The Squeezed Middle

The Squeezed Middle

February 23, 2026 · 30 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities of the middle manager role and the essential skills needed for modern management.

In this episode of Tap’d Talks HR, Anthony welcomes back Gary Cookson, founder of Epic HR and author of Making Hybrid Working Work, to discuss his latest book: The Squeezed Middle. They explore why the middle manager role has become more complex than ever, together with the “invisible work” managers do that never appears in job descriptions, and the skills modern managers need to thrive today from sense-making to emotional intelligence.

People in this episode

Host: Anthony

Guest: Gary Cookson

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Epic HR

Books & works: Making Hybrid Working Work, The Squeezed Middle

More episodes of Tap'd Talks HR

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Tap'd Talks HR podcast page.