As promotion and compensation freezes slowly thaw, making a good impression on your boss will become a higher priority. “Managing up” can help you prove your worth.

Bosses aren’t the only ones concerned with managing. Employees, too, must often focus on how they are perceived higher up in their organization because the impression they make on managers can lead to numerous benefits. The process of “managing up” involves proving your value to your boss and carefully cultivating a reputation for hard work, effectiveness and accountability.

In today’s economy, learning to manage up is more important than ever.

Showing value to a manager requires more than completing assignments and handling regular duties. Successfully managing up usually involves building a stronger bond with your superiors, and the key to this process is understanding and helping to control the workload at your own level and beyond.

According to the Wall Street Journal, “When someone tells you that you need to ‘manage up,’ what he or she is really saying is that you need to stretch yourself. You need to go above and beyond the tasks assigned to you so that you can enhance your manager’s work.”

“Doing what you can to make your manager’s job easier will not only help them do their job, but you will be considered a valuable asset to your manager and to your organization,” Rosanne Badowski, former executive assistant to Jack Welch at General Electric and author of Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You, told the Journal. “You want to be described as indispensable.”

Paying attention and jumping in when needed are effective ways to help your boss deal with a heavy workload, but it is equally important to gauge your manager’s style of work when trying to manage up. An analytical boss may not accept ideas unless they are backed with hard data, while a “people person” boss may prefer regular communication more than printed reports.

“Speaking my language doesn’t only extend to matters verbal and electronic. It’s much more comprehensive than that. You can also start looking at the way I dress, the way my life rhythms express themselves, what makes me mad, happy, sad, aggressive, resentful, nervous, crazy…” Stanley Bing, business advice columnist for BNET, explained from the perspective of a boss.

“I’m not saying that you manage me by doing what I do and following slavishly to my drumbeat. I’m saying that knowing me is the alpha and the omega of upward management,” Bing added.

While much of managing up depends on the individual qualities of a boss, there are several common ways that an employee can build a better reputation within a firm. At her professional development blog Brazen Careerist, Penelope Trunk offers the following tips for managing up:

• Learn to say “no.” Agree to do the things your boss feels are important and say no to lesser priorities to show that you are focused on your boss’s needs.
• Communicate like your boss. Convey information the way your boss prefers, whether via e-mail, regular summaries or casual conversation.
• Make your accomplishments known. Each time you achieve something positive for the company, leave a voicemail or e-mail letting your boss know the project has been completed, especially when finishing a task he or she particularly cares about.
• Connect with your boss. Going out to lunch with your boss, talking about common interests and asking for advice are useful ways to build a better relationship.
• Seek new responsibilities. Finding gaps within your organization and filling them yourself will show your manager that you can think ahead and tackle duties beyond those in your job description.
• Be curious. Reading, listening and learning about the company, as well as keeping an eye out for fresh ideas, will show that you improve everyone’s work, including your boss’s.

“Some people think managing up is brown nosing, but in fact, a lot of it is about humanizing the workplace. Managing up is about you caring for your boss, and the result will be your boss caring for you,” Trunk said.

However, if you’re already on bad terms with your boss, taking assertive steps to prove your value may be premature. According to SmartMoney.com, employers who start off with a bad impression of an employee are more likely to notice failures that reinforce that impression than they are successes. In this case, it’s better to have a face-to-face meeting with your boss to pinpoint reasons for failure, suggest better approaches and generally clear the air.

Earlier

5 Ways to Manage Your Boss

Coping with Information Overload

Are Managers Communicating Enough?

From Dictator to Dimwit: 12-½ Types of Bosses

Office Politics: Playing the Game with Dignity

Resources

What It Means to “Manage Up”
by Elizabeth Garone
The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 30, 2008

Stanley Bing’s Top 10 Strategies for Managing Up
by Stanley Bing
BNET, Jan. 12, 2010

7 Ways to Manage Up
by Penelope Trunk
Brazen Careerist, Nov. 3, 2006

10 Ways to Make Your Boss Love You
by Anne Kadet
SmartMoney.com, Sept. 21, 2009