Upward Management: Get Your Boss to Do What YOU Want

Below we talk about why Upward Management is important to every employee, and how you can best go about doing it.  There are four key steps to Upward Management:

1. Continually Manage Upward
2. Know what’s important to your boss
3. Assess how your boss makes decisions
4. Do your homework

Continually Manage Upward

Don’t make the mistake of only proactively managing your boss when you need something.  Upward Management is a continually effort.  Here are some ideas as to how to continually Manage Upwards:

• Be credible to your boss.  The best way to build credibility is to always do what you say you’re going to do.
• Manage expectations on an ongoing basis.  Make sure you keep your boss up to date as to how things are going.  Don’t wait for her to ask!
• Never surprise your boss.
• Adjust your style, if necessary.  If you and your boss do not have a compatible work style, the onus is on you to change.
• Align your goals with his/hers.  A key aspect of Upward Management  is to make sure your boss views your efforts as furthering her own goals.

Know What’s Important to Your Boss

A critical component of effective Upward Management is to have a very clear understanding of what your boss thinks is important.  If you don’t know, you need to ask.  When trying to influence your boss, can you:

• Frame what you want as advancing one of his/her goals?
• Articulate what’s in it for your boss.
• Identify any potential risks your boss might see?

Assess How Your Boss Makes Decisions

Some people rely most on fact, others on how decisions impact people, and others still on the financial impact.  There are multitude of criteria people use when making decisions.  Effective Upward Management means understanding how your boss makes decisions.  Does s/he:

• Rely mostly on facts?
• Does s/he need a high level of detail?
• Need to contribute to part of a bigger picture or strategy?
• Highly value dollar considerations or bottom line?
• Consider political issues?

It is imperative to know how your boss sees these things.

Do Your Homework

Upward Management is not something that should be improvised.  You need to lend careful consideration to all the things mentioned above, and also:

• Anticipate objections your boss may have.
• Mitigate risks that your boss may see as a result of your suggestion or action.

Three Things to Remember about Upward Management:

1. No matter good you may think your suggestion or idea is, you still need to “sell” it.
2. You need to continually cultivate your relationship, and your credibility with your boss.
3. S/he may know something you don’t.  If you don’t get the action or answer you want, remember that there may be parts of the situation that you are not privy to.

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