Managing Up
Managing up is a method of career development that’s based on consciously working for the mutual benefit of your manager and you. It’s understanding your manager’s position, goals and responsibilities.
This often happens when a manager is new to the organization and/or the industry. Yes, they bring managerial experience, but learning the culture and the people in a new organization takes time. Get to know your manager by observation and through conversations. Understand their vision for the department, their values, and the role they see you taking.
Here are some tips for you to help your manager achieve their goals and the department’s goals:
Do ask clarifying questions; don’t assume you know everything they want
Do understand their priorities; don’t prioritize tasks not on their radar
Do align with their communication style; don’t push your preferred style
Do be transparent about challenges; don’t hide problems until they grow worse
Do ask for feedback regularly; don’t wait for a formal review
Do update regular; don’t wait for them to ask about the status of a project
Do respect their time; don’t assume you’re the only one needing attention
Do take ownership of your work; don’t expect them to micromanage every task and detail
Beyond these tips:
Gain an understanding of their expectations. This includes not only their expectations of you, but of the department.
Be helpful. Volunteer for special projects and team assignments that support your department’s deliverables. If there is a routine task your manager doesn’t enjoy and you do, make the offer to either work with your manager or take it on yourself.
Keep commitments and deliver projects in a timely manner. It will gain your manager’s trust.
Offer help in new, difficult or challenging situations. For example, if your manager receives a last-minute request from the CEO for a report needed for a board meeting and you how to access the data quickly, offer to do so. You can work together with your manager, if appropriate, to finalize the report.
Be honest. Avoid telling your manager what they want, or you think they want, to hear. Provide truthful information so that you’re seen as a valued resource to your manager and others.
Stay out of office politics by always staying professional. If your manager asks about specific individuals, deliver any information or opinion with diplomacy. Be respectful of everyone.
Offer solutions. One of the most frustrating things for a manager, especially one new to an organization, is to have problems presented to them without ideas for fixing them. A good manager doesn’t want to hear complaints. They want to engage their team in problem solving. Take the first step. Explain why something is, or could be a problem, and provide some ideas for addressing it.