Managing Up: How to Lead—Without the Title
Do you ever feel like you’re managing your manager? If so, it’s not necessarily a negative. If you’re contributing significant value to your organization and taking on more and more tasks that your boss is typically responsible for, then your leadership skills will be naturally showcased. But if your boss is a bit difficult to work with and you find yourself managing them more than they manage you, then it’s time to manage yourself up and out of their leadership. In this article, we’ll share three tips on how to lead yourself in managing up so that you can grow in your leadership and also three tips on managing up when your boss is difficult to work for.
How to Lead Yourself in Managing Up
Anticipate the needs of others. Become a resource for your boss, your teammates and those in your organization simply by offering bandwidth (when you have it), showing initiative and ownership of projects and volunteering to help. If you become the go-to for those in your organization, your leadership capacity will be visible to the decision-makers. You might not have the promotion yet—but you’ll be able to clearly point to all the reasons why you should be considered when an opening becomes available.
Be decisive. Most likely, your manager is very busy. And it’s their job to be a resource for you, but if you can grow in confidence and trust your own decision-making, you’ll likely turn to them less—and, in turn, demonstrate your leadership capacity. Practice this in small ways. Next time you’re about to email or ping your boss with a question, see if you can figure it out yourself first (often we can). If you’re nervous to make a mistake, ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen? If the risk seems great, then seeking outside counsel is incredibly wise. But if the risk seems low, then try it! The more decisions you make, the more confident you’ll become.
Keep a “Me” file. This can have many different names, but essentially, it’s a digital folder of encouragement. We all have days where we just need a little reminder that we’re good at our job and have value to contribute. So next time you receive a positive note from a customer, colleague or vendor, drop it in your “Me” file (a cloud-based folder, an email folder, whatever works for you) and read through them on discouraging days. In doing so, you’ll be actively participating in your own development by noticing patterns where others have pointed out your strengths. And when there’s a possible promotion on the horizon, you can remind yourself and your boss of your contribution and why you’re ready for the next step.
You have control over your career development. If you don’t feel as though you’re being developed in the ways that you expect, then implement the above steps and your confidence will grow. Everyone has leadership capacity—with or without the title—but you have to believe in yourself first before you can expect anyone else to see it.
How to Manage Up When Your Boss is Difficult
Assume positive intent. It can be easy to let frustration build when someone you work with (especially someone who leads you) repeatedly drops the ball. This can look like your manager missing deadlines, ignoring your emails or constantly rescheduling your one-on-ones. You may begin to feel devalued and lose respect for your leader. And you may very well be justified in feeling that way. But we never know the full picture of what someone is wading through. So be curious. Seek to understand what’s going on with your manager both professionally and personally. You might learn ways you can help them—tasks you could take on to free them up or ways you could lead yourself and your teammates. Not only will this showcase your leadership skills, but it’ll show your manager that you are for them. You should always want your boss to succeed. And if the roles were reversed, wouldn’t you want someone to first assume the best of you too?
Show them you’re committed. And that you expect the same from them. This can be tricky. You never want to show disrespect, but you can politely remind your boss that they established a deadline or goal and you’re working hard to meet it—so you expect everyone else to do the same (even them). If you consistently complete your projects on time, keep your commitments and show up prepared and on time to meetings, you’ll have stronger leverage to speak up when someone in a more senior role isn’t doing the same. If a leader is working toward health in their own life and leadership and you approach the conversation with curiosity, they will be more likely to receive the exhortation as positive accountability from a trusted teammate who is in their corner. But, if they aren’t working toward health, then that leads us to our last point…
Document. The goal is to never reach this step, but documentation can become necessary when someone just shouldn’t be in a leadership role. If you have documented repeated moments of poor leadership and have tried to engage in healthy dialogue with your leader around behavior changes but nothing has worked, then it might be time to either get a new job or talk to HR. But first have the conversation with your leader. Remember, they’re human first, leader second. Even if you haven’t felt the same level of respect from them, give it anyway—be the bigger person. It’s a rewarding way to live and lead.
Are you ready for the next step in your leadership journey? We can help as you manage yourself up toward that promotion or navigate a tricky relationship with your boss. Check out our Elevate coaching program to learn which journey is right for you.
