Are you managing “up”?

I’m two weeks into my MBA program at Suffolk University and the amount of my assigned reading for the semester rivals the amount of cumulative reading I’ve done over the past five years. I’m finding it especially interesting, and I’m realizing that most of it relates to business situations I’ve already lived through during my 7-year “break” in-between college enrollment.

One of the topics I recently researched for an organizational behavior class covers managing your boss. The premise of managing your boss, or managing “up” deals with cultivating a trusting relationship with your immediate supervisor.

When good managers manage down, they give their people a clear understanding of what’s expected of them, a basic script to work from, and an understanding of the time they have to accomplish their work. In doing this, the manager ultimately creates a work environment in which there is mutual support, mutual trust, and genuine lines of communication.

When a subordinate (or manager) manages up, they should first have a good understanding of both the other person and themselves. One should use this information to develop and manage a healthy working relationship; one that is compatible with both people’s work styles and assets, is characterized by mutual expectations, and meets the most critical needs of the other person.

Managing up is easier than it sounds. Here are some starters…

• Appreciate your boss’ goals and pressures
• Know their strengths and weaknesses
• Learn their personal and organizational objectives
• Adapt to their preferred style of working
• Know how they like to get information
• What are your boss’ needs?
• Do they strive on conflict or avoid it?

Essentially, it’s all about communication—those who don’t communicate effectively with their superiors, for example, won’t be able to win support for pet projects or promotions for subordinates… they also aren’t likely to be included in helping make important decisions or weigh in on strategy. Learning to adapt to the boss’ preferred way of doing things actually helps you maintain control of your career… once you have that skill you’ll never need to feel apprehensive about working for anyone.