One of the most important, yet complex, relationships you will have in the workplace is the relationship with your boss. A good or bad manager-employee relationship can make or break your 9-to-5. So, it’s important to do our part to build a strong relationship. One technique for this is managing up.
What’s up with ‘managing up’?
Managing up is the practice of creating and maintaining an effective relationship with your manager. This includes identifying your boss’s management style and preferences, building a connection, and anticipating their needs. To manage up involves a great deal of emotional intelligence on the part of the employee, and an ability to understand your manager’s verbal and nonverbal cues. It also requires a key insight into the organizational practices, objectives, and projects, to understand how to work as the most effective employee you can.
Managing up benefits include increased career progression, workplace connections, job satisfaction, performance improvements, and workplace achievements.
The first step in managing up is to identify what kind of boss you have. Here are some common types:
- A new boss to the role or organization who may ‘shake up’ the established dynamic of the office.
- A hands-on boss who intentionally or unintentionally micromanages, either out of a need to control or a misplaced desire to ‘help’.
- A hands-off boss who intentionally or unintentionally doesn’t offer much guidance or support, either because they fully trust their employees, or are generally disengaged and possibly indifferent.
- A strict or reactive boss who makes you feel like you need to walk on eggshells around them.
- A remote boss who you only communicate with virtually, and therefore may struggle to build a connection with.
- An insecure boss who doesn’t have much leadership experience and/or confidence, possibly resulting in indecisiveness or a need for approval.
The DOs of managing up
- DO be proactive and anticipate your boss’s needs and wants.
- DO communicate with your boss. Keep them in the loop, ask for their input, and show that you value their ideas and feedback.
- DO innovate and create unique solutions that your boss may not think of.
- DO be goal-focused. Be diligent in understanding what needs to be accomplished.
- DO work towards self-improvement and show a willingness to learn and take advice.
- DO prioritize. Understand what tasks are important to your organization and boss and prioritize these.
- DO enforce relationship building, re-evaluating the employee-boss dynamic over time and communicating with your boss as needed.
The DON’Ts of managing up
- DON’T go over their head (unless related to harassment, bullying, or other serious workplace violations that would necessitate speaking with your organization’s HR department or another leader).
- DON’T try to replace your boss. It’s okay if you aspire for a leadership role, but don’t try to actively outperform your boss or do their work with the intention of being seen as better than them.
- DON’T be best friends. Remember that in the office a professional employee-boss dynamic needs to be respected.
- DON’T try to change your boss. Managing up isn’t about trying to manipulate your boss through mind games. It’s doing your part to make the relationship the most effective it can be. Of course, if something in their management style is overtly wrong (i.e., being unkind or discriminatory) communicate this to HR and seek support.
- DON’T be a yes person. You were hired for a reason and have your own thoughts. Don’t try to just appease your boss, but do support them in new innovative ways.
Final thoughts
Bosses play a key role in our success. Therefore, learning how to manage up might be the best way to make your employee-boss relationship work for you!