Managing Up: What it actually means (and why it matters for your career)

Part 1: Managing Up Series

Most definitions of “managing up” sound like this: 

“Building a positive working relationship with your manager to achieve shared goals.”

Lovely. But about as useful as a chocolate teapot in the real world. 

Because it assumes that if you’ve got a good relationship and get on well, things are working. You’re aligned. And everything will take care of itself.  

Not necessarily, my friend. 

Because how it feels to work together and how well your work is actually landing- being understood, prioritised and used- are not the same thing. 

What does “Managing Up” actually mean?

So what does managing up actually mean? 

For starters, it’s not one neat, tidy definition. Most explanations try to squash it into one polite sentence, which makes it sound simple and leads folks to think it’s one thing. 

Ah..afraid not. 

Managing up isn’t a single behaviour. It’s a bunch of things you’re meant to be doing at the same time (none of which are written in your job description, by the way): 

Part of it is reading the room: 

• figuring out what your boss needs (not just what they asked for) 

• translating your work into something they can quickly grasp and use 

• making sure you’re solving the problem they think you are 

• understanding how they think, make decisions and what they actually care about 

And part of it is shaping what happens next: 

• framing your work so it’s clearly understood and lands with a point, not just an update 

• bringing options and a recommendation so you’re steering decisions instead of inheriting them from your boss 

• surfacing trade offs to make the implications of options visible, so decisions are made with judgement 

• calling out ambiguity early by asking clarifying questions so assumptions don’t come back to bite you later 

What happens when you don’t manage up?

When you don’t do this, things get wobbly fast. And you’ll feel it in your waters long before anyone says it out loud.  

Your boss gets shorter. Less enthusiastic. Less patience. More “just leave it with me”. Then the interesting/important tasks start going elsewhere.  

They don’t always call it out (not great, but very common) so you’re left wondering what shifted. Because from your side, nothing has. You’re busy, you’re delivering and as far as you can tell...doing a good job. And then you realise...you’re being worked around instead of worked with. 

Why Managing Up matters for your career

That’s your boss judging you. 

And that’s the bit most people miss. That your career isn’t decided by how hard you work. And it’s not decided by your team.  

It’s decided by your boss and those above you.  

• Whether they think you “get it”.  

• Whether they trust your judgement.  

• Whether they’re comfortable advocating for you when it matters 

That’s what determines whether your work gets recognised, whether you’re trusted with bigger things and whether your name comes up in the right rooms. 

Most people assume they’re doing this already. They’re not. 

In fact the people who struggle with managing up the most, are usually the smart ones. And it rarely occurs to them that this might be a problem. 

Next up: Which is exactly what we’ll unpack next, in Part 2 of our Managing up series: Why smart people are bad at it (and don’t realise).

Managing up isn’t:

• sucking up

• playing “yes boss” on repeat

• treating your boss like they’re a slightly confused intern

Managing up is making sure your boss understands your work, what to do with it and doesn’t charge off confidently in the wrong direction.

No pressure. They are, after all, deciding what happens next for you.

Next: Why the smartest people are usually the worst at managing up.