Managing up: The Art of Strategic Communication
Leadership
I recently enjoyed reading Wes Kao’s newsletter post about managing up, which prompted me to reflect on my own experiences both as an individual contributor (IC) and later as a leader. Kao discusses 15 principles in her post, and I want to highlight the five that resonated most with me based on my experience in the tech industry. Additionally, I will share my perspective and introduce five principles that are important to me as a leader. Finally, I will also outline three key reasons why mastering the art of managing up is beneficial.
My Reflections on Managing up
As an IC, it came naturally for me to manage up, and I always treat my managers as a coach, friend, and someone on my side who always has my best interest.
As a leader, it was challenging to manage up initially until I put in the right strategies with my team. I have to consider managing up my priorities, my team's priorities, operational topics (such as paternity leave or start dates), and insights (learning and strategy from my team's deliverables). It takes some trial and error with weekly status reports and one-on-one shared agendas. For now, a combination of the two is the most effective way for me to get what I need from my directs and to manage up to my manager.
Five of Kao’s Principles of Managing up that Resonate with me
Focus on the Punchline
Get straight to the point. I value directness and clarity. Avoid lengthy backstories and details; concise communication leads to more effective conversations.
Show Your Thought Process
Share your decision-making process and be open to suggestions. You don’t always need to have all the answers. Use your manager as a sounding board and brainstorm together.
Bring Solutions, Not Complaints
Instead of just highlighting challenges, propose solutions. This reduces your manager's burden and workload. When you share a complaint, include your action plan and follow up with the results and what you learned. Maintain a positive and professional attitude.
Keep Your Manager in the Loop
Over-communication is often better than under-communication. If your manager doesn’t ask for updates, they likely still care and want to know what is happening. Find effective ways to keep them updated, such as weekly status reports, shared agendas, or adding them to project channels. Provide asynchronous updates to focus your meetings on pressing issues. This will help you manage your time effectively, and over-communication helps your manager advocate for you and have your back even when you aren’t in the conversation.
Be Explicit About What You Need
No surprises. Communicate clearly about where and when you need help. A good manager will check in to see how they can support you. Make your needs known in your one-on-ones or when projects face challenges.
Which of these resonate the most with you based on your experiences?
5 Principles to Managing up Based on my Experiences
Both in terms of what I need from my team but also what guides me in managing up my leadership chain
Share Key Insights and Learnings
Your manager can’t attend every report readout or stay fully updated on yours or your team’s insights and learnings. To manage up effectively, strategically share key findings, insights, and recurring themes you observe. Summarizing this information is essential, because you need people at various organizational levels to communicate what they are hearing and learning to drive impact at scale. This enables your manager to manage up and champion your work to support you in driving change.
Align Goals with Your Manager’s and Broader Organization
Understand your manager’s goals and priorities and align your work accordingly. Ensure clarity in your work and how they fit into the broader organization. This alignment reduces duplicative work and clarifies who is responsible for what. It is also crucial for delivering meaningful impact on the business.
Seek Feedback and Use It Constructively
Regularly seek feedback and use it to improve—even at the most senior levels. Be open and professional, showing self-awareness by discussing what is going well and what could be improved. This encourages a culture of growth and learning. You don’t always have to agree, but you must acknowledge and address the feedback.
Build a Relationship Based on Trust
Be reliable, honest, and deliver on your promises. Maintain confidentiality when situations warrant it. Regularly demonstrating reliability and integrity builds trust within the team, with your manager and partners.
Be Human and Transparent
If personal matters affect your productivity, communicate openly. Remote work offers flexibility, so don’t force productivity if you’re struggling. Be transparent about what you need.
Are there principles of managing up from your own experience that you would like to share?
Three Reasons Why Strengthening Your Skills Managing up will Benefit you.
Problem-Solving
It empowers you to address issues proactively, suggest improvements, and contribute to decision-making processes.
Better Support
It helps you understand your boss's expectations and pressures, allowing you to offer better support and anticipate needs.
Career Growth
It increases visibility and showcases your skills, dedication, and reliability, potentially leading to promotions and career advancement.
What are other benefits have you seen in effectively managing up?
Please subscribe, comment, and share. I would love to hear your feedback on what you want to read about. - Anosha
Interesting post! Focus on the punchline and bring solutions, not complaints really resonated with me.