Managing Up – Are you doing everything you can to build a great relationship with your manager?
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Managing Up – Are you doing everything you can to build a great relationship with your manager?
The relationship between a manager and an employee is unique, and it needs to be mutually beneficial and managed daily. Understanding your boss’s communication preferences and earning their respect with stellar work will improve your chances for accolades, raises, and internal promotions.
The concept known as “managing up” will bring great success to this relationship if you make it part of your daily routine. Some tips for managing up are:
Align your goals. Are you and your manager working toward the same goals? The micro-decisions you make daily will either ensure you are on the right path or derail you. Have bi-weekly meetings with your manager to ensure your priorities are in line with theirs.
Know what, how, and when. Clarifying details and due dates will prevent ambiguity.? Redoing work isn’t fun for anyone, and it usually costs the company time and money. Being proactive is great. Just be sure you have all the details needed before you dive in.
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Be open to feedback. If you are fortunate enough to have a boss that gives you feedback more than once or twice a year, be grateful and listen to it carefully. Remove the emotion and consider what they are communicating to you. ? A firm cadence, with space for both people to deliver feedback, is a critical piece to the “managing up” puzzle.
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?Exceed expectations. Don’t wait to be asked by your manager if you know something needs to be done. Do it immediately and do it well! Always deliver work in a manner that pleases your boss.
Keep your manager informed. Communicate early and often. Managers do not like to be blindsided. If you are struggling or at risk of missing a deadline, bring your manager into the loop as soon as possible, and work together to reset.
Recognize that your boss is human, too. You may see them as not offering enough information, absent-minded, or inconsistent, but in fact, they may be super stressed and unable to share all the details with you. Perhaps ask, “How can I help you?” This simple question can strengthen your relationship more than you know.
You don’t have to become best friends with your boss to have a great working relationship. You just need to manage up. Be conscious of the things above, and then, sit back and watch the accolades pour in. It will be worth the extra effort.
#LeadershipCoaching, #JobCoaching, #ManagingUp
At NextJob, we help employees build a greater sense of belonging and purpose within their organization through career development coaching. ? To learn more contact Paul Dzurec at 860-933-8424 or [email protected].
Career Strategist ?? Job Search ?? Entrepreneur coach ?? Infusing psychology, neuro/cognitive science, HI/AI to guide quality of career, life, job improvements ?? Branding strategy 4 LinkedIn, Resumes, Social Media
2 年Communication is an art and there are many ways to communicate in difficult and stressful situations so you can be heard. Be thoughtful and try to avoid communicating when you are feeling tired or upset. If you are feeling stressed consider communicating in writing so you can take the time to craft, review, and improve your message. When your 'boss' seems 'off' and under pressure, a rule of thumb to follow is to keep your messages simple, don't send too many and definitely not too many in a row. Before sending, ask yourself if the tone of your message seems positive, if not, add a simple phrase such as "I would appreciate if you can share with me abc information". Words matter! Use yours well.