logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2022
40m 15s

The Essentials: Managing Up

Harvard Business Review
About this episode

Having a healthy, mutually beneficial relationship with your boss doesn’t require accommodating their every quirk, demand, and weakness. There are respectful, constructive ways to meet in the middle, set boundaries, and help them achieve their goals while making your competence known.

Amy G sits down with a woman who recently left retail for her first office job and a fintech executive with a marketing background to discuss managing-up practices that have helped them maintain positive, productive relationships with different bosses across their careers.

Guests:

Valerie is an operations manager at a law firm. She used to work in retail.

Mita Mallick is the head of inclusion, equity, and impact at Carta, a fintech company. She used to work in marketing. She co-hosts the podcast Brown Table Talk.

Resources:

HBR Guide to Managing Up and Across, by Harvard Business Review

• “Setting the Record Straight on Managing Your Boss,” by Amy Gallo

• “How to Give Your Boss Feedback,” by Amy Gallo

• “Dealing with Your Incompetent Boss,” by Amy Gallo

• “When Being Indispensable Backfires,” by Mita Mallick

Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter.

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Up next
Jun 2022
Emily’s Taking a Break from Nine-to-Five
Our free-spirited, entrepreneurial co-host is applying advice from all our episodes on side gigs, freelancing, starting a small business — and quitting — to her own life. Emily reflects on her decision to leave her design job at HBR to fully focus on a long-time creative passion, ... Show More
8m 43s
May 2022
When a Relationship with a Colleague Goes Sour
Say someone on your team who had previously been friendly turns on you and is now making your life miserable and collaboration nearly impossible. Maybe they won’t respond to your emails or even look you in the eye? This is the distressing situation that “Cindy,” a listener of Con ... Show More
34m 25s
Apr 2022
The Essentials: Delegating Effectively
Delegating is a leadership skill that benefits you and your team. But determining when and how to delegate which tasks to whom can be overwhelming. And the discomfort many of us feel around assigning responsibilities to others or making requests of our colleagues can lead us to f ... Show More
45m 22s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2018
First-time Bosses
What should you do when you become the boss? Co-hosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn answer your questions with the help of Harvard Business School professor Alison Wood Brooks, an expert on behavioral insights. They talk through what to do when your direct reports are older than yo ... Show More
36m 14s
May 2020
Challenging the Boss
Do you fear speaking frankly with your supervisor? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Liz Kislik, a management consultant and executive coach. They talk through what to do when your boss micromanages your output, you want to set boundaries for better work-life ... Show More
35m 10s
Apr 2018
Bad Bosses
Is your boss making your life miserable? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Moshe Cohen, a senior lecturer at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. They talk through what to do when your boss is a jerk, a workaholic, or simply incompetent. From Aliso ... Show More
37m 37s
May 2022
202: Managing the Boundaries of Personal and Professional with Deborah Grayson Riegel
For many people, the pandemic blurred the lines between personal and professional spaces. While this had many benefits such as bringing people closer together, it also created ambiguity that is challenging for managers to navigate. How can managers best create and maintain bounda ... Show More
33m 30s
Oct 2020
Flawed Bosses
Do you wish you could understand your boss better? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Mimi Nicklin, a business coach and the author of the new book Softening the Edge: Empathy: How humanity’s oldest leadership trait is changing our world. They talk through what ... Show More
36m 58s
Nov 2023
The Power of Delegation
Welcome to another episode of "Accelerate Your Business Growth"! In today's episode, we have a fascinating guest joining us, Dot Rock. Dot shares her insights on the concept of delegation and how it can profoundly impact business growth. She challenges the conventional wisdom of ... Show More
33m 16s
May 2024
Healing the World of Work
Welcome to another insightful episode of "Accelerate Your Business Growth," where we explore crucial aspects of workplace dynamics and personal well-being that directly impact business success. Today, host Diane Helbig is joined by Candice Elliott. In this episode, we dive deep i ... Show More
33m 40s
Jan 2019
Getting Sidelined
Have you been sidelined at work? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Bill Taylor, a cofounder of Fast Company. They talk through what to do when your responsibilities have been reduced, you’ve been moved to an underperforming team, or your boss is leaving you ou ... Show More
38m 53s
Feb 2022
The Corporate Counsel Show: Why curiosity is key
Kate Jordan is the GC of a large listed company and, before that, was deputy chief executive partner of a BigLaw firm. Despite her very impressive resumé, she says she has “still got a huge amount to learn”. Being curious, and asking questions, is critical to success in-house, sh ... Show More
27m 11s
Apr 2020
Influencing Up
Do you feel fake when you try to manage up? Dan and Alison answer your questions with the help of Nashater Deu Solheim, a leadership consultant and author. They talk through what to do when you want choice assignments, you feel like higher-ups aren’t noticing your contributions, ... Show More
32m 56s