To say you should “manage your boss” feels backward.
Isn’t that like cooking for your chef, or doing your CPA’s taxes?
But the manager-employee relationship is interesting in that it really is a two-way street, and more so than ever. Your boss has the positional authority, but there’s plenty of managing you can do. Doing it well will help you get ahead and make everyone’s lives easier.
Here’s how to do it right.
1. Know what makes your manager weird
Everyone has personality traits where they’re in the 90th percentile, areas where they’re very different from most people. Maybe they’re extremely detail-oriented or unusually direct. Maybe they process decisions slowly or need to think out loud.
To “manage up,” you will need to understand these things about your boss. Learn their DISC type and what it means for how you interact. Know their CliftonStrengths themes. Figure out what impresses them and what drives them crazy. Know how they like to be communicated to.
If you and your boss both want clarity on working styles and preferences, check out MyUserManual.co, where you can each get a report that makes the differences explicit.
But outside of formal assessment tools, just pay attention. Notice when they light up in meetings and when they tune out. Watch what they ask about repeatedly, what they care about most, when they get excited or annoyed. Once you know what makes them different, adapt to their style instead of fighting it.
2. No surprises (unless it’s good news)
Your boss should never wonder if you’re going to deliver. Your goal is to be the most consistent and reliable person on their team.
Follow through on commitments, show up prepared, and try to under-promise and over-deliver. Every personality type appreciates that kind of predictability.
You can even build that predictability into your schedule. Every week, proactively answer the Likelihood and Quality questions: What’s the likelihood you’ll hit your goals? What’s the quality level of the work when you do? Don’t wait for them to ask.
The only times you should be surprising your manager are when you deliver early, have a new and innovative idea, or blow away expectations. Otherwise, aim to be boringly predictable.
3. Internalize their priorities
If your boss is getting heat from their boss or the board about something, that’s the most important thing in their world, and it should also become the most important in yours.
Know what your boss is measured on. Know what keeps them up at night. To be an effective employee, you need to understand the game being played at their level.
4. Make them look really good
Part of your job is to make your boss more effective, and to even help market that effectiveness to the rest of the organization. That means reinforcing the messages that are important to them and noting what the team is currently working on and what’s going well.
5. Push back smartly
Managing up isn’t about flattery or being a yes-man: I used to tell my executive teams that if they agreed with me on everything, they weren’t providing value. When you think something could be done better or when you disagree with the manager, be frank.
Use what you know of their personality to be persuasive. If they’re analytical, bring data. If they care about customer impact, lead with that. If they respect directness, get to the point fast.
Acknowledge their authority while making the case for the course of action you think is best. Frame it as serving their goals, not contradicting them. The best bosses want people who think independently and speak up when it matters.
Managing your boss means understanding that they have a job to do, and you can either make it harder or easier. For both your sakes, choose easier.
Fantastic tips - my mum actually taught me to “make my boss look good” way back when and it was some of the best advice I ever received!