When you hear the term “managing upwards,” what comes to mind? It might sound like a concept reserved for large corporate settings or something related to dealing with difficult managers. However, this is far from the truth.
Managing upwards is a valuable soft skill that enables employees to leverage the qualities of effective managers to enhance their own performance in the workplace. When done correctly, managing upwards can ease your manager’s responsibilities, foster a productive relationship with your boss, and significantly contribute to your career growth and job satisfaction.
Understanding the concept of managing upwards is one thing, but mastering it requires practice and guidance. If you’re interested in building a positive and productive relationship with your management, keep reading. This article delves into the nuances of managing upwards, offering insights on what it entails and how to do it effectively.
What Is Managing Upwards?
At its core, managing upwards is about being the most effective employee you can be, someone who adds value to the workplace. Here are some practical ways to manage upwards in your work environment:
- Anticipating your manager’s needs.
- Gaining a clear understanding of your manager’s objectives.
- Adapting to your manager’s communication and work styles.
- Communicating your work preferences and style clearly and respectfully.
- Seeking help from your manager when needed.
- Offering support to your manager when you have the capacity.
- Keeping your manager informed about the status of key projects.
- Building a strong and productive relationship with your management.
What Managing Upwards Is Not
Managing upwards is not about dealing with incompetent managers, nor should it come across as such. It’s important to understand what managing upwards does not involve:
- Critiquing or judging your boss’s management skills.
- Attempting to manage your manager.
- Evaluating or assessing your manager’s behaviour or capabilities.
- Bypassing your manager to gain recognition.
- Trying to reshape your manager into someone they are not.
How to “Manage Up” in Your Career
Successful managing upwards involves identifying the traits of an exceptional manager and using those traits to support your supervisor. While every manager has their own communication and work styles, certain qualities are universally present in great managers. These include:
Effective Communication
How would you describe your supervisor’s communication style? Effective communication is a cornerstone of good management and an essential skill for managing upwards. It’s important to understand your manager’s preferred communication channels and proactively reach out when you need assistance. Active listening is key to establishing clear and productive communication with your manager.
Emotional Resilience
Working closely with management can be stressful, but managing upwards requires you to remain calm and productive under pressure. When your manager is experiencing high levels of stress, it’s an opportunity for you to manage upwards by offering to take on additional tasks if you have the capacity. Emotional resilience is essential for navigating challenging work environments.
Caring and Considerate Behaviour
A good manager doesn’t just delegate tasks – they inspire others to perform at their best. By showing genuine interest in your manager’s well-being and celebrating their successes, you’re practising managing upwards. This approach fosters a positive and supportive work environment.
Providing Constructive Feedback
Continuous self-improvement is key to career advancement, and constructive feedback plays a crucial role in this process. When your manager seeks ways to help you improve, respond with humility and honesty, offering valuable feedback that can benefit both of you.
Understanding Career Development
Managers understand the importance of career development and often have plans to advance their careers. One way to manage upwards is by understanding your manager’s career goals and supporting them in achieving those goals while also advancing your own. This mutual support leads to shared success.
Ensuring Fair Treatment
Good managers assign tasks fairly, considering each employee’s capacity, skills, and development goals. To manage upwards, provide positive feedback when you observe your manager engaging in fair practices, reinforcing these behaviours.
Being Results-Oriented
A results-oriented manager recognises the importance of performance standards in a company’s success. Your goal in managing upwards should be to identify, understand, and meet these standards, while also encouraging your team to do the same. This not only supports your manager but also contributes to the overall success of the team, demonstrating your leadership potential.
Embracing the Vision and Setting Goals
Great managers are able to set a vision and translate it into achievable goals for themselves and their team. If your manager excels in this area, acknowledge how their vision-setting abilities have positively impacted your work. This shows your understanding of your role and allows your manager to focus on achieving results rather than constantly monitoring your progress.
Fostering Innovation
Fostering innovation is key to avoiding micromanagement, as no one enjoys working under a microscope. To manage upwards effectively, demonstrate that you can learn from both successes and failures and value autonomy in your work. This approach builds trust with your manager and showcases your ability to innovate independently.
Demonstrating Technical Expertise
While your manager may not always possess the same level of technical expertise as you, it’s important not to undermine them. Instead, support your manager by offering to help them learn necessary skills and new technologies. This requires patience and a willingness to invest time in their development.
Making Others Feel Valued
Ultimately, managers and colleagues will recommend those they see as effective leaders. Your success in managing upwards is closely linked to how you make others, especially your manager, feel in the workplace. Focus on making your manager feel valued and building a strong, positive relationship with them.
What to Consider Before Managing Upwards
Developing the ability to manage upwards doesn’t happen overnight – it’s a soft skill that requires time, dedication, and effort to master. Before committing to managing upwards, reflect on your relationship with your manager and consider the similarities and differences in:
- Communication styles.
- Feedback preferences.
- Management or leadership approaches.
- Priorities.
- Productivity habits.
- Work styles.
Final Thoughts
Managing upwards offers numerous benefits – not only does it help you advance in your career, but it also makes both your and your manager’s jobs easier. By improving communication, supporting each other’s goals, and fostering innovation, you can build a strong working relationship with your boss and enhance your professional reputation.