When an employee manages up, he or she takes responsibility for the working relationship with their manager. When implemented effectively, the result is a win-win situation for both parties, as well as the company for whom they work.
Managing up Enables the Employee to Take Control
Management by definition indicates regulating and dominating. Although this sometimes carries a negative connotation, especially when associated with an employer driving results, managing up can work in an employee's favor by reversing the direction of control.
Managing up Scenario
To illustrate the point, consider the following scenario: A manager, let's call her M, assigns a daunting task to her direct report, let's call him E. From E's point of view, the assignment may be impossible to achieve, either due to time constraints, essential information that is inaccessible, or skills/authority beyond their level.
Depending on E's personality, and the need to keep this job, he might react with a flippant response, invective language or fearful countenance. These are the types of behavior least likely to bear a positive outcome. Conversely, the actions below would allow E to confront the situation professionally and M to see the potential for results. Both parties walk away from the playing field with a sense of accomplishment without animosity.
Solutions to Manage Your Manager
The following are steps E can take to prepare viable business solutions to address obstacles and get the job done.
- Hold off on any immediate reaction. Negativity will be perceived as insolence and an overly-positive response may set unrealistic expectations. If put on the spot, E should simply state that he would be happy to review the details and advise if there are any questions.
- Review the project and list questions and concerns. This list should be factual, not emotional. For example, the time involved will interfere with other projects or ongoing activities; mandatory information is unavailable for security reasons; skills needed are not applicable to the current position and therefore have not been acquired.
- Analyze alternatives, such as re-prioritizing current assignments or breaking down the gargantuan project into smaller tasks to enable multitasking. If this is not a working solution, rather than say it is impossible to get the job done, E should articulate to M the consequences of the imposed deadline and propose a more realistic time frame.
- Suggest that M request security access so E can retrieve needed data or obtain cooperation from those who already have these rights. Turn this into an opportunity to delegate a portion of the work that may require data retrieval by others.
- Request training for the missing skills or, again, ask if skilled personnel can be involved in the project. This encourages teamwork, reduces the burden placed on one individual, and may also be a source of personal and professional development. Leading a project team will look great on E's next performance appraisal!
Be mindful of the fact that managers do not delegate because they enjoy being bossy. They have a job to do. The assignment may be a directive from senior management, a client demand, or an effort to ensure a high level of customer service delivery. Push-back will only exacerbate the manager's stress level and the employee would position him or herself as a scapegoat; a target for why results are not met.
If the employee's efforts were to result in a disrespectful altercation rather than a manageable resolution, then some appropriate feedback to the manager may be in order. The key word is appropriate, both in language and timing. Knowing your management and choosing pointed words that will have the desired effect is part of managing up too.
Gail Kaufman - Gail has a B.B.A. and is currently a Mobility Consultant for a global relocation company.
