Managing Up: Why Your Hard Work Won’t Get You Ahead (And What Will)

What do you think about managing up? Do you see it as manipulation or kissing butt, or do you see it as a strategic advantage, knowing how to influence others with the impact you are making and sharing? In this episode, let's look at the art of managing up: how to align with your leader without being a yes person, how to anticipate needs, communicate with clarity, and build trust that gets noticed. By the end, you'll walk away with actionable strategies to not only influence your boss, but also accelerate your career and drive results for your team. Managing up. What are those things that you do in order to manage up effectively to really influence the trajectory of your career?

Welcome to Shedding the Corporate Bitch, the podcast that transforms today's managers into tomorrow's powerhouse leaders. Your host, Bernadette Boas, executive coach and author, brings into a world where the corporate grind meets personal growth and success in each and every episode. Let's do this. Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of Shedding the Corporate Bitch. Every journey taken together is another step towards unleashing the powerhouse leader within you. Don't miss any of our weekly episodes. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you—

I'll be honest, I understood this concept very early on in my career However, I never put a label to it. I didn't realize it was managing up. Because quite honestly, my father had taught myself and my 11 siblings from an early age to always leave people in places better than you found them. So when I considered that, and when we acted on that, it simply amounted to a number of practices, disciplines, and routines that I put into place to ensure that I was accomplishing that. Yet in my career, especially as an executive coach, I haven't encountered many professionals intentionally and thoughtfully thinking about doing those things, thinking about putting into place those things that allow them to have great influence with their boss, with their team, and with the business. Let's look at what managing up is. And we'll even talk about what it isn't, what those myths and mistakes are. So managing up is simply being proactive, being proactive in building the relationships, in advocating for yourself and for those around you, and really working intentionally on the relationship between you and your boss. It's about creating a working dynamic where everyone understands the expectations of each other. Why does it matter if you manage up or not? Well, you could look at very simply a Gallup poll in 2023 found that only 22% of employees or professionals really feel that their manager has any influence on their future, on their career advancement, on the trajectory of and the path of which that they're taking in business. 22%. That means there's 78% opportunity for someone who is managing up effectively to really set themselves apart and create a competitive advantage and differentiation. So practically, that's a great reason to really understand what managing up is and then working toward it. But what is managing up? Managing up is really being proactive and understanding how to build a relationship with your boss and those around you to where you really understand the goals and the objectives and the expectations. You align to them. You anticipate the needs that not only your team is having, but the business has. And you're working to regularly minimize any risks highlight any opportunities, even seek them out, and really reduce the friction or the, the, the risk that could be in the business that then all supports and contributes to driving results. The ultimate being driving results. By you managing up and really proactively seeking to build a relationship with those powers to be, especially your boss, that allows you to align to his or her goals and expectations and what they see as success and working toward making them successful, as well as anticipating their needs, bringing those risks forward, seeking out opportunities within the business, and looking to reduce any friction that might pop up along the way is a huge benefit to the business, but an advantage for you. However, a lot of people have a lot of misunderstandings around managing up. As I mentioned, some people look at it as manipulation or kissing butt. So I also want you to understand what are some of the myths and mistakes around managing up. So one, you can change your thought process. Because managing up is a competitive advantage, but more so, it is the way to leave people in places better than you found them. And as leaders, that's what we should be aspiring to do each and every day. So let's look at some myths first. One of the first myths that I see too many professionals focusing on and, and relying on is that their hard work, their long hours, they're working themselves to the bone is what is going to get them ahead. And that is so wrong. What's going to get you ahead is visibility. It's advocacy. It's getting sponsorship from leaders that really matters. It's that you adding value and impact, not the number of hours you're sweating to get the job done. So that's your first myth. Another myth is that it's about being a yes person, that it's not about someone who is stepping up, pushing back, creating some friction, some good, healthy conflict. And yet that is so wrong as well. It's not about being a yes person. As a matter of fact, as a matter of fact, leaders want those people that don't say yes, that challenge with new ideas, different ideas, good ideas, creative, out-of-the-box thinking. They don't want someone just constantly saying yes to them because it really doesn't show any type of risk-taking, creativity, innovation, or leadership. So keep that in mind as well. If you are— you observe others not willing to say no or to push back or to challenge seniors' input or seniors' decisions or seniors— meaning senior leaders— their next steps or action plans. Don't be