Middle management killed my soul. I refused to extract every last drop of productivity from my reports. I did everything I could possibly do for them, but I couldn't make things right for them. (I advocated for raises, promotions, increased staffing, and more frequent breaks.)

Under my management, my team was more productive than they were with other leadership. (Both the numbers and the customers agreed.) My managers said it was great, but then would complain when they saw them not working 100% of the time. (This was "wasteful.")

The other middle managers were willing to do what I wouldn't. Upper management would pass me over for promotions, for the middle managers that were willing to be lackeys that would grind up our staff for the good of profit. My mistake was that I wanted to provide great service and treat my staff like the competent professionals they were. The real vision was to provide the bare minimum, find creative ways to fleece the customers, and do it all by whatever means necessary.

I've been there. I am much happier not in management. I hope you're doing well.