How To Manage Up (And What Does It Mean?)

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Employees can play a big role in the success of their supervisors. They don’t need to be mindless drones who blindly follow orders. Instead, they can use their skills to help their supervisor maximize their management potential.

When an employee manages up, they show that they are committed to the success of themselves, their manager, and their organization. They look for ways to improve workflow and productivity because, in the end, it makes everyone’s life easier.

Key Takeaways

• Managing up should be encouraged by employers to their employees.

• Managing up does not mean you are a bad boss.

• Empathy, observation, and critical thinking are important skills to manage up successfully.

• Managing up increases engagement and productivity while reducing turnover.

What Is Managing Up?

Managing up is the process by which employees focus on building a productive relationship with their supervisors. The result is that the employee makes themself valuable to their boss. In turn, their boss sets up the employee for success.

When you manage up, you help your supervisor be more effective, which brings out the best in you. It allows the two of you to focus your energy on the mutual objectives of your organization.

Why Managing Up Is Important For Employers

As an employer, you will want to be open to the concept of managing up. Encourage the concept and show a willingness to grow.

When your employees manage up, they will help make your life easier. Additionally, you may be in a position where you need to manage up your own supervisors, such as executives and owners.

In all cases, your ability to be managed up and to manage up will help create a healthier, more productive workplace.

Common Misconceptions Of Managing Up

When people hear the term “manage up,” they usually have preconceived biases, such as:

• It is only used for bad or incompetent bosses.

• It is an act of insubordination against management.

• It means you have to change your boss’s habits and work philosophy.

• It means you have to handle all your manager’s responsibilities for them.

None of this is true. In fact, if you were to follow these misconceptions, then you would likely have the opposite effect of what is intended.

Employees should not take for granted that supervisors are people too. Their life experiences create depth and complexity in their personalities.

At the same time, the relationship between an employee and their employee is a two-way street. Managing up maximizes the potential of this relationship by empowering the employees to help their bosses. Those who manage successfully play to their supervisor’s strengths as well as their own.

How to Manage Up

Managing up means you must:

1. Be empathetic. Managing up requires an ability to put yourself in your supervisor’s position. Otherwise, your objective is one-sided and likely to fail.

   Use your empathy skills to imagine what it’s like to be your supervisor. In this manner, you won’t be so biased by your own experience. You can gather a new perspective on your supervisor’s management style and professional needs.

   Your empathy also helps you communicate and listen better, which is critical to succeeding in your goals.

2. Identify needs, priorities, and objectives to find common ground. Managing up is about helping your supervisor and yourself succeed at your company. This means you have to define success, and success is rooted in meeting certain needs.

   With a combination of observation, logical reasoning, and empathy, figure out what these are for:

   • You

   • Your supervisor

   • Your organization

   Then you will want to prioritize. Some needs are more important than others, and these priorities will be at the forefront of your relationship with your boss.

   Although your priorities may not fully align, just by the nature of your situation, you will share common ground with your supervisor. At the bare minimum, both of you want to feel good about your work.

   So use your shared values to inform your managing up approach. Your actions will be more valuable and have a deeper impact on your supervisor.

3. Identify your supervisor’s management style. Along with how your supervisor defines success, you will want to understand how they achieve it. There are all kinds of management styles, and some supervisors like to combine them. Look for how your supervisor handles key leadership responsibilities, such as:

   • When and how they communicate.

   • Whether they are task-oriented or people-oriented.

   • If they are big picture or involved in the details.

   • How they react to adversity and failure.

   • How they provide feedback.

   • How they assign responsibilities.

4. Align your manage up style to your supervisor’s management style. By understanding your supervisor’s preferred tactics, you can make sure your own manage up strategies are appropriate. This increases the chances that you will see a positive response because your boss can remain in their comfort zone.

   It might not be easy because it may mean you have to go outside your own comfort zone. As long as you don’t sacrifice your own values and needs, be flexible when you attempt to manage up. You want to add value to your relationship with your boss, and due to the inherent power dynamics, you’re the one who is expected to change.

5. Identify your supervisor’s strengths and weaknesses. No one has a perfect boss. Help your boss be their best by giving them the opportunities to play to their strengths. At the same time, not all weaknesses can be avoided, and those require additional help.

   Manage up by providing solutions so that your supervisor can spend their time and energy effectively. Also, it’s important that you are fair and objective in your assessment of your boss, so be wary of your own emotional biases.

6. Choose tasks that you can help your supervisor with. Knowing what you know, it is now time to take action. A lot of managing up comes down to providing extra help for your boss. This may mean you need to pick tasks that are weaknesses for your supervisor.

   Be realistic, and don’t overcommit yourself. Remember that you have a responsibility to your own needs. Still, it is quite likely you can find the time to take on additional responsibilities. Managing up does not happen without extra effort on your part.

7. Get to know your supervisor on an appropriate personal level. Managing up should not be an impersonal approach to your boss. If you really want to build a productive relationship with them, you need to make some personal connection.

   You don’t have to be best friends. In fact, you don’t even need to be friends. You just want to show you respect your supervisor and are curious about who they are. This strengthens your relationship and can provide valuable insight as you continue to manage up. You can use what you learn to make adjustments if necessary.

