The Lever #075: I Hate the Phrase "Managing Up"
Welcome to issue No. 075 of the Lever
I hate the phrase "managing up". It sounds gross and prideful. Like your boss is a problem to be solved for. It implies incompetence, and that only YOU have the knowledge and skills needed to "save the day". And it gives you a convenient out when things go wrong. "I've been telling them that! If only they'd listened to ME." But the reality of your relationship with your boss is far more nuanced than that. And your upward communication needs a far less petulant approach if you are going to be truly effective.
Before we start... I need to share something cool. NotebookLM is Google's new Gemini2.0 powered tool. You upload documents and it acts as a powerful research assistant. Create summaries, SOP's, even podcasts in seconds! Not an affiliate, just sharing a game changing piece of tech. Who Is Your Client?You think that your clients are your clients. And that’s true - to an extent. They order the work. You deliver the work. They pay the company. The company pays you. You think that process makes them your client because they pay you. But it’s not because of the money. It’s because of the Expectation. You have promised something to them - set an expectation. And you are rewarded as a business when you deliver on that promise and meet that expectation. But doesn’t your boss also have expectations based on the promise implied by your very position? Internal ClientsIn some of the really big companies I work with there are entire departments that act as consultants for other departments in the same company. Work is called out and paid for by these internal clients. So if you remove money from the equation and focus on the value exchange you can see who your clients really are: Your clients are everybody you have made a promise of delivering value to This means:
The Communication GapThe issue is one of communication. Because you fail to see your boss as an internal client with expectations to be met, you fail in communicating with them effectively. This is because you don’t truly understand their expectations. You need to close this communication gap. And the reality of the power dynamic makes this YOUR responsibility, not theirs. Communicating UpInstead of trying to “manage up” start “communicating up”. This requires a different strategy, and a few foundational pieces to get in place.
To meet expectations you must understand the expectations. A critical first step when starting a new client project is clearly defining the Scope of Work. And your baseline scope of work is simply doing your job. But deliver your work:
Note that I didn’t say without Problems. Shit happens, and part of the Expectation is that you solve them or ask for help before they get out of control. But be cool. Don’t complain.
Now think about the second level expectations. What does your boss need to deliver? Who is their client? What do they really want? Help them achieve that. My boss has a number he wants to see each week. Its maybe not the best number as it doesn’t standardize across divisions, but he likes it. So I deliver it.
Last is to understand communication styles, work with it, and start playing the long game. In an entrepreneurial company your boss is likely the founder. They’ve done every job, worked very hard, and probably made a lot of it up as they went. Recognize that and understand that change comes slow. If you want something changed - start early. Introduce new language, new concepts, new ideas well before you need them. Prime the future conversation. Stop Managing UpStart Communicating up. You need to meet people where they are. Meet their expectations. Meet their communication style. Play the long game. Approach it strategically. Good communication is chess, not checkers. Organizational change comes slow. Altering course on a large ship takes time. But master this skill and you’ll have control of your career in the palm of your hand. |
The Lever
High leverage skills and mindset to help you become an effective leader
Too many monkeys Welcome to issue No. 080 of the Lever Obligations are like monkeys. They jump around, take up space, and need to be fed or they'll starve. And you take responsibility for your teams monkeys without even realizing it. But first... This post is inspired by an old HBR article by William Oncken, Jr. and Donald L. Wass. Link to the original down below. Let’s say somebody walks into your office with a question: “Hey boss, I need some help with this project,” they say, holding up a...
The Managers Toolkit Welcome to issue No. 079 of the Lever When I shifted careers from working offshore to working onshore, one of my new responsibilities was to write reports. Not just any reports; technical reports with specific criteria and guidelines that needed to be followed. I wasn't very good at it in the beginning. But I got better over time. Exposure and practice helped, sure, but the real key to improvement was the instruction and encouragement I was given by my manager. Before we...
The roadmap to success Welcome to issue No. 078 of the Lever How important is it to define your company's Mission, Vision, and Values? I believe it is the most important thing. But too often it turns into a cut & paste exercise, if it's even done at all. Here is what I've learned from leading successful MVV workshops: Before we start... Crafting a compelling vision means communicating it well. And clear communication follows the ABC's Accuracy Brevity Concise The best guide I've read on...