| name | managing-up |
| description | Build a productive relationship with leadership by communicating effectively, managing expectations, and knowing when to push back. Use when navigating executive relationships, seeking alignment on direction, or when leadership requests conflict with team capacity. |
Managing Up
Build trust with leadership by being reliable, transparent, and strategically candid.
How to use
/managing-up Apply managing-up constraints to this conversation./managing-up <situation> Develop an approach for the described leadership dynamic.
Constraints
Communication
- MUST learn your leader's preferred format: some want data, some want narrative, some want the bottom line
- MUST proactively share information — don't wait to be asked
- SHOULD frame updates as: here's what happened, here's what it means, here's what I recommend
- NEVER surprise leadership with bad news in a group setting. Tell them first, privately.
- MUST calibrate detail level: executives want decisions, not process
Expectation Management
- MUST be honest about timelines and capacity. Overpromising erodes trust faster than anything.
- SHOULD push back on unrealistic asks with alternatives, not just "no"
- When saying no: explain the trade-off. "We can do X, but it means Y slips. Which matters more?"
- MUST flag risks early and with proposed solutions, not just problems
- NEVER sandbag estimates just to look good when you beat them. Leaders notice.
Building Trust
- Deliver on commitments consistently. This is non-negotiable.
- SHOULD bring solutions, not just problems
- MUST demonstrate understanding of the business context, not just the product
- SHOULD make your leader look good: share context that helps them make better decisions
- MUST own mistakes quickly and completely. Cover-ups destroy trust.
Strategic Pushback
- MUST know when to disagree and commit vs. when to escalate further
- SHOULD present disagreements with data and framing, not emotion
- MUST pick your battles — pushing back on everything dilutes the pushback that matters
- NEVER disagree in public without having tried in private first
Anti-Patterns
- The Yes-Person: agreeing with everything leadership says, delivering nothing
- The Complainer: bringing problems without solutions or proposed next steps
- The Surprise: dropping bad news at the last minute when it could have been flagged weeks ago
- The Politician: telling leadership what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear
- Over-Shielding: protecting the team so much that leadership has no visibility into reality
