If you want to show the company that you are a team player and an outstanding employee, you have to learn to “manage up’. Now what does the term “managing up” mean? It means to help your manager meet their expectations and needs. It entails making your manager’s life easier. 

Now, you might be thinking: “I’ve already got a pretty heavy workload, why would I want to do that?” In basketball, every assist is crucial and appreciated in order for the whole team to score and win. If your career objective is to move up, you could do so by providing that much needed assistance and proving that you are, in fact, a true team player. Aside from showing the team that you can work well with others, it also shows that:

• You are intuitive and can anticipate gaps in awareness

The ability to spot and cover/address blind spots is a unique and rare quality that employers always appreciate. While most employees would rather wait and see if management can identify holes and critical issues in the business because “that’s their job,” they would certainly appreciate someone who can tell them where to look.

• You have foresight

This shows that you are prepared for any changes – a characteristic that comes in handy for disruptions that could upend business processes like, for example, a global pandemic. No business can be complete disaster or risk-proof, but it pays to have someone on the team who, to some extent, has the future of the business in mind.

• You are reliable

If you bring problems to your manager’s attention (again, instead of waiting for them to catch it), they will know that you’re dependable and will most likely remember you for future projects.

Managing up helps you move forward in your career by providing a win-win situation for you, your boss, and the business. It also keeps you front and center for the biggest projects and gives you visibility over the best ones. Furthermore, it shows management that you have the leadership potential, and that gives you access to most learning and development opportunities down the line.

Managing up is not about sucking up to the boss. It is all about good relationship building – an important foundation of any harmonious environment. So, how do you build a good relationship with your boss? The key is to understand your boss’ goals, advocacies, challenges, and objectives. You do this by getting to know them and showing interest in their work. This might take some proactive work on your part as opportunities to get to know your boss’ human side might not always present themselves in the daily work setting. However, if you make the conscious decision to keep an eye out for relationship-building opportunities, you’ll easily find them. Watch out for: coaching sessions, opportunities to give and get feedback, catch-up calls, social events, team building activities, team lunches, etc.

We all are interested in tips for career development. What other relationship-building opportunities should we look out for? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp