Managing Up Is Managing Your Career
/Managing up isn’t just about keeping your boss happy, it’s about building influence, communicating with confidence and taking ownership of where you want to go next. That theme came through powerfully at our recent PDS Managers roundtable event in Melbourne that featured three leaders who’ve each steered their careers with intention:
Pia Ransom, General Manager – Product, HESTA
Julia Thorpe, Manager – Marketing, Communications, Digital & Product, Kaizen Recruitment
Matthew Jose, Senior Consultant, Mayflower Consulting
In this blog, we dive into the insights shared by Pia Ransom, whose candid reflections on managing up and navigating big organisations resonated deeply with the room. Looking back on her early career, Pia admits she used to think managing up meant keeping the boss happy. Over time, she realised something far more powerful.
When you think back to earlier in your career, what have you learned about managing upwards effectively, especially when your leaders might not fully understand the product space?
What I've really learned about managing up is that it's less about pleasing your boss and more about making the relationship a true partnership - understanding their world, reducing friction and showing up as someone they trust with bigger and bigger problems.
Managing up is about treating your manager like a key stakeholder you actively support, rather than someone you take orders from.
Understand your boss as a person - they are a human being. Understand the person behind the role, their pressures, priorities and working style.
Align your work to their goals - one thing that could help advance your work is if it aligns with your managers / teams’ top goals (if not, you may be pushing a pet project of yours alone).
Bring solutions, not just problems - going to your boss with no solutions creates anxiety, going with solutions creates trust and influence. When you escalate, it also shows that you have thought about some solutions, even if they are not perfect. Then you can co-create a solution together to build trust. “Who’s got the monkey?” reminds us that if every problem ends up back with your leader, you’re not managing up effectively.
Anticipate and reduce friction - work on a 'no surprises'. I have learnt the hard way of thinking I'll try to solve this one myself and not bother my boss. Always give a 'heads up' - I've got it under control, but in case it goes pear shaped you don't blind side your boss. Always provide reporting, updates, board reports etc on time, so your boss does not have to follow you up. These behaviours reduce friction, which is one of the fastest ways to build trust.
Manage yourself to manage up - Own your own development and growth, it is not your boss’s job - and ask for what you need. Be an adult and have adult, forward-thinking conversations. Don't wait to be directed or rescued. This is how you shift from being managed to being entrusted.
Make it a partnership, not politics - it's also not about manipulation, but building a transparent, respectful partnership, where you're both doing great work.
Managing up is not manipulation. It’s building transparent, respectful relationships where you and your leader can both do great work.
You’ve moved through some big, complex organisations. What’s your advice for people who want to stay true to their own career goals while navigating the expectations and politics of a large company?
You need to be very clear on what you want and your values. What are your must haves and what are your non-negotiables? What kind of work energises you? What responsibilities you want and the skills you need to develop. What success looks like, beyond just a title.
Once you can answer these, it's easier to think of the kind of work that you want to do, what responsibilities you want and skills that you may need to acquire.
Start by being brutally honest and clear in what success looks like, not just the title but in skills, impact and the way that work interacts with your home life. What drives you - what is your north star?
If people can be aligned on purpose, politics becomes less relevant, as it's not used as manipulation, but more who are the right people to help us achieve what we need to, without playing games and comprising personal values. Build relationships on integrity and honesty, for being reliable, fair and discreet, means you don't need to play toxic games.
Invest in mentors and sponsors, who can give you a reality check on choices and help open doors. Find the people who will tell you the truth and open doors. Mentors help you reflect. Sponsors help you advance. Both keep you grounded in what matters while navigating complex environments.
The Takeaway: Managing Up Is Leading Your Own Career
Managing up is not a corporate trick; it’s a leadership skill. It helps you build trust, influence outcomes, and shape your own path. From understanding your leader’s world, to staying anchored in your values, to investing in the people who support your growth. Pia’s message is clear: Your career is something you steer, not something that happens to you. And managing up is one of the best tools you have to do exactly that