Whether you’re a rising star tapped for an eventual leadership position in your organization or someone content to remain an individual contributor, your work experience will be much better if you and your boss have a strong working relationship. We all expect some management from our bosses, but an often-overlooked skill is the ability to manage up.
What is “Managing Up?”
At its most basic, managing up is simply the ability to make your boss’s job easier or to improve your boss’s and team’s overall performance. When you manage up, you align your goals with your boss’s and look for ways to help your boss meet goals and improve outcomes.
Managing up does not mean “sucking up” or manipulating your boss; instead, it means acting as an extension of your boss and wielding influence for the good of your team, your boss, and the entire organization.
Here are ten questions to ask yourself that can help you manage up.
1. What is your boss’ definition of success?
Ask yourself what your boss is trying to accomplish at the organization. Is it increased sales numbers? Better employee retention? Improved products or more product releases? Knowing how your boss defines success can help you promote that success.
2. What targets does your boss need to meet this quarter?
Understanding how your boss’ performance is measured is key to understanding the most pressing and important results for which your boss will be accountable.
3. What does your boss most value, both personally and professionally?
The answers to these questions will be as varied as the number of bosses! By understanding what your boss values most, you can better understand how, when, and what to communicate and improve your own empathy.
4. How does your boss process information and prefer receiving information (think out loud, internal processor, pre-reader, in the moment)?
Everyone has a unique thinking style. People who think out loud may not want solutions—they may just need a friendly ear to help them process information. Likewise, an internal processor may be quiet and reserved while working on a problem. It doesn’t mean your boss is angry or irritated—it just means there’s some deep thought happening. Learn your boss’s unique thinking style, and then respond accordingly.
5. What communication channels work best for your boss, and when is your boss most accessible or responsive?
Everyone has different communication preferences and expectations. Your boss may prefer mail over instant messaging because e-mail etiquette gives more response flexibility, or they may prefer the informal nature of instant messaging. It’s up to you to find out which. Furthermore, in the era of flexible work arrangements, your boss may be accessible or more responsive at different times – which may or may not align with the traditional work day. Learn your boss’ preferences; if your preferences are widely divergent, talk to your boss to find solutions that work for both of you.
6. How does your boss make decisions?
Leaders have several different decision-making styles, and knowing how your boss makes decisions can be helpful in supporting your boss’ goals. If your boss makes decisions based more on intuition, share information in a way that speaks to that style. If your boss prefers data-driven insights, share data, but also share insights about the data and how it influences the team and the organization to help leaders avoid getting stuck in the data.
7. How have past career experiences influenced how your boss leads today?
No one operates in a vacuum. We all carry past experiences into our current work roles. If your boss made a significant error as a first-time manager, for example, that might slow down the decision-making process. By getting to know your boss and your boss’ career experiences, you can start to understand better how those experiences feed into your boss’s current leadership style and methods.
8. How does your boss see you factoring into plans for the future? Do you agree?
This set of questions requires that you understand your own goals and your boss’ goals. Have you and your boss discussed your future with the team or within the company? Is that a role you want? Your boss may not have thought about your future or your role at all. Do you want to stay with the team you’re on? Is there a way to move around within the organization? Is it time to look for another job?
9. What is top-of-mind right now? What does your boss consider urgent versus non-urgent?
Prioritizing is key for anyone in leadership, and your boss may have a different perspective than you do on what is urgent and what isn’t. Keep an eye on what your boss prioritizes, and listen for what your boss’ questions reveal about the things occupying most of your boss’ mental space.
10. What would make your boss’ life more manageable? How can I avoid my boss being surprised?
Some surprises, like a visit from an old friend or receiving an unexpected “just because” gift, are welcome, while other surprises, such as a critical employee leaving in the middle of a project or a competitor releasing a product just before your product launch, are not.
Be alert for information that will impact decisions or plans. For instance, if you know a crucial employee is unhappy with work arrangements or struggling to balance too many work obligations, mentioning your observations to your boss might be helpful—without betraying another’s confidence. Giving your boss time to address a team member’s dissatisfaction could save valuable time and money and make you and your boss look good.
Your working relationship with your boss is likely your most important one on the job. Managing up doesn’t just strengthen that relationship—it also improves the chances of success for you, your boss, and your whole team.
SELF-CHECK:
- How am I making an effort to learn more about my boss during our 1:1 meetings?
- What is one way I can make my boss’ life easier today?
- What is one way my boss and I can communicate better?
Erin.Ellis
