My Thoughts
Managing Up: The Secret Weapon Your Boss Doesn't Want You to Know About
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Here's something they don't teach you in business school: managing up is basically manipulating your boss, and I'm not sorry for saying it.
After seventeen years of watching brilliant people get passed over for promotions while office politicians climbed the ladder, I've realised the uncomfortable truth. Your technical skills matter about 30% of the time. The other 70%? It's all about how well you can make your manager look good whilst getting what you need.
I learned this the hard way back in 2009. Fresh-faced consultant, all confidence and spreadsheets, thinking my quarterly reports would speak for themselves. Six months later, I watched my colleague Sarah get the team lead position I'd been eyeing. Her secret? She'd been feeding our manager exactly the information he needed for his monthly executive presentations, packaged in bite-sized, jargon-free summaries.
The Art of Strategic Information Flow
Most people think managing up means brown-nosing. Wrong. Dead wrong.
Managing up is about understanding your boss's pressure points, communication style, and what keeps them awake at 2am. It's strategic communication, not sucking up. There's a massive difference, though I'll admit the line can get blurry sometimes.
Your manager is dealing with their own manager, budgets that make no sense, and probably three different "urgent" priorities that all contradict each other. When you walk into their office with another problem, you're adding to their stress load. But when you walk in with solutions? That's when magic happens.
I once worked with a CEO in Melbourne who had this brilliant assistant. She never just brought him problems – she brought him three possible solutions with her recommendation highlighted. Within two years, she was running her own department. Coincidence? I think not.
Reading the Room (and Your Boss's Calendar)
Here's where most people stuff up completely. They treat their boss like a mind reader.
Your manager doesn't know what you're working on unless you tell them. They don't know you're struggling with the Johnson account unless you mention it. And they definitely don't know you want that promotion unless you've explicitly stated your career goals.
But timing is everything. Don't ambush them with career conversations when they're stressed about quarterly targets. Don't pitch new ideas on Friday afternoon when they're mentally checked out. Learn their rhythms.
Some managers are morning people who make decisions before 10am. Others are afternoon strategists who need coffee and contemplation time. Watch. Listen. Adapt.
The best advice I ever received came from a gruff warehouse manager in Perth: "If you want something from someone, figure out what they want first." Profound in its simplicity.
The Communication Matrix Nobody Talks About
Different managers need different communication styles, and this is where most people fall flat on their faces.
Detail-oriented managers want comprehensive reports with backup data and footnotes. Big-picture managers want executive summaries and key takeaways. Some prefer email trails they can reference later. Others want quick verbal updates and hate long emails.
I've seen talented analysts fail spectacularly because they kept sending detailed technical reports to a CEO who just wanted to know: "Are we on track or not?" Three words would have sufficed.
On the flip side, I've watched project managers drive detail-focused directors crazy with vague "everything's fine" updates when what they needed was specific metrics and timeline breakdowns.
The Feedback Loop That Changes Everything
Here's something controversial: you should be giving your boss feedback too.
Not criticism. Feedback. There's a world of difference.
When your manager implements a new process that's creating bottlenecks, find a diplomatic way to share what you're observing. When their communication about priorities is unclear, ask clarifying questions that help them sharpen their messaging.
Most managers are flying blind when it comes to how their decisions impact the team. They're making calls based on incomplete information from their level. Your frontline perspective is valuable – if you package it right.
I remember having a boss who kept scheduling "quick" meetings that routinely ran 45 minutes over. Instead of suffering in silence, I started booking the meeting room for 30 minutes after our scheduled end time for "buffer time." When he asked why, I explained that our conversations were so valuable I wanted to ensure we had proper time without rushing. Problem solved without making him feel criticised.
Strategic Visibility Without Looking Desperate
This is the trickiest part of managing up, and where most people either undersell themselves or come across as attention-seeking.
Your achievements mean nothing if they happen in a vacuum. But nobody likes a show-off either.
The secret is contextual sharing. Instead of saying "I increased efficiency by 15%," try "The new process we discussed last month has reduced processing time by 15%, which should help us handle the Q4 volume increase." See the difference? You're connecting your win to their priorities.
Regular check-ins are your friend here. Not daily pestering sessions, but structured updates that keep you on their radar. Some managers prefer weekly emails. Others like brief Monday morning catch-ups. Figure out their preference and stick to it.
And here's something nobody tells you: volunteer for the projects nobody else wants. The thankless tasks that keep your manager from getting buried in administrative nonsense. Not only does this position you as a problem-solver, but it also gives you insight into challenges they're facing that you might be able to help with later.
When Managing Up Goes Wrong
I've made every mistake in the book, so let me save you some pain.
Don't go around your manager to their boss unless it's a serious ethical issue or safety concern. The corporate equivalent of telling mum when dad says no rarely ends well.
Don't assume what works with one manager will work with another. I once had a boss who loved detailed project plans and another who saw them as bureaucratic waste. Same company, same role, completely different approaches needed.
And for the love of all that's holy, don't make your manager look bad in front of their peers. Even if you're right, even if their decision was questionable, public disagreement is career suicide. Save those conversations for private moments.
The Long Game
Managing up isn't about short-term gains. It's about building a relationship that benefits both of you over time.
When your manager succeeds, they remember who helped make it happen. When they get promoted, they often take their trusted team members with them. When they move to new companies, they become part of your professional network.
I've got three former managers who still call me for advice or job opportunities. Not because I was the smartest person on their team, but because I made their jobs easier and their results better.
The best part? Once you master managing up, you'll become a better manager yourself. You'll understand the pressures from above and be more effective at shielding your team from unnecessary corporate chaos.
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Managing up isn't just a skill – it's a survival strategy in modern business. Master it, and you'll find doors opening that you didn't even know existed. Ignore it, and you'll wonder why your career feels stuck despite your best efforts.
The choice is yours.