Managing Up

Three basic rules for managing up.
The ‘three things’ in the business of managing your boss are:

1. Understanding Yourself
2. Understanding The Boss
3. Understanding The Relationship.

Understand Yourself:

1. Delegate: Know what you are good at and what you are bad at. If you can, identify someone who compliments your talents and use them to do the work you are not good at to accomplish your goal.
2. Follow Up: Always check on your delegatees being careful not to micro-manage but make sure your know and they know what and when the information will come.
3. Follow Through: Always understand what your boss wants and give it to him in the form he prefers. When given an urgent directive, follow up with an e-mail re-stating what you understand they want and the time frame that you will provide it.
4. Control your emotions: This goes for understanding your temper, your despair, your anxiety, your shortcomings and your pride.
5. Don't Over commit: Your boss counts on you because you can get things done. Don't break that trust by agreeing to building Rome by lunch. Be honest in your and his/her expectations.
6. No Brown Nosing: A good boss will smell that from a mile away, your peers will see you and your sucess as the result of sucking up. Grow a backbone not a soiled schnoz.

Understand the Boss:

1. Act Like Your Boss: Well, not really, but understand what he/she wants. If he is a numbers person, give him numbers. A details person, give her details. If you communicate with her on the level that she communicates then your job will be much easier.
2. Decisions: If you do not want a 'no' or procrastination, give him/her a hand and recommend what course of action to take. If that direction is wrong then your boss should give you immediate feedback on what to do. Two things served here: you get the correct action and you start to understand how your boss thinks.
3. Manage her time: You may represent only 1% of her problems, don't make it as if it is 100%. Present the issues, problems and solutions clearly and concisely while conveying the time frame and priority of the task.
4. An opinion: If you ask for her opinion, he/she will always have one. Another method for learning and understanding your boss.
5. Information: It is not data. Provide the information as an abstract in little bullet form, no decimal places and provide a summary sheet at the beginning.
6. Problems: Don't just come with problems, come also with solutions.
7. Assumptions: Do not assume she knows as much as you do, but assume she can understand; so educate her.
8. Delegations: Delegate what you can, offer alternative personnel to accomplish tasks when appropriate.
9. Promises: Do not promise what you cannot deliver, and avoid surprises, trust is at stake. Never sign-up to an unrealistic schedule. It is bad for everyone.
10. Differences: Manage differences in culture and position. A VP of Manufacturing gets measured differently than a VP of Engineering. Constantly recognize the point of view of the target.
11. Trust: Don't Lie, don't blame and if you are running the ship take responsibility for your failures.
12. Think Two Levels Up: Understand your boss's boss and what kind of things his boss will want and need.
13. Learn How To Sell Your Ideas: Change is constant and you should be able to adapt your model to your needs. This sometimes requires your boss's support and buy-in.
14. Under-promise, Over Deliver. Be careful not to take the under promise thing too far. Don't double or triple your estimate.
15. Don't Expect Your Boss To Change
16. Include Your Managers Goals and Mandates When Presenting Your Ideas
17. Be Aware of Your Managers Hot Spots - What they are passionate about and what they dispise.
18. Increase Your Visibility Within The Organization
19. Leverage The Plusses