How do you manage your manager? In other words, what steps do you take to make sure you get what you need from your boss and make both your lives easier?
Also known as 'managing up', 'managing your manager' is a soft skill that can be developed over time. It essentially means doing whatever is necessary to make your manager's job easier. Some clear-cut benefits of managing up include increased productivity and better working relationships between boss and employee.
"I am a firm believer in the benefits of managing my manager. At the end of the day, I want to make the internal audit engagements we work on together run as smoothly as possible. One area where I really focus on is communicating and prioritizing workload on a regular basis. This ensures that I'm always working on the highest-priority items. Another thing that is crucial is understanding my manager's style. For example, do they like regular check-ins by email throughout the day, scheduled catch-up meetings, etc. Then I tailor my communication to their style."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I feel managing your manager is an art that takes a while to achieve. For me, it is personally very important to build such a relationship with the higher-ups in the team to be able to effectively get the deliverables out. Being able to prioritize my workload and keeping my manager informed about the progress. I gauge my manager's working style to understand what he/she likes. For example, there are some managers who like to get frequent updates or check-ins through emails as to the work in progress. While others are like, get the work done and just manage it yourself. So understanding this style is important. And then I tailor myself to match the particular style. In my previous roles and in my current role as well, my manager calls me his right hand and I feel great to get this appreciation as that boosts my confidence that I am a very important person on the team.
Cindy's Feedback
Very good! Can you provide some "real-life" examples from your experience rather than relying on hypotheticals? This will help show your approach in action.
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