that yes person. That's not managing up. And that touches on the same myth that I come across a lot, and that is they feel as if people who don't understand managing up feel as if they can't push back. They, they can't create tension. And again, that is wrong as well. As I mentioned, leaders want those that challenge them. Leaders want those that don't allow for just the status quo. Leaders want other leaders who are going to push the envelope and be very innovative in moving the business to the next level. So let's talk about some mistakes that professionals make, make several mistakes that really can hurt them and hold them back. And that would be that they don't want complainers. They don't want people bitching and complaining. They want people to come to them with challenges, with issues, with risks, at the same time bringing the solutions, bringing how to fix the, the issue with them. Don't make the mistake of just bringing forward complaints. You don't want to be known as a complainer. The other one too is too many individuals, they overload their boss with complaints, with problems. Again, if you want to really effectively manage up, your job is to make your boss's job easier. And you bringing problems or complaints without solutions, without next steps, without ideas of how to get it, get it done, you're asking them to come up with the solutions and come up with the action plan that they're expecting of you, that they're paying you for. So you don't want to be the complainer. You want to be the problem solver, the idea creator. The catalyst of change. And in order to do that, you need to not overload your boss with problems that you could be solving yourself. Another mistake often seen is an individual fails to adapt to the style and the communication style of their boss and/or bosses. They think, they think, well, they should adapt to me, or they're just totally oblivious and not aware that their boss and/or bosses have a certain way of wanting to be communicated to, have a certain way of receiving information, have a certain desire to— an expectation. Let's look at it as an expectation of their people. And therefore, it's really critical for you to really dig into what that style is. And that's basically having a conversation with them. Hey, Joanne, how do you want to receive information? How do you want to get feedback? What medium do you work best in? For instance, does your boss prefer text or email or a voicemail? Do they prefer bullets, or are they more into the detail? Would they prefer you not hitting them up first thing in the morning or late at night? Or do they actually have hours that they would prefer to be handling certain situations and certain tasks? But you simply have to just ask the questions. What are your expectations? What is your style? How would you like me to X, Y, and Z? And then that way everyone's on the same page and you can align to that to make your relationship with your boss far more effective than it may be today. Your job is to avoid having any kind of tension or conflict come up just because simply you don't know how they want to be communicated to, how they'll receive feedback, what level of detail that they want, what their views are on deadlines and budgets and other processes and procedures when all you can do is spend 15 minutes in a conversation with them to find out. Another big one is I'll often hear that, that their bosses don't understand their workload, don't understand the challenges that they have doing their job, don't understand the value and the impact that they're making. They put that responsibility that ownership onto the boss when actually it's your job to keep your boss informed of workload issues, priorities, challenges to being able to delegate. Maybe it's resources or lack thereof, any, any risks or challenges in getting a project done or getting it done on time or getting it done within budget or whatever the case might be on a daily basis. And as well, what value and impact and contribution you're making to the team. That is your job. Now, does your boss have some responsibility to be observant and to ask questions and to ensure that you're taken care of? Absolutely. However, it's you that are dealing with those pressures, that workload, those challenges. You know, you're the one receiving that impact or contribution.. And therefore you can't assume that someone else is paying attention to it as closely as you are. So you need to be proactive in making sure, and you need to be managing up to make sure that they're aware of those things. That is managing up and aligning your boss to you and you to your boss. You need to take the lead though. And a couple others mistakes that people make when it comes to them not managing up effectively. And that would be one is they themselves aren't consistent in following through, and therefore their boss doesn't necessarily rely on them and depend on them. They don't necessarily make the effort for that alignment and for that relationship between you and them. So therefore, it's your job to follow through, be consistent, and demonstrate that consistency. So when you go to them wanting to understand and align to their goals, their expectations, their priorities, their style, then they are open to spending that time to get both of you aligned and on the same page. But you have to be consistent in your follow-through. You have to be consistent in your behavior, your performance to build that trust, to build that dependency and reliability so So then they do work as well and make an effort as well to get both of you aligned. And lastly, those that struggle managing up, it's due to the fact that they aren't seeking visibility. Now, that's not meaning that you have to be boastful. But what it means is people need to know you exist. People need to know the value and the impact and the contribution that you're making. People need to know the ideas and the creativity and the way that you, you know, handle conflict and you handle negotiation and how you