Managing up: the skill that quietly accelerates every career
Your manager is your biggest career lever — and most people leave the relationship on autopilot. Managing up is not politics; it's clarity.
By Sofia Marín · 2026-07-01
Managing up has a slimy reputation it doesn't deserve. At its core it's making your work legible to the person who allocates your opportunities.
The practice
- Learn their scoreboard — what your manager is measured on; frame your work in those terms.
- No surprises — bad news early with a proposed fix builds more trust than good news late.
- Bring options, not problems — 'here are two paths, I recommend A because…' is senior behaviour at any level.
- Write the recap — own the follow-up note after meetings; the person who writes the summary shapes the decision.
One questionOnce a quarter ask: "What should I do more of, and less of?" It's a performance review you control the timing of.