The concept of Managing Up, as described by Harvard Business Review, "...is the process of consciously working with your supervisor to obtain the best possible results for you, your boss, and the company."
You can think about Managing Up as a relationship management tool to influence and coach your manager on your interests, goals, and how you work and communicate best. By Managing Up, an individual can take charge of their workplace experience through proactive communication and constructive feedback about their work. As a leader, Managing Up can be used to show your manager that you can be reliable, trustworthy, and ready to take initiative.
When done correctly, Managing Up can help to build a positive and trusted working relationship in which the employee, manager, and company benefit. Managing Up can also be an effective way to engage a manager who may be otherwise disengaged.
Some simple examples of how to Manage Up are to:
- Proactively offer to take on additional responsibilities without waiting for your manager to ask
- Seek feedback related to your work without waiting for your manager to help or give advice
- Communicate to your manager how you work most effectively (you are better with face-to-face or phone conversation versus email)
