Intro

A few weeks ago, I shared a blog post from Lenny's Newsletter, with my team titled "The Magic Loop." This piece introduces a career framework designed to facilitate systematic growth within a company through a series of actionable steps: excel in your current role, inquire how you can support your manager, undertake the tasks they assign, request work that furthers your growth, and then repeat this cycle. The essence of the Magic Loop is in optimizing the transactional cycle between employees and their managers, fostering a foundation for continuous development and mutual success.

Building on the insights from the Magic Loop, this post aims to dive into how we can strengthen key work relationships, including the employee-manager relationship. Specifically, I want to explore the concept of "managing up" as a parallel strategy. Contrary to popular belief, managing up isn't about sucking up to your manager, nor is it limited to the direct relationship between you and your boss. I contend the same playbook extends to all influencers within the organization who play a role in your career progression and success. I like this broader application of managing up since it recognizes that effective navigation and influence within the organizational ecosystem are crucial for professional growth and achieving impactful results.

Let's explore some things to learn and some things to do that can help us navigate "managing up" to operate at peak effectiveness.

Stuff to Learn

To nurture key relationships, including with your manager, adopting an ethnographic approach is insightful. This means actively observing and learning about:

1. Communication Styles

How and when do they prefer to communicate? Notice patterns like email use in the morning and instant messaging during work hours.

2. Work Habits

Understand their work rhythm—do they schedule back-to-back meetings, or do they prefer blocking out time for focused work? Recognizing their productive times can guide when to approach them.

3. Feedback Preferences

Some may welcome feedback in group settings, while others prefer private discussions. Understanding this can shape how you deliver and request feedback.

4. Priorities and Responsibilities

Knowing what they value and their key responsibilities aligns your efforts with what matters most to the team and organization.

5. Strengths and Areas for Growth

Identifying both your and your key partner’s (or manager's) strengths and growth areas can reveal how you can support each other effectively.

Stuff to Do

Once we’ve learned about their preferences, priorities, strengths and growth areas, we’re ready to move on to a list of proactive things to do:

1. Align (and stay aligned) on one critical question

"How does my success intersect with your success and our team's success?"

2. Frame your impact in terms of how it helps others

Regularly communicate how your work contributes to your key partner’s (or manager's) success and the organization's objectives. Articulate your achievements and how they align with your team's and their goals, especially for those who may traditionally have been taught to let their work "speak for itself" -- this is 2024 after all.

3. Stay in sync

None of this works if you don't stay in sync. Find the right frequencies, times, and tools. Disambiguate important from urgent tasks. Urgent things shouldn't wait. Keep revisiting shared priorities. This establishes a proactive approach to contributing value where it's most needed.

4. Communicate well

Most people think they are better communicators than they really are. This is because we project our knowledge onto others subconsciously and assume they have the same information, context, motivation that we do. Clear, concise, and transparent communication helps in minimizing misunderstandings and streamlining decision-making processes. It is also crucial to provide the right level of evidence (data, logic, etc.) to arm your key partner (or manager) with what they need to be successful given their role. Put yourself into their shoes.

5. Be patient with big changes

Change is scary. A former manager once pulled me aside after I walked out of a meeting having presented a long-term product vision and said,

"Phil, you're going to have to slow down. They aren't ready to see or hear the whole thing yet."

Remember to slow down and give people space to ingest and time to digest information. Big trees aren't felled in one swing. Look for ways to keep people informed and intrigued so they ask for more.

6. Follow through

A former mentor told me above all else, "Do What You Say You Will Do" (DWYSYWD). Consistently meeting your commitments builds reliability and trust within your team and with your manager. By the way this becomes more important the more you advance and become the one setting the tone.

7. Set healthy boundaries

Demonstrate your commitment to work-life balance through actions, such as setting boundaries around email or work hours. You can do this by simply not replying to emails after a certain time in the evening or on weekends or whatever schedule fits your life. Actions speak louder than words here.

8. Utilize 1:1s effectively

Make the most of your one-on-one meetings with your key partner (or manager) by coming prepared with a prioritized agenda, starting and ending on time, and ensuring alignment on objectives and expectations. These shouldn't be the only time you are catching up or you're doing it wrong (see “Stay in sync”).

9. Get ahead of challenges to avoid surprises

Stay one step ahead by anticipating potential issues or "skeletons in the closet." Proactively addressing these can prevent larger problems down the line. And this builds trust because you're not sweeping anything under the carpet and giving the other person an opportunity to help and prepare.

10. Seek sponsorship

Identify and engage sponsors within the organization who can advocate for you in rooms where decisions about your career are made. This is particularly important in ensuring that your contributions are recognized at all levels.

Wrapping Up

This post focused on strengthening key work relationships, leveraging insights from the Magic Loop and the concept of managing up. Managing up well is a foundational step in self-directing your career as a product manager, highlighting the importance of communication, strategic alignment, and proactive engagement within an organization.

To further support product managers in their journey towards roles of greater influence, I'm developing an online course focused on leadership and strategic management skills. Stay tuned for more information, and consider subscribing to the blog to ensure you don't miss out on this opportunity to elevate your career.