Manage Up - What Does It Mean?

If you have a direct supervisor or manager there are times when you have to practice the fine art of “managing up.” Maybe you have never heard about this? Maybe you tried, failed the first time and never tried again.

What does it mean to manage up?

First consider “managing down”, which is what your manager does. Your manager at times needs to delegate tasks, mentor, evaluate and even correct you. This is what a manger does; he manages those who report to him. Whether that is done effectively or not is another issue. Let’s assume he is a great manager.

You also have a responsibility to manage even if it is not reflected in your title. As long as you have someone you call boss, you need to manage. When I tell people this I often get a blank stare and then a reason why they can’t or shouldn’t do this. Why?

In this case we have considered your manager to be a great one! She is your mentor. She is your servant, advocate and leader. Does she need to be managed?

Yes.

Part of being a good manager is not being a monarch or dictator. Even the best managers make mistakes and bad calls. Perhaps they do not see what you see. You need to show them.

Let me give you an example. Your manager fails to communicate a key change in direction to the whole group. They somehow missed it. It happens and it is okay. However, it must be addressed. You recognize the failure to properly communicate and so you now have a responsibility. This will help the entire group, including the manager.

When “managing up” remember these important rules:

1) Never be emotional.
2) Check your ego at the door.
3) State the issue factually.
4) Remember your manager is the authority figure, not you.
5) Respect your manager.

So keeping those rules in mind, here is your dialog:

“I know you are interested in our team being successful. The team wants to be successful as well; at least that is my opinion. I just heard about a change in what you are now expecting the team to complete. I may have misplaced an email you sent; however, I was not aware of the change. Is this my issue?”

Think about this approach. I will discuss it further tomorrow and present the manager’s response.

You probably already see that “managing up” takes confidence, maturity and responsibility to do it right.