Managing up is not optional, it's essential
Why it's important, and how to get good at it
Managing up is often synonymous with self-promotion. It feels a bit “icky” and most of us avoid doing it. I know I did for most of my career.
I have someone I managed to thank, who showed me how and why it’s done. He was absolutely brilliant at managing up to me. A few examples of things that he did:
He told me very early on that he was aiming for a promotion by the end of the year, and he’d appreciate my candour and support to get there
He sent a weekly update every single Monday with wins, blockers, and anything he needed help on
He regularly got feedback from his peers & shared it with me - both positive and constructive
If he was presenting to our exec team, he’d share his slides ahead of time, point out the parts that might get challenged, and ask me whether I was happy to support him on those
It’s hard to describe how easy and fun it felt to manage this person. I always knew what they cared about, how things were going, what they expected of me. It allowed me to be very open with them in return.
This person, and now my own experience of managing up, has helped me realise a few “truths” about managing up.
💡 Three truths about managing up
I’ve come to realise that managing up is not “icky” or something to avoid, it’s critical to being successful in a company. And the goal is not self promotion, it’s fairly simple - you make it easy for information to be shared between you and your manager, in a regular and consistent way.
There are countless benefits to managing up. You avoid back and forth, you avoid being micromanaged, you build empathy and trust with your manager, you get offered the right opportunities, you get given the right support.
Managing up isn’t something you do to adjust for a bad manager, it’s something that is important to do however brilliant your manager is. The very best manager can’t be responsible for pulling information from you, and knowing what information to give to you. Managing up is about taking responsibility for your part in creating a strong relationship between your manager and yourself.
The rest of this post is about actionable ways you can start managing up.
Share a weekly update
If you don’t let your manager know how things are progressing it results in back and forth, and misunderstandings. A well written weekly update (on slack/email) builds trust and saves everyone time. If you’re not already doing this, please try it for 4 weeks. I promise you it’s an instant time saver and trust builder.
I’d include: progress towards goals, blockers, and make a distinction between updates (no action needed) and asks (feedback, input or approval needed).
➡️ Example:
Progress towards goals: We shipped the v1 of X customer problem on our roadmap. Early data looks promising, but we’re waiting until Friday to do a full analysis. I’ll send it over to you then.
Blockers: We’re blocked on design because, as you know, we’ve not got a replacement whilst X is on parental leave. Ask: can we discuss options in our next 1:1?
Other key updates: I’m presenting to the Board on Friday. Here’s my presentation (link). I’d love feedback on how well I’ve communicated the value of our product work. Can you share by Thursday lunch so I’ve got time to incorporate it? Is there anyone else you’d suggest I get feedback from? As a heads up I will share a pre-read by EOD Thurs with the board.
Use your 1:1 time well
Your 1:1 time is golden time to share context (both ways) and have meaningful discussions. Be thoughtful about how you use that time. I’d suggest sharing a short list of topics before your 1:1. And use this time to discuss, not update (you have your weekly update for that).
➡️ Examples:
Getting wider company context: “I’d love the wider context behind our new company strategy. Can you talk me through how you got to the decision to focus on X and Y?”
Talking through your approach to a blocker and getting their perspective: “We’ve hit a technical constraint that is taking us a long time to figure out. I think we should cut some scope and try and get the v1 out quickly. What risks might there be with this approach?”
Talking through strategy and getting feedback: “Our first experiment didn’t have the impact we wanted, I feel confident that we should try XX before pivoting on strategy. Can we discuss this, and can you provide challenge to this idea?”
Share your development goals
Your manager is there to help you get to where you want to get be. The more clearly you can share where you’re aiming towards, the more they can help you find the right opportunities and support you to get there. If you’re feeling stuck, you can ask them to help you figure that out too. Wherever you are, tell them.
➡️ Examples:
Help getting somewhere: “A big goal for me over the next few years is to move into a CPO position. I think the two biggest gaps for me to get there are X and Y. What else am I missing? What opportunities do I have to gain more experience in those areas?”
Feeling stuck: “I’m not sure of the next step in my career. Would you be able to help me explore a few options? Are there people you can connect me with that have taken senior IC roles and people management roles? I’m feeling unsure which one is right for me.”
Make it easy for your manager to share feedback
The more feedback you get, the quicker you’ll build your self-awareness and grow. The easier you make it for your manager to share feedback with you, the more high quality feedback you will get. This is especially important to do, the more senior (and busy) your manager is.
➡️ Examples:
Confirm a theme: “I’m going to focus on improving the clarity of my written and spoken communication. I’ve gotten feedback from 1-2 people that it could be better. What’s one thing that you think I could be doing better here?”
Ask for feedback before an important meeting: “I’m presenting to the board tomorrow. Can I get some feedback from you afterwards on how well I communicate our vision, and how well I field and answer questions?”
Focused question: “What’s on your mind when it comes to my team / department? What do you think I’m not giving enough time and attention to?”
Offer support and help
An important part of managing up is getting information and context on your manager’s world, not just sharing context on your world. Find ways to ask your manager what their priorities are, and how you can help. Solving your managers problems is the fastest way to have more impact and strengthen your working relationship
➡️ Examples:
“What’s your biggest priority at the moment?”
“What are your goals for this week/month/quarter”
“I know you’re keen to make our PM meetings run better, do you want me to own making that happen?”
“I know we’ve got an investor meeting coming up, can I help by summarising recent product work?”
Closing thoughts
One of the biggest reactions I hear on the topic of managing up is “Shouldn’t my manager be doing these things?”.
My answer to you: If you stay focused on “who should do what” and “what you should or shouldn’t have to do” you will lose out. You will miss out on opportunities to grow, opportunities to take on more responsibility, and the opportunity to build a strong relationship with your manager.
The relationship is not one sided. The more you put into your relationship with your manager, the more you will get out of it. It’s that simple.
And if you’re still unsure, try a few of the suggestions. Most are very quick to try out. See how you get on, and then make your decision. I feel confident you’ll be a convert.
Working with me
I coach founders and leaders at tech companies. I partner with you to help you become a more impactful, confident and fulfilled leader. You can read more about how I work and get in touch here.
great article and practical tips! Thanks alot