The Art of Managing Up: How to Get Your Seat At the Table
"Every time something big changes, I feel like I'm the last to find out. I want to be part of the conversations that shape our team's direction, but I don't know how to get a seat at the table."
I admired Megan's ambition during a recent coaching call.
Her words captured something many of us experience: the turning point in our careers when we're ready to step into something bigger.
Sometimes this realization comes gradually as others put us in situations that stretch our capabilities.
Other times, like in Megan's case, we're acutely aware of our need to engage at a higher level, but that doesn't make it any easier to chart the path forward.
"I'm consistently told I'm doing a great job in my role, but I don't just want to execute—I want to contribute strategically and have a bigger impact."
I could relate to Megan's situation completely.
I remember being in her place when I was considering the transition from individual contributor to people manager. The daily activities of technical program management became less and less interesting, while the thought leadership behind those engagements increasingly captured my attention.
Through that experience, I discovered a powerful catalyst for career growth: the art of managing up.
Understanding Managing Up
Managing up is the intentional practice of actively working to support your leadership in a way that makes their job easier, while also finding ways to enhance your own skill set. Those who excel at managing up share three key qualities:
They prioritize understanding how their leadership operates
They align their actions with their leadership's goals, and
They proactively contribute to the team's success.
Most of us make the mistake of focusing solely on managing our own tasks and performance, while overlooking the importance of managing up. Let me share why this oversight might be holding you back.
Why Managing Up Matters
1. It Gives You Insight into Leadership
Managing up involves seeking first-hand exposure to leadership dynamics. By learning how leaders make decisions and what challenges they face, you gain invaluable insights that prepare you for the next step in your career.
2. It Opens Doors to Strategic Opportunities
When you actively support and execute well on your leadership's goals, you're more likely to be trusted with higher-level projects, mentorship, or stretch assignments. You effectively get a seat at the table and contribute in ways that go beyond your day-to-day tasks.
3. It Positions You as High-Value
If you're managing up effectively, you're seen as a proactive problem-solver. You're not only excelling in your role, you're elevating the environment around you by adding value.
What Managing Up Isn't
Let's be clear:
Managing up is not about becoming solely focused on pleasing your boss. People can tell when you're sucking up, and it's neither effective nor sustainable as a way to get noticed.
It's also not about trying to force relationships by overstepping or imposing. That comes off as inauthentic and people will recognize that you're essentially trying to use them.
Lastly, it's not an opportunity to move others out of the way. Undermining and alienating others is a quick way to build a bad reputation among your peers.
How to Master Managing Up
1. Start with Excellence in Your Role
Managing up starts with being excellent at your job. Before you can add value to your boss, you must be reliable, competent, and consistent in your own responsibilities. Mastering your role means:
Consistently delivering high-quality work
Building credibility through your performance
Understanding how your work connects to broader organizational goals
2. Understand Your Leadership's World
Once you've established yourself in your role, start learning your leadership's responsibilities, pressures, and priorities. Recognize the challenges and constraints they're facing so you can find meaningful ways to add value. Take initiative on projects that align with these things, and consciously help them achieve their objectives.
3. Create Growth Opportunities
Observation is just one element of managing up. It's also important to outwardly express interest in learning more about leadership decisions and strategic thinking. As you start to understand the dynamics of the organization, avoid bringing up problems without offering solutions that you're either willing to provide or oversee. Where feasible and within your reasonable scope, think ahead and take things off your leadership's plate instead of waiting for instructions.
Making the Shift: Megan's Story
Once Megan understood these principles, she realized she wasn't currently managing up—she was only focused on managing herself and her responsibilities. She started asking her manager about their goals, priorities, and challenges during every one-on-one meeting, and choosing one thing she knew she could help solve.
The results were transformative. Her relationship with her leadership team grew significantly closer, and she found herself naturally included in the strategic conversations she'd been seeking. She had successfully bridged the gap from tactical executor to strategic contributor.
Your Path Forward
Ultimately, managing up is about being intentional in how you work with leadership to achieve shared goals. When done well, it becomes one of the most effective accelerators for your career. You gain insight into leadership, build valuable skills, and position yourself for greater responsibility.
Remember: The best leaders don't just rise by excelling in their roles; they rise by understanding the bigger picture and making those above them more effective. Managing up is your fastest path to bridging that gap—just be sure to maintain your integrity and authenticity along the way.
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