In one of the first jobs of my career, I had a very hands-on, micromanaging boss. She frequently double- and triple-checked that I had completed even the smallest tasks. Not surprisingly, it kind of drove me crazy.
Looking back, though, I consider that job to be one of my best learning experiences in professionalism, attention to detail and — most importantly — the art of “managing up.”
When people talk about management, they’re usually referring to how you manage the people who work for you. In this case, we’re talking about managing the person for whom you work: your boss. Can you really “manage” the person who is managing you? Absolutely. This is what it means to “manage up.” And I consider it to be the best way to become a great employee and get what you want from your career.
Note that managing up is not the same as kissing up. I love what blogger Penelope Trunk says on this topic, “Some people think managing up is brown nosing, but in fact, a lot of it is about humanizing the workplace. Managing up is about you caring for your boss, and the result will be your boss caring for you.”
I totally agree.
Here are some suggestions for how to manage up:
Learn what drives your boss crazy. We all have pet peeves, and one of the best ways to manage up is to learn what completely irritates your boss. Does she cringe at grammar mistakes? Does it irrationally annoy him when people send overly long emails?Read the rest of this post in the Experis Career Center..
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