Happy 2025! I hope your year is off to a great start. I’m coming back to work after a great week with my family. Spending quality time with family always keeps me centered. I’m grateful Ellevation gave us the week between Christmas and New Year’s off.

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to set your three tiers of goals and consider adopting sprints. I’ve spent some time refining my long, short, and sprint goals and look forward to seeing what’s possible this year.

Last week, I put this week’s subject up for a vote. The winner with 55.6% of the vote? How to manage up effectively. Second place was leveraging AI for career growth, which I’ll share next week.

In Today’s Newsletter (5 min read): How To Manage Up Effectively

Clear-Eyed Perspective

How To Manage Up Effectively

Your relationship with your manager heavily influences your work experience. In fact, 70% of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by your manager.

What are you doing to ensure the relationship gives you what you need?

You might think you have two options:

• Take what you get and hope for the best.

• Start polishing your resume.

That’s the passive approach. There’s a better way.

The Truth About Managing Up

In my ten years of managing people and working in HR, I’ve seen the same story several times. People often aren’t seen as “low performers” due to a lack of skills but rather a lack of clarity and a poor relationship with their manager.

No one has ever been fired for being too proactive.

Managing up isn’t about playing politics or sucking up. It’s about making your manager’s life easier so they can help you do your best work. Let’s break it down.

The Basics of Managing Up

There’s no shortage of advice on managing up.

Here are the best practices from three valuable resources:

• 22 Questions to Ask Your Manager to Improve Your Relationship

• A Tactical Guide to Managing Up: 30 Tips from The Smartest People We Know

• Mastering the Art of Managing Up

Best Practices For Managing Up:

• Communicate Proactively: Keep them updated, anticipate their questions, and address issues early.

• Be a Problem-Solver: Bring solutions, not just problems. Show initiative and critical thinking.

• Adapt and Build Trust: Tailor your approach to their style, deliver quality work, and foster mutual reliability.

• Leverage Feedback: Use 1:1s to seek input, clarify expectations, and align on priorities.

These basics are essential, but how you apply them and when depends on your manager.

The Four Manager Personas

Every manager has a unique style, but most fit into one of four typical personas. None of these are inherently “good” or “bad,” but understanding their tendencies is the first step to working effectively with them.

Micromanager

This manager wants to know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and probably what you had for breakfast. They’re in every detail, whether you want them to be or not.

• Traits: Detail-obsessed, controlling, constantly involved.

• Benefits: They’re crystal clear about what they want.

• Challenges: Limited autonomy and creativity.

What to Do:

• Send weekly updates to keep them informed.

• Clarify their expectations and concerns upfront. Don’t make them guess.

What to Avoid:

• General feedback about their micromanagement. It won’t land.

• Hiding information. It’ll just make them tighten their grip.

2. The Hands-Off Manager

This is the manager who makes you wonder if they’ve forgotten about you. They give you tons of autonomy, but you’ll need to chase them down for any feedback or clarity.

• Traits: Disengaged, distant, hard to reach.

• Benefits: You get a lot of autonomy.

• Challenges: Getting clarity.

What to Do:

• Share your priorities regularly. Don’t wait for them to ask.

• Use structured 1:1 agendas to guide discussions and follow up with notes.

What to Avoid:

• Overloading them with unnecessary details. It will disengage them even more.

• Expecting them to mentor or coach you. Find support elsewhere.

3. The Cheerleader

This manager is your biggest fan. They want to be liked. You’ll leave every 1:1 feeling good but wondering what to focus on next.

• Traits: Supportive, optimistic, avoids conflict.

• Benefits: They trust you and create a positive environment.

• Challenges: Lack of critical feedback and clear direction.

What to Do:

• Set clear goals tied to your organization’s priorities and confirm alignment.

• Ask for constructive feedback in every 1:1—it’s not their default.

What to Avoid:

• Judging your performance solely on their praise. Seek 360 feedback.

• Being overly dependent on them for career guidance. Build a network of mentors.

4. The Coach

This manager thrives on helping you grow. They’re always engaged, always involved, and always ready to help. It’s great until it starts to feel like they’re never going to give you any space.

• Traits: Highly engaged, hands-on, thrives on helping you grow.

• Benefits: Structured support and clear guidance.

• Challenges: Potential over-involvement in your work.

What to Do:

• Align on where they need to be involved versus where you’ll take the lead.

• Bring external perspectives into your conversations to validate priorities.

What to Avoid:

• Letting them drive every decision—maintain your independence.

• Getting defensive about their involvement.

A Few Additional Tips

No matter your manager’s persona, keep these two universal tips in mind:

• Align with Their Priorities: Focus on what they care about most.

• Offer Support: Regularly ask, “How can I help?” It builds trust.

Final Takeaway: Your Manager Wants to Help

I once had a manager who was the classic micromanager. They always asked for updates, joined every meeting, and second-guessed decisions. It could’ve been frustrating, but I focused on building trust instead. I gave them the information they needed before they even asked and shifted my way of operating.

The result? They started to trust me more, backed off, and gave me the autonomy I needed. Others on the team struggled, and they’d often come to me for advice on how to work with them.

Your manager wants you to succeed.

It’s a win for them, too. But managers aren’t mind-readers. By managing up, you’ll unlock a partnership that empowers you both. Take control today: identify your manager’s persona, apply these tips, and watch your relationship and career transform.