What if I told you that you should be paying as much attention to managing your boss as you do to managing your team? Managing up—managing your boss—is one of the keys to making your life easier as a manager. But it only works if you do it the right way, which is why learning how to manage up is so important. In this article, I’m going to explain:

• What managing up really is (it’s probably not what you think)
• The signs you need to be doing it
• How to manage up the right way so you don’t create friction or tension with your boss.

Because be honest: have you ever been in a situation where priorities shift from week to week and you’re constantly reallocating resources, adjusting timelines, and re-strategizing to keep up? Or have you ever been asked to implement something, only to have your manager question every decision, insist on reviewing every piece of communication, and then suddenly start joining your team meetings? 

These are just a couple of scenarios where managing up becomes important.

In those situations, it can be tempting to give in and let them call the shots. But instead of sitting back and letting those things just happen to you, what if you started to actively manage the situation?

How to Manage Your Boss Effectively

Let’s say you have a boss who constantly shifts priorities. You have two options. You could scramble and try to adjust to their every while, or you could approach them and say, “I’d love to make sure we’re aligned on the top priorities for this week. Can we quickly review the list to make sure my team and I are focused in the right place?”

Then, after you align, follow up with documentation. You can say something like, “I’ve put together a revised timeline based on the priorities we discussed. I’d like to use this as a living document between us to make sure it continues to meet your expectations.”

When you do this, you took a situation that could have been frustrating and instead, turned it into one where you have some control—simply by managing up. Managing up is about consistently staying aligned with your manager on expectations and outcomes.

How To Know If You Should Be Managing Your Boss (Or Not!)

Before we go further into this concept of managing your boss, I want to address a couple of concerns I hear all the time from students in my New Manager Accelerator program.

Often they’ll ask me things like:

• What if they don’t take it well or they retaliate against me?
• Won’t it make me look like I don’t know what I’m doing?
• Why do I need to manage my boss? Isn’t it their job to manage me?

These are valid questions. So let’s take them one at a time, starting with retaliation. 

What if my boss retaliates against me?

If you’re worried about retaliation, I’m going to be honest: depending on your manager, there is a chance it could happen. Some people simply aren’t emotionally mature enough to receive feedback.

But here’s the thing, retaliation isn’t always the outcome, and you actually have more influence than you think simply by adjusting your approach. You might not be able to control how someone reacts, but you can control how you handle the situation. And we’re going to talk about exactly how to do that below.

Will addressing my concerns with my manager make me look bad?

Secondly, if you fear that by surfacing your concerns you’re going to be perceived as incompetent, then I need you to know that if you are effectively asserting your needs, that is not a sign of incompetence. It’s a sign of competence. Because someone who just takes and takes and never speaks up when they should is actually seen as a pushover—and that’s not what you want.

Is it really my job to manage my boss?

Yes, some of that is true. But it is your job to stay aligned with your manager and to have a good working relationship with them so that you can get the support you need, so your team can be successful. That’s why you need to take it seriously and do it effectively.

If your manager is not aware of what you’re doing or why you’re doing it, you need to manage up. If there is friction when you’re trying to get to results, if the relationship feels strained, if priorities and expectations keep shifting on you, if you’re unclear on what you should be focused on, if you’re being micromanaged or macromanaged—these are all signs you need to be managing up. 

So if you’re in that place where you’ve realized you need to manage up, the question becomes: how do you manage up in a way that keeps you aligned, makes your job easier, and doesn’t create a costly situation for you?

Managing up is important, but it’s also very easy to get wrong. Let’s talk about what not to do next.

Managing up is not about undermining or going around your manager. 

Have you ever been frustrated by your manager’s slow response or lack of understanding, so you went straight to their boss to get approval or speed things up? It might feel like a shortcut, but it can seriously damage your relationship. Your manager may feel undermined, and you risk losing trust and respect.

Instead, if your manager isn’t as responsive as you’d like, I’d like to encourage you to begin with empathy. They’re likely juggling a lot too. Acknowledge that, then address the issue directly. Share your concern about response times and work together to find a solution that allows you to get what you need on time while being mindful of their workload.

Managing up is not blaming your manager or shifting responsibility when something doesn’t go well. 

This can be tempting when your manager gives you feedback that a project could have been handled better. But in my experience, you don’t want to respond with, “I appreciate the feedback, but I gave it everything I had and did the best I could with the time and resources available.”

On the surface it sounds polite, but there’s a defensiveness underneath. It says, “Your expectations were unreasonable, and given the constraints, I actually did fine.” That’s not productive, that’s subtle blame-shifting.

If external factors played a role, share that objectively—without accusatory language. And if expectations were unclear or unrealistic, say that, and use it as an opportunity to align on expectations and constraints up front before the work begins. Because honestly, if the expectations were unreasonable, it was your responsibility to speak up about that from the start.

Managing up is not expecting your manager to solve all your problems.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or uncertain and just walked into your manager’s office expecting them to figure things out for you, then you need to read this. It might not seem like a big deal, but it can signal a lack of confidence in your role.

Instead, focus on building the skills you feel unsure about. Your manager is likely busy and doesn’t have the time to provide hands-on development at your level. You have to take ownership of your growth and invest in your skills. 

A great first step is my free training where I break down the five pillars of my Elevate Team Performance Framework—it’s a roadmap to becoming an effective leader who builds a high-performing team. So if you know you have gaps to fill, head there next.

Managing up is not about being overly agreeable. 

Do you always say yes to whatever your manager asks, even when you disagree? Do you move forward without offering your own perspective, even when you see things differently? That can be a sign of low confidence or misunderstanding your role—and ultimately, it’s probably a sign that you need to start managing up.

Instead of being overly agreeable, practice communicating your workload, your perspective, and your capacity. Your manager expects you to own your work and to contribute your insights—even when your perspective differs from theirs. They don’t want a yes-person; they want someone who thinks critically and adds value.

I know this is easier said than done. If you want support (and proven frameworks) to help you excel in your managerial career, head here to find out how we can work together.