Career Development Is Also About "Managing Up"

Every worthwhile leadership or management course today has a component on how to influence - managers, clients, potential clients, industry power brokers.

Part of your career development plan needs to include the skills you need to manage your manager constructively in the future.

Some people react when things do not go as they want with their career development. They miss out on an interview for the job they really want in the organisation. They did not get chosen to go on that leadership course. They are quite upset when their manager co-opts another team member to help him with a special project. They move into a negative space internally becoming quite angry and frustrated with their manager while trying not to let it show externally. Of course, it does. This sort of response is the response of someone with low emotional intelligence and little self-awareness.

The person with a high degree of self-awareness and high emotional intelligence will do some reflection and take a very pro-active approach. Instead of blaming the manager, they will look at themselves and do some reflection. They will stay in a positive and constructive space and reflect on what it was about them that saw them miss these opportunities. They would ask themselves what they have to do to make sure that next time they do get an interview, do get chosen for the course, do get offered the opportunity to work on the special project. They would then set about doing what ever they had to do to achieve what they want to achieve for their career development.

The first thing they would do would be to go and talk with their manager and express their disappointment about missing out on those opportunities and make sure their manager is aware of their commitment to progressing in the organisation and their willingness to accept any challenge or opportunity that may enhance their career.

Before they do that, however, they will do some reflection on the best way to approach their manager. They will try and get inside their manager's shoes and try and understand where he may be coming from. The more they understand about their manager the more likely they will be to "manage" him (effectively relate to him, in other words) in a way that will see him open to be influenced in their favour. This is "Managing Up."

What is important to know about "Managing Up"?

• learning as much about your manager as possible so you can understand his/her motivations and match them,
• knowing your manager's strengths and weaknesses so you can constructively work with them,
• discovering how to influence your manager to hear your ideas and support you in developing them,
• knowing your manager's objectives are so you can meet them,
• negotiating with your manager positive outcomes for yourself,
• reading your manager's moods and dispositions and knowing when to approach and when to step back.

To do this you need

• to have good communication skills,
• to be able to act with emotional maturity,
• to be a good strategic thinker,
• to be resilient,
• to be pro-active, rather than reactive,
• to be positive and constructive,

• to have the capacity to build trusting relationships,
• to have self-awareness and know yourself and how you are coming across to others.

Of course, all these skills can be used to benefit your clients as well.

It has to be acknowledged that sometimes you can do everything above and still not be able to work constructively with your manager because while you may have developed the skills to "manage up", your manager has not developed the skills to "manage down". It is well recognised that many people leave an organisation when faced with a manager who cannot motivate and inspire them, in fact who does the opposite. Research strongly indicates that people join organisations, but leave managers.