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1. ​ Todd Dewett, PhD
Successfully Managing Up:
Effective Strategies

2. Todd Dewett, PhD
#HireToWin

3. Managing Up
​ Defined: intentional actions designed to help and persuade your boss in a manner
that benefits them, you, and your team.
​ It’s about proactively maximizing possibilities, or minimizing damage, NOT about
seeking preferential treatment.
#HireToWin

4. Why Care?
​ Managing share of mind to be seen through the clutter
​ Insight into opportunities and changes
​ Perform better, lose visibility?
​ Bottom line: boss = career catalyst
#HireToWin

5. Know Yourself First
​ Weekly self-reflection
​ Examine the evidence: evaluations, tests, awards, 360’s, promotions, etc
​ Informal feedback: at least two confidants
​ Consider relative career progress
#HireToWin

6. Consider Social Capital
​ How much professional social deviance you are allowed (to act without consent,
speak up, etc.)
​ How much do you have?
​ Earn: great performance, helping others
#HireToWin

7. Think About Their World
​ Players (older, more experienced, high impact decisions, higher stress)
​ Major activities and flow of calendar (e.g., performance evaluations, company
projects)
​ Their approach to projects, their “go to” people, personal patterns (e.g., work hours,
lunch habits)
#HireToWin

8. Executive Communication
​ When managing up, remember to be:
​ Brief, concise, bottom line-oriented
​ Coherent / relevant (use their language to frame issues)
#HireToWin

9. Your Manager’s Motivation
​ You don’t have to be a psychologist…
​ Think through the last 6-12 months
​ Their typical behavior…
#HireToWin

10. Types of Motivation
​ Need for attention, achievement, power and control, to help, to belong
​ Multiple motivations are normal
​ 1-2 tend to dominate
#HireToWin

11. Types of Motivation
​ Use to frame your comments
​ Not about manipulation!
​ About respecting their needs and goals in order to connect effectively
#HireToWin

12. Your Manager’s Expectations
​ Expectations for your core performance
​ Citizenship expectations
​ Expectations for the team
#HireToWin

13. Your Manager’s Expectations
​ Stop assuming you know them
​ Basics: evaluation preparation and follow-up, informal check-ins
​ Goal: never let them be surprised
#HireToWin

14. Communication Channels
​ Major options: face-to-face, telephone, video conferencing, electronic mail, text / IM,
hand written notes
​ Rule: higher urgency - the higher quality channel you must choose
​ Strategic use of administrative personnel
#HireToWin

15. Being Helpful
​ Perform! Be a low maintenance employee
​ Physical assistance (e.g., binders for a client)
​ Cognitive assistance (e.g., look at my analysis, help with a decision)
​ Share information they don’t have
​ Advocate on their behalf
#HireToWin

16. Helping Your Manager Make Decisions
​ Providing fresh perspectives
​ Exploring potential outcomes
​ Goal might be to help them gain clarity, or to persuade
#HireToWin

17. Helping Your Manager Make Decisions
​ The art of persuasion…
​ Make them feel like it is their idea
​ Appeal to higher level goals / values
​ Use influential data to make the case
​ Speculate about how others will react
#HireToWin

18. Promoting Yourself
​ What to promote? Not the big wins…
​ Target small unique wins: inroads at new client, a project ahead of schedule, a
small but important process tweak, etc.
​ When? Once per quarter informally
#HireToWin

19. Keeping Them In The Loop
​ Reduces surprises for your boss and proactively document issues / progress
​ Be very selective: know the 80/20
​ Strategically push out summaries
#HireToWin

20. Avoiding Tricky Issues
​ Upstaging your manager
​ Over-agreeing with the boss
​ Throwing the boss under the bus
​ Disrespect: interrupting, not keeping your word, overly critical, failing to keep them
in the loop on important issues
#HireToWin

21. Let’s Get Started
​ It’s your career
​ You will always be your best advocate
​ Be proactive and document your progress
​ What’s the first thing you need to do?
#HireToWin

22. Let’s Get Started!
e: Todd@drdewett.com
w: drdewett.com
Resources:
business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions
lynda.com

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