Managing Up for Success
This post is distilled from Harvard Business Review’s multi-year series on “managing up.” Full credit to Harvard Business Review (HBR) for the original insights and frameworks.
Managing up is a practical art of making your boss (and therefore your team and you) more effective. Different bosses require different moves, but a few principles apply to all.
The universal principles
Do your job extraordinarily well. Reliability is the foundation of influence. Managing up starts and ends with great execution; meeting your commitments, and excellent communication.
Anticipate needs. Learn what makes your boss tick (and what ticks them off). Bring solutions, not surprises.
Be candid, early, and respectful. Treat feedback as a gift. It goes both ways. Agree on honesty as a norm.
Act like a world-class executive assistant. Build trust, minimize crises, save time, turn goals into action. Tell the truth, and have the courage to speak up respectfully.
If you have a brand-new boss
Build the relationship first. Ask how they like to work, share how you work, and connect on priorities.
Study their style. Short vs. long, data vs. story, recommendation vs. options. Adapt accordingly.
Collaborate, don’t just pitch. Co-shape decisions on issues that matter; offer helpful inputs.
If your boss is in another location
Create a “virtual contract.” Set rules for cadence, responsiveness, and follow-through so nothing falls through the cracks.
Set clear goals and frequent check-ins. Accountability beats ambiguity.
Add human glue. Open meetings with 30-second personal-professional check-ins to build trust.
If your boss is hands-off
Diagnose what’s missing: contact, discussion, or follow-up? Then fill the gap.
Assume positive intent and keep them connected. Use brief, structured updates and invite their connections to help when needed.
If you get conflicting messages
Name the double bind (lightly). Acknowledge the tension and ask for guidance on trade-offs.
Vent safely, then act. Don’t let undiscussability paralyze you. Craft a public plan to navigate contradictions.
If your boss is insecure or egotistical
Disarm defensiveness privately. Praise strengths before offering suggestions; frame improvements as shared wins.
Increase transparency. Over-communicate context to reduce status threats and fear of the unknown.
If your boss is indecisive (or all-knowing)
Indecisive
Define before deciding. Spend time clarifying the problem; decisions follow.
Force the first step. Break big calls into small, safe commitments.
Be the trusted sounding board. Help them surface what they need to move.
All-knowing
Let them “discover” your ideas. Share half-baked concepts to invite their imprint and buy-in.
Channel energy productively. Offer new arenas to explore so the team gets room to execute.
If they’re long-winded
Change the setting, set limits. Diagnose where over-talking happens; propose five-minute agendas and hard stops.
Reinforce brevity. Leaders improve, then regress. Keep norms tight and model concise.
If you think you’re smarter than your boss
Reality-check yourself. Technical edge ≠ leadership effectiveness. Consider experience, relationships, and EQ.
Keep your focus on results, not rank. Do excellent work; don’t campaign for their job.
Help, don’t cover up. Complement their gaps; refuse to mask serious deficiencies.
Find something to respect… or plan your exit. Chronic contempt destroys your soul.
Sources & Credit
This post is an adaptation and summary of ideas from Harvard Business Review (HBR) articles on managing up. All kudos to the original HBR authors and editors; any emphasis or paraphrasing here is mine.