The Lost Art of Upward Management
If you want to know how leadership has changed, look at what we’ve stopped teaching.
We used to train people to manage up: to anticipate what the boss needed before being asked, to bring solutions not problems, to make good calls without constant permission.
Somewhere between group chats and graduate schemes, we forgot.
Now, when something goes wrong, the reflex isn’t “how do I fix it?”, it’s “have you googled it?” or worse, “ask ChatGPT.”
Upward management has become a lost art. And without it, leaders drown in decisions that shouldn’t be theirs.
What Is Upward Management?
Upward management means managing your relationship with your boss in a way that works for both of you - anticipating what they need, communicating clearly, and shaping your work so it moves the business forward.
It’s not flattery or politics. It’s alignment.
When you understand what your leader is trying to achieve (and how they like to operate), you make their world easier and create more freedom in yours.
It’s not top-down or bottom-up. It’s grown-up.
Why Upward Management Matters for Career Growth and Team Performance
Most leaders are drowning in decisions. There’s barely time for their own work, let alone the dozen “quick ones” that land every day. “Can I run something past you” can send shivers down the spine of even the most seasoned manager.
Upward management changes that. It:
Frees leaders from being the default decision point
Builds judgement and visibility for emerging managers
Speeds everything up without losing control
And it’s not just a leadership advantage - it’s a career one.
People who manage up well don’t climb faster because they’re political. They climb because they make leadership lighter.
Why Teams Struggle With Managing Up
Because most people don’t feel safe enough to try.
If your team fears criticism more than they value initiative, they’ll over-escalate and under-deliver.
Upward management only thrives in a culture of psychological safety - where it’s okay to take a sensible swing, even if it doesn’t land perfectly.
If people don’t feel trusted, they won’t act with trust.
How to Practise Effective Upward Management
Start with one question that changes everything:
“What do you think we should do?”
It’s deceptively simple, but it teaches people to pause before passing the problem up.
Then, agree a team rule:
No problem without a proposal.
If something’s stuck, bring context, options, and a recommendation. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just show it has been thought through.
That single habit will do more for team speed and trust than another stand-up meeting ever will.
Tips for Employees: How to Manage Up With Confidence
If you’re the one managing up, here’s the cheat sheet:
Learn your boss’s priorities. Time, quality, cost, client impact - frame your updates in that language.
Be proactive. Flag risks early, with your proposed fix.
Communicate like a peer. “Here’s what I’m seeing, here’s what I suggest, here’s what I need.”
Show awareness. Notice what your leaders are juggling. Awareness and respect open doors faster than overexplaining ever will.
The Pay-Off: Faster Decisions, Stronger Teams, Happier Leaders
When upward management returns, so does pace.
Calendars clear.
Meetings shrink.
People start taking pride in their judgement.
Leaders have more time, and headspace, to tackle the meatier issues in the business, define and deliver on strategy, get out there and bring new business in… all fundamental to growth.
And leaders stop being everyone’s safety net - not because they’ve stepped back, but because others have stepped up.
Upward management is a necessity, and it’s time we relearned it.
Teach it. Expect it. Reward it.
That’s how leadership gets lighter - and work gets better.