The Art of Managing Down: How to Get Management Experience as an Individual Contributor
"I know I want to be a manager one day, but beyond leadership training, what else should I be doing right now to prepare?"
I had this same question before I started managing teams, so it came as no surprise when Breanna asked me this during one of our coaching sessions.
She had been talking about wanting to eventually become a manager, and she wanted to start preparing so that when the right opportunity presented itself, she’d be ready.
As someone who navigated this exact transition, I recognized the underlying complexity in her question – the desire to build leadership credibility in a system that often seems designed to make it difficult for you to secure that first management role.
"I'm seeing that management jobs all want you to have managed people before, but how am I supposed to get that experience when I've only been an individual contributor?"
This experience-opportunity gap is all too common:
You need management experience to get management roles, but you need management roles to get the experience.
But here's what most people misunderstand: leadership experience isn't solely acquired through formal management titles. In fact, some of the most valuable management skills are developed through what I call "strategic influence" - the ability to guide, develop, and support others without formal authority.
During our conversation, I helped Breanna understand that her project coordination experiences already demonstrated leadership capability, it just needed to be positioned properly.
Any instance where you've facilitated team efforts, coordinated cross-functional work, or guided others to successful outcomes qualifies as leadership experience when properly articulated.
However, there's an even more powerful strategy that often goes overlooked: the practice of intentionally managing down.
The Power of Managing Down
While most professionals are familiar with "managing up" – collaborating effectively with their supervisors – fewer recognize the potential of "managing down."
Managing down involves intentionally partnering with more junior colleagues to support their growth while simultaneously developing your own leadership capabilities. When done thoughtfully, managing down can provide concrete examples of leadership experience that will strengthen your candidacy for management roles.
Let's explore three powerful ways you can leverage managing down to build your management credentials.
1. Formally Mentor Junior Employees
Many organizations offer structured mentorship programs supporting students, interns, and new hires. These programs are golden opportunities for aspiring managers to develop critical leadership skills in a supported environment.
By participating in these programs, you'll gain hands-on experience with:
Creating onboarding guides and documentation
Facilitating career development conversations
Providing constructive feedback
Supporting someone's professional growth over time
Think of this as your management "training wheels" – allowing you to identify your leadership strengths and areas for improvement before taking on full team management responsibilities.
2. Create Skill Development Initiatives
Don't have access to formal mentorship programs? You can create your own opportunities to demonstrate leadership through knowledge sharing and skill development. If you have expertise in particular technical or soft skills, consider the following approaches.
Developing and hosting training sessions in your areas of expertise
Coordinating external training opportunities for your team
Leading internal cohorts that are participating in industry organizations
Creating lunch-and-learn sessions focused on skill development
These initiatives not only help others grow but also position you as someone who can identify development needs and create solutions – a key management skill.
3. Strategically Delegate Tasks
Another powerful way to practice managing down is through thoughtful delegation. Effective managers must know how to delegate tasks and assign responsibilities appropriately, providing support while allowing for autonomous execution. This involves:
Identifying tasks that could help junior team members stretch and grow
Providing clear guidance and support to accomplish tasks
Allowing autonomous execution while maintaining accountability
Celebrating successes and learning from challenges
When done well, this approach demonstrates your ability to:
Assess individual capabilities
Match people with appropriate challenges
Support growth through guided experience
Develop future talent
Documenting Your Impact
Throughout these experiences, careful documentation is crucial. For any managing down initiative, capture:
What you did (specific actions and approaches)
Why it was important (strategic relevance)
How it impacted others and the organization (quantifiable or qualitative results)
For example:
"Mentored two junior developers over six months, resulting in both achieving promotion to mid-level positions"
"Created and delivered a 6-week technical training series attended by 15 team members, leading to a 30% increase in project delivery efficiency"
"Delegated and supported three high-visibility projects to junior team members, resulting in successful deliveries and positive client feedback"
Final Thoughts on Managing Down
Managing down isn’t just about preparing for a future role, it’s about developing the fundamental skills that make great leaders effective, such as the ability to:
Identifying and nurturing talent
Providing constructive feedback
Supporting professional development
Building trust and credibility
Developing others while delivering results
By thoughtfully supporting and growing others, you're beginning to embody the leadership qualities that organizations value.
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