influence others. They need to know you and all your leadership skills. And in order to do so, you need visibility. You can't depend, and you shouldn't be depending on someone tapping you on the shoulder because you're the first one there and the last one to leave. That is not how advancements and opportunities, advocacy and sponsorship work. They may have one day in the past, but they don't any longer. So you want to make sure that you find solutions, and we're going to talk about them. So you're in the right place. Find solutions to really removing these myths that we talked about and to fixing these mistakes should you be making them. Now, if we look at the myths and we look at the mistakes and we flip them on their head, then we can come up with some strategies and practices that you can start putting into place in order to really become an effective managing up leader. The first one would be learning and understanding and responding to your boss's style and their priorities. But let's talk about the style. So having that conversation with them and not only once, because things can change, expectations could change. But having that conversation, how do you want to receive information? How do you want to receive feedback? What can I expect of you in regards to how you're going to communicate to me and how you're going to give me feedback? What are your daily routines that I should be aware of? You could be asking a whole number of questions to them to really get to know their style. Now, I will add here that should you have ever done a DiSC profile on yourself and/or if you know your boss or team members have had done DiSCs in the past, then make sure you're sharing those because that provides a lot of information in regards to one's style, how one wants to be communicated to, motivated, what stresses them out, what, you know, helps them correct, course correct. It gives a lot of information. And if you want more information on that, you can always reach out to me as well, even set up a call to talk about it. You can go to coachmebernadette.com/discoverycall. It will just be an information gathering for yourself. And we can spend 10, 15 minutes talking about it. Now, what you could do. To improve on understanding your boss's style and priorities is not only ask those questions, but once you understand them, then start mirroring them. If they provide very short, brief summaries in emails, you do the same. If they're providing, you know, quick discussions focused on one or two points, work to adapt your own communication style back to them in the same way. It will increase your productivity and increase your effectiveness with that individual tremendously. The next one would be, once you understand their style and what their priorities are, go a little deeper into really getting clarity on their goals and expectations. What they expect of you, how they want you showing up in each and every day, what they need from you, how you can support them, what you should be bringing to the table in regards to new ideas, those risks we talked about, those opportunities, those breaks, new ways of doing business. Really clarify their expectations early. If not, even in that same discussion about their style, you could be saying, what is the most important thing you need from me as a leader on your team? What would those things be that would piss you off? Be forthright and ask the creative questions to really get on the same page and align yourself with what it is that's important to them, and then start acting. Third one would be what we already talked about. Bring solutions before you bring the problem. And what I mean by that is when you do have a break, when you do have a risk, when you do have a complaint, bring the solution first and then discuss the problem. For instance, you might say, I'm going to be making a couple of changes to the way we do X, Y, and Z because I have found that it's creating a lot of, of stress or tension or loss of productivity, whatever the case might be. These are going to be our next steps. What are your thoughts? So you notice I didn't bring up the issue first. I brought up the solution, the next step first, then the reason why I'm acting on those next steps, and then how it's going to affect things. And potentially what resources or what budget or whatever is going to be needed in order to accomplish it. And then you're asking for their thoughts. So you're engaging them in case they have any of their own ideas. You're not asking permission. You're simply bringing the solution of a problem with the impact and seeking their input. All of this, whether it's the first one about learning your boss's style and their priorities, setting expectations, or learning their expectations early on, or, you know, bringing the solution, not just the problem. All of that is just going to create not only strong alignment, but it's going to create trust, reliability, dependability. I like to always look at it as almost you become a trusted advisor or trusted partner with— for your boss, that they can always seek you out And they will seek you out because they know that you are really focused on making them successful, and therefore they'll make you successful. Focus on understanding your boss's style, getting clarity around the expectations and the goals and the priorities, bringing solutions, not just the problems, because that will build tremendous trust, reliability, and dependability. And then if you can really work on anticipating their needs. If you know that they have their own big strategic initiative happening, and/or maybe a board meeting, and/or maybe a big client visit, well, anticipate, think about, okay, so what are they going to need in order to accomplish that and to be successful at that? And how can I help and support them? And/or even if that's with just a couple of small ideas. 