8. Be clear on your professional needs. Finally, as you manage up, you need to remember your own professional goals. There will be times when your boss may not be aware of them. You want to have a productive relationship, so sometimes, you will need to vouch for yourself and clarify your objectives. This ensures that you uplift yourself as well as your boss.

Examples of Managing Up Techniques

Managing up can take all different forms. Some common examples include:

Tips for Managing Up

• Ask questions, don’t assume. Managing up requires informed decision-making and establishing a genuine relationship. Therefore, how you decide to manage up depends on what you know about your boss. Asking questions also provides clarity to expectations and avoids miscommunication.

• Clearly communicate. Speaking of communication, make sure that you understand your boss and that your boss understands you. Whether you are writing an email or speaking in person, try to be on the same page. Everyone has different communication styles, so get in the habit of summarizing discussions and conclude with a simple question, “do I have that right?”

• Find teachable moments. Your supervisor may need training in areas that you can help with. For example, you may be better at a certain technology or new industry procedure.

• Be proactive. The best form of managing up is one that lays the groundwork for success ahead of time. Notice any patterns of behavior from your supervisor that hurt productivity and get a jump on them. This may take the form of providing solutions or redirecting their focus to something more constructive.

• Give positive feedback. Let your boss know when their efforts are helpful. This will help reinforce the behavior you want to see out of them later on.

• Be patient, not pushy. Managing up is a process and takes time. There will be ups and downs along the way, so don’t expect to change your relationship overnight.

Skills for Managing Up

Managing up takes a combination of skills, such as:

• Critical thinking. A part of managing up is problem-solving. You are making adjustments to improve circumstances. This requires you to use your observation, logic, and reasoning skills to come up with solutions.

• Communication. This is important for any healthy relationship. Your ability to communicate with your supervisor will determine the level of success you will have as you try to help them.

• Active listening. When your boss speaks, you want to listen fully. Otherwise, you might miss out on critical information that can help improve your situation.

• Organization. For your tactics to go well, you need to integrate them into your current work environment efficiently.

• Time management. Managing up is an additional task to your set of job responsibilities. You don’t want one to interfere with the other, so schedule the appropriate time out of your day.

• Conflict resolution. Sometimes you will disagree with your supervisor, so keep your emotions in check, remember your objectives, and be professional.

Benefits of Managing Up

The importance of managing up can not be understated. When companies encourage their employees to manage up, they see benefits like:

• Increased employee engagement. Employees are more likely to be engaged when they feel like they can trust their leaders to be competent and have everyone’s interests in mind.

• Healthier professional relationships. No one wants to hate the people they work with. Managing up allows you to feel good about where you and your supervisor stand with each other.

• Increased productivity. With trust and engagement comes productivity. Employees can focus their time and energy on their job responsibilities instead of toxic distractions.

• Organizational resilience. Your company is stronger when its employees and supervisors are working together to achieve mutual success. You will be able to adapt to change and find better solutions together.

• Opens up new opportunities. You may discover something new about your boss that can help you in the future, or vice versa, such as a networking opportunity, developing a new skill or taking on a new responsibility.

Managing Up FAQ

1. How do you manage up a difficult manager?

   Manage up a difficult manager with patience, empathy, and understanding of their needs. Your goal is to be professional. That means, regardless of how difficult your manager is, you need to feel confident that you are doing the right thing.

   Try to identify what exactly makes your manager difficult. Is their communication style vague or abrasive? Do they not do what they say they will do? Are they disorganized or incompetent?

   Once you have a clearer idea of the situation, then look for solutions that focus on your shared objectives. It may not be perfect, but it’s better than letting the situation devolve into bitter conflict.

2. Is it too late to manage up if I have worked with my boss for a long time?

   No, it is not too late to manage up, even if you have been with the same boss for a long time. In fact, managing up is a great way to invigorate your relationship.

   There may be a little discomfort at the beginning, simply due to the fact that change can be uncomfortable, but don’t let this deter you. If there is anything you have noticed that you think can be improved, work towards it so that it results in mutual success.

3. What are the types of management?

   Types of management include democratic, autocratic, laissez-faire, coaching, bureaucratic, and transactional.

   Many managers usually rely on one particular style; however, they may occasionally incorporate elements from others. Learn what your supervisor’s management style is when you want to manage up. You need to work within the environment you are given.

4. What if my boss doesn’t want to be managed up?

   It is very unlikely that your boss doesn’t want to be managed up. This is why you focus on meeting their needs and working towards mutual success. You are not trying to impose any change on your supervisor.

   You are looking to make improvements that they can get behind. If your boss doesn’t want to be managed up based on your current attempts, you need to find a new tactic for your approach.

References

1. University of California, Merced – Managing Up: What is It and Why Do It?

Author

Conor McMahon

Conor McMahon is a writer for Zippia, with previous experience in the nonprofit, customer service, and technical support industries. He has a degree in Music Industry from Northeastern University and in his free time he plays guitar with his friends. Conor enjoys creative writing between his work doing professional content creation and technical documentation.