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2-Minute Tip to Success – Managing Up
During these times of mandated work-from-home practices to ensure maximum safety of staff, you probably have a great handle on how to work with your team remotely and how to manage your fields in an appropriate social distancing manner. Don’t forget that managing up is also critical at this time. Here are 10 tips from Wall Street Journal writer Sue Shellenbarger on the right way to Manage Up:
Rules of Engagement With Your Boss
- Figure out and adapt to your bosses’ communication styles by watching them interact with others.
- Seek agreement on how and when to update your boss on your work.
- Ask yourself whether tensions with the boss may be a problem of clashing styles — rather than more fundamental conflicts.
- Avoid escalating problems to the boss too quickly, before you’ve tried solving them yourself.
- When you bring the boss a problem, also bring at least one potential solution.
- If you must disagree with your boss, do it privately, in a calm voice during a low-stress time.
- Never bad-mouth your bosses behind their backs.
- Never embarrass your boss in front of others.
- Avoid overload by asking your boss for help prioritizing projects, rather than saying no.
- Don’t assume good work will speak for itself—the burden is usually on you to find a way to communicate with your boss