3 more would be ensure that you're managing your emotions if you want to be effective in managing up. Leaders will depend on leaders who are calm in the storm. Leaders will depend on leaders who are great under pressure. Leaders will depend and look at in advance other leaders who really have a plan and can see through the chaos and manage change effectively without wearing their emotions on their sleeves. It doesn't mean that you have to be a robot. I grew up in the era of they wanted you to be robots. Leave your emotions at the door, leave your baggage at the door, leave your personal life at the door. This is business. The pendulum has swung a bit to where, no, we recognize that people are human and we have emotions. Yet at the same time, if you really want to influence, if you really want to manage up effectively and therefore be considered for future opportunities, then you want to just manage your emotions. Make sure that they're in the right place at the right time for the right reason. And at the same time, really work on how you can be an influential contributor to resolving conflict, to dealing with tension or friction that we talked about much earlier on. Be a resource for navigating, you know, difficult and challenging situations and times to where you are salt out to really help others to lean in during conflict as opposed to go at each other and get people to back away. If you could be a really good conflict resolver, then again, you're being a very effective leader and managing up in such a way that others will seek you out for opportunities and advancements. And then lastly, advocate for yourself. You don't necessarily need to get up on a podium and, you know, beat your chest. But you want to make sure that you're just not serving and you're just not giving, but you're communicating the contributions, the impacts, the success, the wins that you have been creating. And you do it in such a way that it's very strategic. It's very impactful. And it's received as leveling up and moving forward the business, the team, and even yourself. Make sure that you make note of these 8 strategies of managing up and really becoming a very effective influencer in the business. And that would be, remember, understand your boss's style, getting clear on what their priorities are, what their goals are, what their expectations are. What their meaning of success is, what their agenda is, why are they working so hard, understanding all of that and really getting clear on it. So then you can align to those as you go about your business on a day-in, day-out basis. Number 3 is all around, be sure that you are a problem solver, not a problem complainer. So bring forward the solution even before the problem. Number 4 would be, number 4 would be that number 1, 2, and 3 helps to build trust and reliability and dependability. And you become that trusted partner for your boss. Learn to anticipate their needs. Number 5, manage your emotions. Pick the right emotion for the right time and the situation and the place and the people involved while you're also really being an influencer and in dealing with conflict. And lastly, be sure to advocate for yourself, keeping in mind if you don't, no one else will. And therefore, what is that language? What is that style and approach that I take in making sure that others understand the value, the impact, and the contribution I'm making to the business outcomes? In summary, managing up isn't about being a yes person or losing your authenticity. It's about building a relationship with your boss so you both succeed. Now, we busted the myths, we broke apart the mistakes, and gave you strategies to anticipate, align, and adapt. So remember, your work doesn't just need to be excellent. It needs to be visible and framed in a way that really builds trust and influence. Here's your challenge for the week. Take one of the 8 strategies that we discussed. That could be clarifying expectations, bringing solutions instead of problems, or simply shifting how you communicate or update your boss on a regular basis and put it into practice. Make note of what it is you're doing and any type of response you might get, whether that's verbal, written, observed in yourself and in those around you, and really appreciate how it is shifting how others view you. Because small changes will drive big results and will have you really looking at managing up very differently and a lot more effectively. If today's episode sparks some insights, then share it with another leader or an HR colleague who might also be working on building strong team dynamics. And I'd love to hear from you. So follow me on LinkedIn @BernadetteBoas or drop a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our Shedding the Corporate Bitch YouTube channel. Your feedback will not only help fuel this community, but also will help other leaders find the show. Lastly, our next episode is with Rebecca Reed. I spoke to her over the summer all about how presentitism is silently killing your culture and how to fix it. It's an episode you're not going to want to miss. So be sure to subscribe, like, and follow the show. Go to ballifiercoaching.com/podcast and subscribe and follow our show on any one of the podcast streaming services and/or on YouTube. Until then, lead boldly, communicate clearly, and remember, managing up isn't about managing your boss. It's about managing your own impact. I'll see you soon.

Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of Shedding the Corporate Bitch. Every journey taken together is another step towards unleashing the powerhouse leader within you. Don't miss any of our weekly episodes. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you love to listen. And for those who thrive on visual content, catch us on our Shedding the Bitch YouTube channel. Wanna dive deeper with Bernadette on becoming a powerhouse leader? Visit balloffirecoaching.com to learn more about how she helps professionals, HR executives, and team leaders elevate overall team performance. You've been listening to Shedding the Corporate Bitch with Bernadette Boas. Until next time, keep shedding, keep growing, and keep leading.