Harvard Business Review Special Issues Spring 2016

WHETHER YOU’RE A MAVERICK who shuns bureaucracy or a judicious type who avoids controversy, how well you get along with your superiors can make or break your success. While most people know that managing up is important, they don’t always do it, perhaps because they struggle with the hierarchical nature of the relationship, or they just don’t realize that it merits their attention. In “The Subordinate’s Predicaments,” Eric H. Neilsen and Jan Gypen explore the tension inherent in the employee-boss relationship. They take a psychological approach to reducing what they describe as the subordinate’s need for self-protection. Among the dilemmas that must be resolved are initiative versus dependence and differentiation versus identification. You may find yourself leaning one way or the other in given circumstances, but how well you maintain the…

EVERYONE KNOWS that having a positive relationship with your boss is helpful and that it’s up to you to make it work. But do you know how to best interact with your manager to get what you need, support her success, and excel at your job? Chances are, you’ve gotten some advice on this topic—from a well-meaning friend, a mentor, or even an article or a book. But are you getting the right guidance? We asked readers (and our own editors) what advice they hear most often and then talked with two experts to get their perspectives on whether the conventional wisdom holds up in practice and against research. “Always bring solutions—not problems—to your boss.” “Problems don’t make anyone happy, and bringing unsolved problems to your manager makes it look like you’re not…

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION takes a deft touch when you’re managing up. If your attempts to persuade are too obvious, they may not succeed. Yet you need to be deliberate in your approach. As you engage in everyday activities with your boss, identify the messages behind her speech and behavior. The words and deeds matter, of course, but the values that underlie them often mean more. Listening with a keen ear and observing with a sharp eye can make all the difference in understanding, not just labeling, your manager’s communication style. Consider the statement “My door is always open,” which many bosses make to their direct reports. That seemingly transparent sentence can have a variety of meanings. Here are three examples: REBECCA When she says, “My door is always open,” Rebecca means it literally. To foster…

DID YOUR PROJECT come in $10,000 over budget? A rival poach your star performer? Your competitor beat you to market with a new product? Nobody likes to deliver a difficult message, but when done correctly, it can be a valuable way to build a trusting relationship with your boss. You know that you should never bring a problem to your boss without a proposed solution. But often we forget to frame the situation in a way that helps us garner the necessary resources or approval to begin moving toward that solution. Here are five steps to take the next time you need to deliver bad news. 1. Describe the problem. Provide a general overview of the problem, and show the specific impact it has on your work and the company’s goals. “Stu, we’ve got…

WHEN I HEAR the phrase “managing up,” I reflexively think of the seemingly spineless J. Pierrepont Finch, who rises from window washer to president of Worldwide Wicket Company in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Finch uses three methods: lying—he tells the head of HR that the CEO said to give him a job when he hadn’t; scheming— he supports a rival for a promotion, not to be selfless but because it’s a deadend job; and manipulating—when he is about to get fired for a snafu, he refers to all his fellow employees as family, saving his own skin. If “managing up” also makes you think of “sucking up,” these straightforward steps can help the squeamish build a successful relationship with their superiors— without feeling manipulative. Be very clear about…

MANY PEOPLE meet their boss’s boss when they are hired, and then promptly forget about her. But does your manager’s manager know what you’ve done recently? What does she think of you? If you can’t answer these questions, then getting to know this leader could advance your career. Your boss’s boss has a broader perspective on your organization than you (or your boss) and can see more of what’s coming down the pike—be it new products or possible new assignments. And by forming a relationship with this person, you can develop that perspective, too. I can name several times in my own career when my manager’s immediate superior was a key factor. For example, in one of my first jobs, my boss arranged for me to rehearse a presentation with her boss.…