Gimme a hand.

Your manager assigns you a project. You execute it perfectly. They seem… underwhelmed.

Sound familiar?

Managing up isn’t schmoozing—it’s understanding what success looks like from your manager’s perspective.

It’s Stakeholder Management in Reverse

Figure out your manager’s goals, then align your work accordingly. Their success directly impacts your opportunities.

What Your Manager Actually Cares About:

→ Looking competent to their own manager

→ Meeting team metrics

→ Reducing their workload and stress

→ Having reliable people they can count on

→ Avoiding surprises

The Key Question: “How does my work make my manager successful?”

What This Looks Like:

Instead of: “I finished the analysis you asked for.”

Try: “I finished the analysis. Here’s what it shows about our Q4 pipeline, and how I’d present it to leadership.”

Instead of: “The project is delayed because of data issues.”

Try: “I identified data quality issues. Here are three options with trade-offs and my recommendation.”

The Bottom Line

When your manager looks good, they have more influence to get you resources, advocate for promotions, and trust you with bigger projects.

You’re creating a partnership where both of you are more successful together than apart.

What strategies have helped you build effective relationships with your managers?