Managing Up—How to Support Your Boss While Getting the Credit You Deserve

Most people understand how important it is to take care of their team. However, it’s just as critical to make sure your boss gets what he or she needs from you. Here are some sure-fire ways to make sure you support your boss and get the credit you deserve.

1. Everyone has a boss.

You might think the chief executive officer (CEO) of your company has it made. High pay, lots of perks and no boss. Not so fast! Unless he or she owns the company, your CEO answers to a board of directors (BOD). Big strategic corporate initiatives flow from the board, to the CEO, to the “C-Level” team, the vice presidents, directors, managers, supervisors and finally to the individual contributors (which might be you). For example, if your company has made a commitment to lower costs, I guarantee it flows directly from the BOD.

What about the board? They have a boss, too: the owners of the company—shareholders if the company is public, and investors if the company is private.

If you are getting pressure from your boss, you can bet that came directly from his boss, and his boss’s boss, and so on. Remember the adage, “stuff” flows downhill! Understanding this helps make sense of your boss’ behavior.

2. Why you exist.

Managers fill jobs for one reason: to take care of something they don’t have time or the desire to do. As long as you are fulfilling your boss’ expectations, your odds of success are high. Make sure you clearly understand the expectations and have measurable, written goals. Find out what is important to your boss and focus your efforts there. It’s not about you.

3. You have more than one boss.

All the people above you are your bosses. They may not formally evaluate you, but your immediate boss is probably asking their colleagues, “What do you think about (insert your name).” It’s important to respond to all of your superiors and develop a stellar reputation. Good buzz about you pre-disposes your boss to support a raise, special project or promotion for you. Make sure you burnish your personal brand with everyone, not just your boss.

4. Your boss isn’t the only one who can fire you—your people can, too.

When employees are upset about their work environment, or perceive they have been wronged, they sometimes look for ways to feel more powerful at your expense. In the lumber industry, it’s called “feeding the hog.” Way back when, when loggers were upset with their supervisors, they sometimes deliberately fed good lumber through the reject shredder, known as a “hog,” costing the company time, money and productivity, and damaging their supervisor’s reputation. You don’t have to be a lumberjack to get the point.

Listen, maintain open channels of communication and allow your employees to feel part of the decision making and problem solving. If you mistreat your employees, don’t stick up for them or ignore their needs, they could feed you to the hog! You don’t have to agree with your people on everything, but if you are supportive, you lower the risk that they will sabotage you.

Also, you never know if professional or social relationships exist between your subordinates and the top people in the company. Watch what you say, and who you say it to.

5. How to enhance your image with your boss.

Unfortunately, politics are a fact of life, especially in big companies. Perception is often reality. You demonstrate confidence and good leadership when you showcase your subordinate’s skills and help them advance. Just don’t overdo it, or your boss may think your people are doing everything. This could give a false impression that you are disengaged, lazy or aloof. Give credit where it is due but not so much that it harms you.

Respond quickly. If your boss asks you a question, it may have come from their boss. Drop everything and respond, quickly and thoroughly. Don’t make your boss wait for answers.

Avoid forwarding emails in response to your boss’ questions. Create new ones. Cut and paste the information from your subordinate and edit it so it is coming from you, in your voice. If there are attachments, cut and paste them into your email. I know this sounds trivial, but it’s all about perception.

Attend important meetings—in person. It may require you to travel, but you miss a lot of subtleties when you attend meetings over the phone. You don’t see the body language, don’t hear the side conversations, and can’t engage in the hallway talk after the meeting. That’s where a lot of the interaction takes place.

6. Be a team player.

You may think you can be brutally honest with your bosses, but if they don’t trust you, your career will be a dead end, or worse, you could get fired. Being a team player doesn’t mean lying or being deceptive. When asked, express your opinion unemotionally, armed with facts and data. Most bosses will respond to a factual argument. If things still don’t go your way, or you disagree with a decision, accept it graciously and move on. There will be other battles to fight. Make sure you are around to fight them!

7. Get to the point—respect your boss’ time.

Prepare before you schedule time with your boss. List all the things you need to discuss in person and save the rest for email. This helps make the most of your time together.

The same goes for written communication. Keep it tight and on point. Use bullets instead of lengthy sentences. As Mark Twain famously said, “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” You don’t ever want to get a response from your boss like this: “TLIDR,” which means “Too Long I Didn’t Read!”

Summary

These seven, simple keys to success will keep you in good standing with your boss, and help ensure your career follows a path to the stratosphere.