Managing Up

The practice of proactively understanding and adapting to your manager's needs, communication style, and priorities.

Managing up is the deliberate effort to build a productive relationship with your manager by understanding how they work, what they care about, and what they need from you — and then adapting your behavior accordingly. It's not flattery or politics; it's recognizing that your relationship with your manager is a working relationship that requires active investment from both sides, and that waiting for them to manage you optimally will often be a long wait.

Effective managing up includes: understanding your manager's communication preferences (do they want details upfront or conclusions first?), keeping them appropriately informed without overwhelming them, surfacing problems early with a proposed solution rather than just a complaint, making their priorities your priorities when it matters, and giving them what they need to advocate for you with their leadership.

Managing up is especially important for remote workers and employees whose managers have wide spans of control. The less visibility your manager has into your day-to-day, the more intentional you need to be about making your work, your challenges, and your impact visible. A manager who doesn't know what you're doing can't advocate for your promotion, shield you from unreasonable demands, or give you meaningful feedback.