In the traditional corporate narrative, leadership is a top-down flow of information and instructions. But seasoned professionals know a different truth: your success is just as dependent on how you manage your boss as it is on how they manage you.
“Managing Up” isn’t about brown-nosed sycophancy or manipulation. It is the deliberate process of developing a conscious, productive relationship with your superior to achieve the best possible results for you, your boss, and the organization. Here is how to master the art of being the employee every leader wants on their team.
BECOME AN ANTHROPOLOGIST OF WORK STYLES
To manage up effectively, you must first understand the person you are managing. Every leader has a “user manual”, you just have to write it for them through observation.
The Medium: Does your boss prefer a 20-minute face-to-face, a detailed Slack message, or a high-level bulleted email?
The Frequency: Are they a “Monday Morning Briefing” person or a “Friday Afternoon Wrap-up” person?
The Data: Do they want the raw numbers (The Processor) or the “so what?” (The Visionary)?
1. ADOPT THE “NO SURPRISES” RULE
The quickest way to erode trust with a manager is to let them be blindsided in a meeting. Managing up means providing a “weather report” before the storm hits.
Anticipate Needs: If you know a project is sliding past a deadline, flag it early with a proposed solution.
Upward Feedback: Use the SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) Model to provide feedback. “When you changed the deadline (Situation), I had to pull the team off the X project (Behavior), which delayed our launch by two days (Impact).”
OWN THE “ONE-ON-ONE”
Many employees treat the 1:1 meeting as a passive status update. To manage up, you must take the steering wheel.
The 80/20 Agenda: 80% of the meeting should be your agenda; 20% should be theirs.
Solve, Don’t Just Report: Never bring a problem to your boss without at least two potential solutions. This shifts you from being a “task-taker” to a “strategic partner.”
ALIGN YOUR “YES” WITH THEIR “WHY”
Your boss is under pressure from their boss. If you can understand your manager’s KPIs and primary stressors, you can align your work to relieve that pressure.
Strategic Alignment: Ask, “What is the one goal keeping you up at night this quarter?” Once you know, ensure your highest-impact work directly supports that goal. This makes your value undeniable when it comes time for salary negotiations or promotions.
By:Adenola Eniola.