3 cardinal rules of “Managing Up”
We all have heard the importance of “managing up” and its importance for career progression. No one teaches these in school so only way to learn these is by making mistakes. Or better yet, learning from ones who already made them. Here is what I know from my experience. These are applicable to you, if you are fresh out of school, or have a decade long experience, if you are a IC or a VP. These rules are applicable to all, as these are based on human principles.
#1 Predictability (aka never surprise your boss in a good or a bad way)
Predictability builds trust. Let’s say the project got delayed by 3 weeks, and you share last minute and give this surprise. Or let’s say the project is getting done 3 weeks ahead of schedule and you share last minute and give this surprise to your boss. It does not matter if the news is good or bad, if it is suddenly coming out of nowhere, it will leave your boss wondering:
- Either :Did you know and not tell me, then your character cannot be trusted.
- Or: Did you yourself not know till last minute, then your competence cannot be trusted.
Either ways the trust takes a hit. And without trust, all is gone. Always tell your boss, what is coming their way with what probability. E.g. project might be delayed, 50% chance for xyz reasons. Or project will get delivered earlier 80% chance, I am working hard on making it happen for xyz reasons.
Human principle at work here is: Predictability equals certainty equals pleasant feelings. And uncertainty creates fear.
#2 Consistency (aka keep on doing what you do and how you do, over and over)
Consistency builds credibility / reputation. And as you know, your reputation precedes you and succeeds you. Your boss knows that if she gives you this work, you will deliver it. OR she may guess that if she gives you this work, you will Not deliver it (based on your past consistent performance).
This is why with new bosses you have to work hard in first 6 months to establish that credibility and the best way to do that is to consistently deliver work with certain level of quality.
Human principle at work here is: Same as #1, consistency also equals certainty. Another one is Halo effect, the tendency for an impression created in one area to influence opinion in another area. So if your reputation is good, it will make you look good in all areas.
#3 Proactive and Open Communication
Did you just roll your eyes or said “duh”. You will be surprised at how we think we communicate well and then we are surprised at our reviews/feedbacks.
Communication is not an end, it’s a means to other ends. The other ends being:
- Staying always on the same page: Making sure your boss knows what are your priorities and understanding what her priorities are. I can’t tell how often my clients say, well my boss told me to work on this, so she should remember it. Only if. Your boss probably has 5 times the workload or things to remember, so communicate with status reports etc. to always let her know what are you working on and not working on so you can align to her priorities. You are after all working as unit to produce something larger, so working on same priorities is crucial.
- Feedback. Well this needs a blog on it own. But in short, communicate to give and receive regular feedback, so you are not surprised later and can course correct early. This is where you can tell your boss, on what she can do to better support you aka what you need and let her know how you can best support her too.
- Conflict resolution or dealing with disagreement. If you have a good proactive and open way to communicate, then you can learn how to disagree or resolve a conflict or clarify misunderstanding. Every resolved conflict builds trust and every unresolved conflict erodes it.
Human principle at work here is: Ease generates pleasant feelings. If your boss can communicate well with you easily then she will like working with you. On the other hand, if feedback, aligning priorities, disagreements are a struggle, then she won’t like working with you and has no incentive to promote or even keep you in her team.
#Bonus: Be as asset not a liability
(Since you read till here you get a bonus. :))
Of course, all the work you do for the company is of value and an asset. But as you go about doing that work, if you keep increasing your bosses workload she won’t like it. E.g. you ask her to take decisions for you. Or you present her with problems without your solution ideas. Or you just ‘cc’ her on the emails assuming she will now take over the thread and resolve it. So in short, as much as possible don’t increase your bosses workload.
Also when presenting your work to upper management (i.e. your boss’s boss), act like a team. So you should not be throwing your boss under the bus (and hopefully vice-versa).
Human principle at work here is: More work for your boss equals more stress and unpleasant feelings. Due to the negative bias humans have, that’s all your boss may remember and might forget the value you do add.
Remember, end goal of managing up is not to please your boss, but to function well as a team so you both can create value together and progress ahead as a unit.
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