What are your best practices for managing up? It all begins with the relationship between you and your Manager. Think about your definition of a great boss. What can you do to create the kind of relationship you envision?
Here’s a familiar scenario:
John is excited about his project. He has worked on it for days, and it’s close to being done. Carol, his boss, will be so happy! However, when John shares the project results with her, she appears slightly less excited than he expected. Carol says, “I think this is okay, but there were some areas to which I could have added input.”
Had John been in tune with Carol and what she wants from him and their relationship, the outcome could have been a win-win.
Here are some tips on how to work with your Manager:
Best Practices for Managing Up
- Always propose a solution or two when asking your boss for help with a problem; offer points of view.
- Look for opportunities to “take things off their plate.” Simple acts like volunteering to schedule meeting invites, book meeting rooms, develop presentation templates, conduct vendor research, and so forth can produce substantial time savings for your boss (and make you an invaluable resource in the process).
- Adjust your communication style to fit their preferences (for example, if they prefer face-to-face, try to stop by their office to discuss issues rather than just sending an email).
- Get in the habit of brainstorming and analyzing potential risks for new projects and proactively sharing the risk analysis (including recommended mitigation strategies and backup plans) with senior leadership.
- Share good news soon and bad news sooner.
- Look for opportunities to propose process changes or innovations and volunteer to help lead the resultant work (as appropriate).
Proactively managing up creates a more positive relationship with your boss. This working relationship can lead to more career development opportunities, help you reach your professional goals more quickly, and increase your job satisfaction.