Manage Up

Years ago I worked with a coach that was instrumental in teaching me how to “manage up.” The way we get ahead in the corporate world is by showing people how good we truly are. This is the essence of how we should manage up. Sometimes just fulfilling tasks that represent what you view as “your job” is not enough. Brown-nosing isn’t the answer either, as this does little to show your true capabilities.

There are times when you know you will be meeting with your superiors. In most of those cases, you will have an idea of what will be discussed. The question is, how prepared are you for those interactions? If you have the luxury of knowing specifically what will be discussed, you can prepare for it. Get yourself well versed on the topic, talk to people around you that can provide information, or do research online.

What if you treated your meeting content as you would a presentation? If you knew you were giving a presentation to a group of people, and you wanted it to be great, you would write it out ahead of time to make certain it was concise, and well thought out. You may prepare notes to be sure you cover everything. If you really wanted to be on your game, you could even spend time rehearsing.

If you are a good student in school and you have a test, you would study the material and do everything possible to ensure that you are prepared for anything they could throw at you. The suggestion here is exactly the same. Whether you realize it not, in a corporate environment, you are always being evaluated. If you are the person who is always prepared for meetings, that also means that your ideas are well thought out. Those in power will take notice. The more trust and respect you build, the more opportunities fall your way.

For this week, look at upcoming interactions you have with people above you or with centers of influence in business. Identify the possible directions the discussion could go. Based on those potential outcomes, make any necessary preparations you can before the interaction. When you get the opportunity, show them how good you really are. Even if you’ve made some missteps in the past, it’s time to look forward and begin to manage up.