Managing Up

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UP, UP, and Away: Making 'Managing Up' as Easy as Tying Balloons

As a multi-layered organisation, how you communicate within each team - as well as across teams - is crucial to your ongoing success. Each team has their own goals, strategies and outcomes, so fostering healthy communication flow within and across each is key. That information, in turn, also needs to be ventilated to the Board/C-Suite/Upper Management level. This is where the concept of Managing Up comes into play. It ensures that the right information can reach the right people, without needing constant requests, allowing everyone the space to grow and continue doing good work.

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The Basics of Managing Up

• "Managing Up": Being a Great Sidekick
• It's Not Jedi Mind Tricks, Just Good Chat
• Stay One Step Ahead with Info Your Lead Needs
• Nail the Basics, No Babysitting Required
• Dodge Micromanagement with Top-Notch Skills

"Managing up is essentially when a direct report, through a positive relationship, is able to make the job of their supervisor easier. It's all about creating value for your manager. And in turn, they guide you to be the best employee possible." HBCU

Managing up is not a Jedi mind trick or a work 'hack' to get what you want and influence the person you report to. Managing up is about maintaining a positive flow of information to provide the least amount of friction possible when dealing with both wins and losses.

A key aspect of managing up is to anticipate the information you are likely to be asked for, and to provide it around the time you would usually receive that request, if not slightly before. This can be as simple as a one-line status report on an issue that's resolved or in progress, or a more detailed debrief on the impact of a more severe series of issues that will take some time to unravel.

A secondary aspect of managing up is to ensure that you do the minimum required without fuss and without being asked to. For example, if tracking the time spent on all projects is required, then get it done so that someone doesn't have to repeatedly ask for that to be completed. Or being on time for meetings, having prepared any required reports/documents and having read through the others which are due to be discussed. These functions point to a low-effort employee who does not require constant management or intervention to do the basics. This reduces friction between you and the person you report to by not constantly needing to be asked to do certain things. By not having to sweat the little things, both you and your manager are freed up to focus on the bigger, more important items that you should be discussing.

Being effective at managing up is one of the best ways to avoid being micro-managed.

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Knowing What Information to Surface

• No Need to Be Captain Obvious with Every Little Task
• Big Wins or Fails? Now That's Worth Talking About
• Different Boss, Different Info Appetite
• Sherlock It Up, Spot the Info Patterns
• Don't Stress, Getting It Right Takes Time

Notifying someone of each individual task being checked off is not always necessary, but surfacing the bigger ticket items has a lot of value. These can be wins (difficult set of tasks completed) or losses (additional time needed due to incorrect information/under scoped/lack of preparation). Each manager is going to be a bit different, so spend some time asking them what sort of information they like to have provided. If they are results oriented or they are process oriented, the information they would generally want to see will be slightly different. If you notice a pattern of a particular question or types of information being requested, you can pre-empt that and provide it without a prompt. This does take time to get to know the people you work with, so don't expect to get it right immediately.

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Knowing When to Surface Information

• Timing Matters: Don't Drop Bombs at Day's End
• Early Bird Gets the Worm: Warn Ahead
• Every Boss Has a "Best Time", Learn It
• Don't Play Hide and Seek with Problems
• Caught Off-Guard: Own It and Communicate It

Presenting a large issue at the end of a workday is less likely to get the attention it needs without additional questions being asked about the timing. Providing a primer earlier in the day that there may be an issue sets the expectation that some additional effort will be required. Working with your manager for long enough should give you an idea of when they are more receptive and able to deal with issues. However, this should not mean that issues should be held back before being ventilated. Most people will prefer to receive an early warning of potential problems, when there is still time to provide input or course correction. Having said that, it is sometimes unavoidable and when we discover an issue may not always be the best time. In that case, acknowledge that in your communication.

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Communicating Your Priorities

• Keep Your Lead in the Loop: Share Your To-Do List
• Feedback Welcome: Give 'em a Heads Up on What's Up
• Write it Out: YTI's Make Team Sync a Breeze
• Share the Game Plan: Drop Priorities in the Team Chat
• Clear as Mud: Spell Out Task Deadlines and Importance

Letting your manager/lead know what you are working on, or where the focus of your team is for the next few days, always helps to ensure they are generally kept in the loop. This also lets them know which areas they could/should be providing feedback on. Written YTI's are great for this purpose as everybody has a handle on what is happening across the team. If priorities have been discussed on a call, it is useful to provide an outline on the relevant Slack channel so the wider team is aware. When asking for a new task to be taken on, setting a deadline and priority is useful for the person to understand the importance and urgency of the request.

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Asking for Feedback

• Say More than Just "FYI": Make Feedback a Part of Updates
• Stop, Collaborate and Listen: Ask for Early Feedback
• Make Sure Your Approach Jives with Theirs
• Don't Be a Mystery: Share Your Deep Dives and Ask for Input
• Let's Huddle: Open Space for Discussion and Collaboration

Some interactions will be informational only (status updates) but others can be to invite feedback before it is needed. Often it will be a simple case of sense checking an approach, or ensuring you've understood a problem completely before continuing with the work. Getting feedback before the work is done will give your manager the confidence that you're going about things in a way that they are in agreement with, meaning less discussion to validate your approach after the work is complete.

