How To Be Successful at Managing Up

In this episode of Tuesdays with Coach Mo, I’ve interviewed Professional Speaker, Author and Leadership Coach, Alex Tremble who has over 10 years of experience coaching and advising some of our nation’s most senior level government leaders. He established GPS Leadership Solutions LLC and published two bestselling books. He’s an expert in influence, Strategic Networking, Leadership Perception and Career Advancement.

In our discussion, we talked about managing up from two perspectives.

- The first perspective is more broad in scope and is how to strategically network with individuals who have bigger job titles or have a position that ranks higher than yours.

- The second perspective is narrower in space and is about managing up in the relationship between you and your boss.

We also covered how he was tapped for a high profile role early in his career. He talked about the merits of strategic networking, the first perspective in our discussion on Managing Up. What I found interesting is how he applies some of the same skills related to strategic networking to his efforts to manage up in the relationship with his direct boss.

Alex attributes his success to managing up is directly related to his outlook – his approach. He notes that it’s his job to make the boss look really good in whatever it is they are attempting to achieve for the organization. The return on this effort is that he will be valued in the mind of his boss.

As Mark McCormak said in, What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School, “ Is climbing a corporate ladder a game? Absolutely. An MBA, or law degree or any other degree can get you in the door. Once inside, you have to find a way to let people know your real worth.“

Coach Mo Knows (a tip, a coaching question, and a bit of inspiration)

Tip:

My tip this week is to check out Alex Trembles online courses:

-Get his FREE Ebook –

https://learn.alextremble.com/courses/GPSBook

and use the discount code: MyFreeBook

- Strategic Networking – FREE First Module –

https://learn.alextremble.com/courses/Networking

Coaching Question:

Is your boss a listener or a reader?

Management Consultant and Business Thought Leader, Peter Drucker said:

-The boss who is a listener likes to receive information in person with a follow up written communication.

-The boss who is a reader likes to receive their information in writing and then follow up with a conversation.

Knowing the preferred style of your boss is one way to engage with them in a manner that supports your ability for effectively managing up.

Inspiration:

“You don’t have to like or admire your boss, nor do you have to hate them. You do have to manage them, however, so that they become your resource for achievement, accomplishment and personal success.” Inspired by a similar quote by Peter Drucker

Resources mentioned:

Adam Kahane, Power and Love: A Theory and Practice of Social Change -

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Love-Theory-Practice-Social/dp/1605093041

Mark McCormack, What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School -

https://www.amazon.com/What-Teach-Harvard-Business-School/dp/0553345834

Adam Grant, Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success -

https://www.amazon.com/Give-Take-Helping-Others-Success/dp/0143124986