guidance and motivation.
- From clients there is the relentless demand for speed, creativity and perfection.
The result? A uniquely demanding environment where people in the middle often feel responsible for holding everything together and for doing so without showing the strain.
Campaign reported in 2024 that 70% of media and advertising professionals experienced burnout in the past 12 months. It is not hard to see why those in the middle are exposed to this risk, as they are not only delivering the work, but also carrying the culture and absorbing pressure from all sides.
Influence without authority
The paradox is that mid-level talent may not hold the highest job titles yet, but their influence is profound. They shape team morale every single day. They decide whether juniors feel safe to speak up or burn out quietly. They model what leadership looks like long before they are given the badge of the most senior title. They are often the ones who make clients feel seen, heard and cared for. When those in the middle thrive, their impact ripples through the whole agency. When they are stretched thin or overlooked, cracks appear everywhere; in culture, delivery and retention.
The development gap
Despite their importance, mid-level employees can sometimes find themselves left in a support vacuum. Juniors get training and mentoring and senior leaders get coaching. But those in the middle? They are often expected to navigate complexity without the structured support offered at other levels.
This lack of structured development creates three risks:
1.Burnout – when invisible labour and pressure collide without support. 2.Attrition – people walking away from agencies just as they are reaching their peak influence.
3.Lost potential – leadership pipelines drying up because talent is not nurtured at the right stage.
It is not that agencies do not value those in the middle, it is just that the spotlight is often elsewhere.
Why the middle can hold the key to transformation
If agencies want to thrive in a world of tighter budgets and shifting client demands, the answer might not be in chasing the next big leader at the top, but in backing the people already holding the middle as:
Culture lives in the middle. Day-to-day experiences of agency life are shaped more by your Account Director or Ops Lead than by the CEO. Change cascades from the middle. When mid-level talent models boundaries, collaboration and courage, teams follow. Retention depends on the middle. People do not leave companies, they leave managers. Those in the middle often determine whether talent stays or goes.
Supporting them is not just a ‘nice to have’, it is a strategic necessity for agencies that want to thrive.
What can we do differently?
So, how do we back the people who hold the middle of our agencies?
1.Invest in development, not just training – workshops are great, but coaching, mentoring and sponsorship give people the tools to navigate complexity and step into influence with confidence.
2.Recognise invisible work – celebrate the Account Director who lifted her team through a tough pitch, not just the one who brought in new revenue. Value the Ops Lead who quietly held everything together when resources were stretched.
3.Create psychological safety – make it normal to share struggles, admit mistakes and ask for help, not just at junior levels, but in the messy middle too.
4.Champion boundaries – encourage mid-level talent to protect their time, say no and model sustainable ways of working. When they do, the culture shifts for everyone. 5.Spotlight their stories – put those in the middle on panels, in award entries and in front of clients. Let their leadership be visible, not just behind the scenes.
Reclaiming the middle
The narrative in agencies often skips straight from junior hustle to senior leadership, but the middle matters. It is a stage full of hidden labour, unseen influence and untapped potential.
For women especially, this is a pivotal stage – carrying additional invisible load and navigating systemic barriers. But the truth is, the pressures and influence of the middle are universal. By shining a light on this group, investing in their growth and recognising the culture they hold, agencies can unlock a wave of transformation.
Leadership does not just live in corner offices. It lives in the middle and in the people who keep the wheels turning, the teams inspired and the culture alive.
So next time you are looking for the future of your agency, do not just look up or down, look to the middle as that is where the essential influence is.