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Communicate Regularly

• Not a Chatty Cathy: Avoid Overloading with Hourly Updates
• Keep 'Em in the Loop
• Problem? Progress! Share Your Journey towards a Solution
• Know When to Chime in
• Give 'Em the Good News: Update on Progress and Problems

Hourly updates are not usually very useful (or welcome), but if you've provided a timeline of a problem that is being worked on, give a status update close to that milestone.

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Taking Initiative

• Jump Right In: See Something, Do Something
• Make 'Em Look Twice: Show Interest Beyond Your Job
• Be the Early Bird: Get Tasks Done Sooner than Expected
• Share the Load: Offer Help When You See They're Swamped
• Not Just the Bare Minimum: Add Extra Value to Your Work

If you know that there are improvements to be made which your manager/lead is keen on (whether they be workflow, process or project related) and you are able to move that forward, then do! It could take the form of some information gathering, providing input as a sounding board, sending the occasional link to something similar, or actually just doing the thing. Any interest shown in these areas will improve your relationship with the person you report to.

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Set Expectations

• Say It Straight: Clarify Your Timeline Early On
• Keep 'Em In The Loop: Share Your Plan of Action
• Get Real: Give Honest, Clear Expectations of Results
• No Surprises: Share About Future Steps
• Honesty is Best: Communicate Limitations and Focus Areas Ahead of Time

When you have been provided with a set of instructions/requests/problems that need a resolution, be sure to set expectations as early as possible.

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Middle Management Is Both an Up and an Up Process

• Middle-Management: It's a Two-Way Street
• Report Up, But Don't Forget to Listen Down
• Easier Living: Team Buy-in Reduces Overload
• Freedom! Effective Upward Communication = Autonomy
• Stop the Q&A Madness: Good Comms = Fewer Interruptions

If you are in a middle-management position (for example a team lead) you will be probably be reporting to the Board or C-Suite. However, this is also an approach and expectation you should set on the people who report directly to you. As you send information upwards, you should also be receiving information in the same way from your direct reports. Getting your team on board with this approach will reduce the cognitive overload of trying to keep track of everything yourself. This process is also how you (and your reports) get to be more autonomous. If you (and your team) can communicate upwards effectively, there's going to be less need for someone to keep asking questions and disrupting your flow.

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The Importance of Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

• Empathy in the Workplace: Not Just for Therapists
• Know Thy Boss: Understanding Equals Better Productivity
• Flip the Script: Your Reports Deserve Understanding Too
• Talk it Out: Constructive Feedback is a Two-Way Street
• Comfort Zone: Fostering a Safe Space for Improvement Chats

These are often overlooked aspects of managing up but can significantly enhance your relationship with your supervisor. Understanding and being sensitive to your manager's pressures, work style, and personal characteristics can help foster a better, more productive working relationship. Likewise, understanding and being sensitive to your direct report's pressures, work style, and personal characteristics can help foster a better, more productive working relationship. It is also worth noting the significance of giving and receiving constructive feedback. It's essential to encourage a two-way dialogue where both parties feel comfortable sharing feedback and suggestions for improvement.

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Summary

• Get the Manager's Manual: Understanding Their Work Style Matters
• Be the Office Fortune Teller: Anticipate and Be Proactive
• Clear the Fog: Communication is Key
• Problem? What Problem?: Bring Solutions, Not Only Issues
• Take the Wheel: Show Leadership When You Can
• Trust: It's the Secret Sauce in the Work Relationship Recipe

Managing Up is a critical skill in any professional environment, but it's particularly relevant in the tech sector where hierarchies can often be more fluid. This concept essentially refers to managing your relationship with your supervisor or higher-ups in a way that is beneficial to both of you. It's about understanding your boss's expectations, goals, and pressures, and aligning your work and communication to best support these.

It's important to note that Managing Up doesn't mean manipulating your boss or being a yes-person. It's about fostering a healthy, productive relationship that allows you to do your best work, aids your professional growth, and contributes to the overall success of your team and organisation.

It's important to align with your manager's communication and work style. Some managers might prefer detailed reports, while others may want high-level summaries. Some may appreciate regular check-ins, while others prefer a more hands-off approach. Learning and adapting to these preferences can be critical to managing up effectively.

By understanding your boss's priorities, you can anticipate what they might need before they ask for it. This proactive approach can make you an invaluable asset to your manager and your team.

Keep your manager informed about your work and any challenges that arise. Be transparent, concise, and ensure that you're communicating the right level of detail. Over-communication can be just as problematic as under-communication.

When problems arise, don't only present them to your manager. Instead, come with potential solutions or at least some thought-out options. This shows initiative and a problem-solving attitude.

Taking on additional responsibility demonstrates your commitment to the team and organisation. It can also give you more visibility to higher-ups and helps you to develop your own leadership skills.

Honesty, reliability, and consistency are key to any relationship. Make sure to deliver on your promises, be dependable, and maintain professional integrity.

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