Being good at your job is not enough to grow your career,
You also need to manage up.
3 proven ways to master the art of managing up, courtesy of ROBERT TA:
1/ Know Your Leader’s Priorities
Why? It enables you to align your work with your leader's goals. When their success is your success, it opens doors for faster decision-making, greater trust, and more autonomy.
How:
↳Ask about priorities: Use your next 1:1 to validate your understanding of priorities or ask about this. ↳Observe their focus areas: Pay attention to where they spend most of their time and attention. ↳Review the company’s goals: Know your org’s priorities and map them to your day-to-day.
2/ Make Your Leader Look GoodWhy? Look, we’re all humans, and all humans want to look good in front of their own leaders and peers. When you help your leader shine in front of others, you gain more trust and make your organization look good.How:↳Provide Context: Help prepare your manager for their next meeting by sharing context and insights they can present. ↳Minimize Surprises: Proactively update your manager on key risks or potential issues that may come to their attention from others.↳Share Wins: Send your manager key accomplishments they can share with others.3/ Make Your Leader’s Life EasierWhy? Leaders are juggling priorities—if you can lighten the load, they’ll trust you more and give you more autonomy. Plus, being seen as a problem-solver positions you as indispensable on the team.How:↳Anticipate needs: Jump in and volunteer to handle matters on their plate.↳Communicate effectively: Keep your updates concise and solution-oriented to save their time.↳Operate autonomously: Use your judgment to make decisions, when you need support, present recommendations.PS: What would you add?
