In the last article, we covered managing up to pitch a project. This blog will focus on many other situations where managing up can come in handy.
Let’s jump into a few common scenarios and approaches for managing up:
1. If you receive additional work unaligned with the priorities. If you have been given an assignment that you cannot see the value in or the connection to the bigger strategic vision, you can ask questions to get clarity. How do you see this new idea fitting in with our current goals? If we take on this new initiative, our capacity will be reduced, we may need to drop or delay another, in that case; which one would you be willing to deprioritize? Depending on your boss’ style, if you think it is overloading to have them select from open-ended options, you can suggest one to deprioritize to make it easier. If you prefer to delay, you can say, “Is this idea something we need to implement now, or could it be considered for the next quarter/year? By laying out how pursuing a new idea will impact other priorities, you can help your boss assess what makes the most sense from a strategic perspective.
2. If you receive vague work. You can take steps to elicit more thoughtful contributions by asking questions to prompt more critical thinking. Tell me how you see that working? What would you like the outcomes to be so we can get the best results possible? What does success look like? Are there examples of things you have seen that you like and want to include? These prompts encourage the leader to expand on their ideas to add more definition to make your work easier.
3. If you disagree with your boss on a topic. You can be forward-thinking and ask, how would you prefer me to handle this the next time this comes up? If no answer is provided, you can offer your thought process of how you would handle it and invite your boss to comment on your plan so you can test to see that you are on the same wavelength and make the necessary adjustments. This way, you can create predictable and effective ways of working.
4. If your manager is acting as a bottleneck to your work. If your work process is slowed because you are waiting on your boss’ approval for the next project, you can say, “I know hitting the deadline on this project is a priority for you, in order not to delay the release of this work, here are the two things I would need from you by this date. Do you see any obstacles with that timeline?” Let me know how I can make any adjustments to keep us on track with achieving this priority.
5. If your manager is doing things that hurt their reputation. You can say, “I don’t know if you’re intending to come off like this, but here’s how you’re being perceived, I have some thoughts on how I can help with that if you are interested.” Most leaders want to hear this news especially if it is broached in a respectful and trusting manner.
6. If you suspect incompetence. Try and diagnose the issue and figure out exactly how the incompetence shows up. Do they lack experience? Do they have poor emotional intelligence? Is their decision-making shaky? Do they not hold people accountable? Is it incompetence or just a different approach? If you can pinpoint and categorize the problem, you and your team can create targeted strategies to address the deficiency and better manage up.
7. If your manager is micromanaging. Learn to see if it is just happening with you or is common with other members. Suppose it is prevalent and causing delays in getting the work done and negatively impacting the organization. In that case, it is worth speaking up to make changes at a more systematic level rather than changing the style with just you. You can share your understanding of the expectations and see if they are on the same page this way you can focus more on the outcomes rather than the activities and methods used to achieve those results.
8. If your role is ambiguous. Be proactive. Many Directs want their boss to define their job for them, but you are missing out on the opportunity to craft your job. If you have the chance to create your scope and how it advances the mission and purpose, lay the first stake, and then ask what they would add. You can say, “Here is what I think success looks like, what is your version, and what would you contribute”? Here are the skillsets and capabilities I am honing for this job and my development plan, what else should I consider if my goal is to get to the Director level so I can set more of the creative strategic direction? Communicate what you need to be successful in terms of timely information, access, guidance, and resources. You can use “If-Then Statements,” If I am going to do this, then I need these three things in place to be successful, how do you see this best working?
9. If your one-on-ones are not useful. Instead of merely providing status updates, include strategic issues. Suggest ideas on promoting your team for more visibility within your company or discuss process improvements. Be sure you prepare an agenda to make the best use of your time together. They will access your thoughtfulness and be more inclined to hear your suggestions.
10. If you feel like your manager is not giving you valuable feedback on your performance. You can ask, what can I do or stop doing that would improve my performance? What would make it easier for you to work with me? Embrace the discomfort, after you ask that question, pause and do not be the next person to respond. Listen with the intent to understand, not to respond. You do not have to agree with the feedback, but it can be helpful to hear it. Check for understanding by saying, “This is what I hear you saying, if I were to change x, y, and z, it would impact the team in a, b, or c ways? What have I gotten right and what am I missing?” To ensure the alignment, you can even follow up with an email with the key takeaways and next steps.
11. If you are not getting feedback on a project. If your boss always says, everything is great, go you. You can say, can I get your advice on X, if you were driving my research, what would be top of mind for you? Here is my goal for the next week or two to advance this project, I would love your guidance on whether I identified the right goals and how best to achieve them. What obstacles should I be looking out for? Annie McKee founder of Teleos Leadership Institute offers to say something like, “I want to do a good job and achieve my goals, and I need your help to do that.” Be specific about what you want: their input on a particular piece of work, an introduction to another colleague, their permission to reach out to a client, etc. If they cannot help, suggest an alternative and help them solve the problem, you can ask them if they can ask one of your peers for input or an introduction. When you change your questions, you can more likely change the responses you are getting.
12. If you want your manager’s feedback on your overall development. You can share what you are doing to work on your growth goals, “What I am struggling with personally is how to make sure all people have a voice in the room and are heard, sometimes I get excited, and that enthusiasm makes it hard for others to get their voice in. I want to run a flip meeting where I listen instead of sharing. Do you think people would like that, or would it be a deer in headlights situation? What suggestions do you have to ensure this is done well or that I succeed?” You make it much easier for your leader to weigh in on areas that matter to you when you through out a statement or idea in which to react.
13. Take time to signal what works for you. When you share with your leader what they do well or what works for you, you set them up to repeat that behavior. For example, you might say, “I really liked when you made that email introduction, it made my work go so much faster, and I would welcome additional opportunities like that to advance future work.” Formulating clarity in your requests will yield much better results.
Learning the skill of managing up in a variety of situations is critical to maintaining a great relationship with your boss and in the advancement of the goals of the organization. It is a muscle that we can all build with the right intention.
Quote of the day: “Request, don't complain. Inside every complaint is a request. Find it and make it.” -Mary Abbajay,
Q: What is the hardest situation for you to manage up? What makes it so hard? Comment and share below; we would love to hear from you!
[The next blog in this series 5/6 will focus on your style of managing up]
As a leadership development and executive coach, I work with people to sharpen their managing up skills, contact me to explore this topic further.
The Art of Managing Up