Managing to manage up

Staff sit in the background of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearing, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nrcgov/7644463450

We’ve talked about managing interns, but what about managing your own boss? 

The busier the boss, the more managing they need. If you staff an elected official, you know that they’re being pulled in many directions at once, juggling demands from constituents, fellow electeds, lobbying groups, and donors. A busy elected official, or even chief of staff, will rely on their staff to store all the information they can’t keep in their brain at once. 

A traditional understanding of a workplace hierarchy might be a manager giving tasks and a junior person completing them. However, you may have heard the term “managing up,” which essentially means finding ways to make your and your boss’s lives easier and maximize both of your abilities. 

Managing a relationship with a person who has some power over your career can be tricky, so here are some tips for managing up more effectively. 

Double Up

You need to account for two people at all times: yourself and your boss.

At the start of every day, you should have a clear grasp of their schedule, your schedule, and priority tasks, which will often differ. To manage up effectively, you’ll need to have both in mind at all times, including the ways your tasks converge and diverge.

Be aware you might still need to establish two complementary workflows - one that works best for you, and one that works best for your boss. You can try to share a communication system that is ideal for you, but it may not always take. For example, if you prefer digital but they want all briefing materials printed, be prepared to adapt and create a physical filing system. 

Long- and Short-Term To-Dos

To keep these in mind, you of course need to stay organized. The busier the office, the easier it is for routines to fall apart in the face of conflicting priorities. 

You should have two running lists (one for you, one for your boss) of short-term and long-term priorities, listed in approximate order of urgency and including tasks that repeat. You can utilize checklists for yourself and your boss too, much like the ones you provide your interns. Before you stop work each evening, update the lists so you are ready in the morning. Providing your supervisor concrete assurance that priorities are being accomplished is key to managing up. 

Especially if your 1-1s are less than weekly, it’s a good idea to email a daily or weekly recap of what you’ve done, what you’ll do next, and what you’re finding challenging (keeping track of to-do’s in Legislata can help). Just remember to keep it succinct – bullet points are best! 

Maximize 1-1 Time

The amount of time you get for constructive check-ins will look different depending on your role. You might spend a lot of time with your boss, but in the context of the work, for example, supporting them at events and meetings. Even if you get a lot of face time, it’s important to have dedicated, structured time to talk about your work together.  

When you do get this time, come prepared with an agenda. This can include FYIs and updates on tasks that are completed, so they know things aren’t falling through the cracks, as well as outstanding tasks and issues on which you need assistance.  Summarize their input back to them to ensure you understand completely, catch any missing details, and show them you’re listening. 

1-1s also provide space to build your rapport, catch up on shared interests, and see each other as whole people. 

Communicate Needs & Goals

1-1s are also an appropriate time to communicate more broadly about needs and goals. Communicating needs is a two-way street: prompt your boss with questions like, “how do you view my role?”; “is there anything you’d like to see happen differently?”; “how would you describe your communication style?”; “what are your biggest priorities right now?”.  Be prepared to share your own answers. 

Seek feedback on your performance and if your boss asks for feedback on their own management, frame things positively but try to articulate your needs honestly. You should provide feedback on the good and the bad. Let them know what needs to change, f they are doing something as a manager that works well for you, mention that as well. 

Make sure you and your boss have an understanding of each others’ goals. Tell them what parts of the current role you find most exciting, and what you find challenging. This will give them a clearer sense of who you are and how they can help you in the future. 

Figure Out How to Disagree

It’s not a great idea to directly argue with your boss, or tell them why you think their plan is bad, especially in front of other people. However, the whole idea of managing up is that you aren’t acting as a passive subordinate who will fail to act when they’re heading down the wrong path. 

The fact is, you’re on the ground day-to-day and might have insight your boss missed. It’s important that you establish communication channels so that you can collaborate and workshop ideas together. If you disagree, instead of immediately saying so, try asking clarifying questions and letting them talk through the plan. This creates openings to provide your own ideas and edits. As a general rule, be ready to present alternatives and utilize a “yes, and” framework. 

Remember Priorities & Boundaries

Try to show supervisors how to treat you. For example, by not replying to emails in the evening, or asking your boss to flag things as urgent if they need an immediate response. When given new tasks, it’s not only okay but often essential to clarify where they fall on your list of priorities. 

In the end, you probably took the job to get political experience in an office aligned with your values. However, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your well-being. If you feel like your manager isn’t respecting your boundaries but has the best intentions for you, take a step back and remember your shared values. Map out what you need to be different, and how to communicate it – maybe ask a trusted friend to talk it through. If you’ve really reached your limit, it’s also ok to quit. Sometimes the best career move is to leave and show the rest of your network what you’re not willing to tolerate. 

How Legislata Helps

Legislata is a productivity software for people in politics, and we want to make staffers’ lives easier. Get in touch for information on how Legislata can help your office.