Managing Up: A Must-Have Skill for Mid-Career Women (Not a Dirty Word)

Managing Up: A Must-Have Skill for Mid-Career Women (Not a Dirty Word)

Let’s address the elephant in the boardroom.

“Managing up” often gets a bad rap—especially among women. It can feel like it’s code for playing politics, sucking up, or compromising your values just to get ahead.

But here’s the truth: Managing up is none of those things.
It’s not manipulative. It’s not dishonest. And it’s definitely not about saying yes to everything.

Managing up is a leadership skill.
It’s about building a two-way relationship with your manager that’s based on clarity, trust, and mutual success.

And if you’re a mid-career woman who’s quietly doing brilliant work without visibility, this blog is for you.

What Managing Up Really Means

At its core, managing up means strategically supporting your manager’s success—while also advocating for your own.

It’s about:

• Understanding what matters to them
• Communicating in ways that land
• Being proactive, clear, and aligned in how you work together

It’s not about being liked.
It’s about being respected—and that respect is built through consistent communication and thoughtful collaboration.

Many women fall into the trap of assuming that if they just work hard and keep their head down, their efforts will be recognised. But in most organizations, that’s simply not how visibility works.

Mid-Career Trap: The “Quiet Achiever” Syndrome

Let’s be honest—how many times have you:

• Finished a project and quietly moved on to the next?
• Supported your team brilliantly behind the scenes?
• Shared your team’s wins but not your own?
• Held back from sharing your career goals out loud?

This isn’t just humility—it’s invisibility.

And when your manager doesn’t know what you’re doing or how you’re doing it, they can’t support you, advocate for you, or align with your work.

Managing up helps you shift from being reactive to being strategically proactive—representing your team’s views, your own ambitions, and the impact you’re delivering.

Know Your Manager’s Style (So You Can Work With It, Not Against It)

Just like you have your own preferences for how you like to communicate and make decisions—so does your manager.

Understanding their style helps you adapt, anticipate, and avoid unnecessary friction.

Ask yourself:

• Do they prefer details or the big picture?
• Do they like written updates, quick chats, or scheduled check-ins?
• Are they a fast decision-maker or someone who needs time and process?
• What stresses them out? What builds their trust?

This isn’t about changing who you are. It’s about learning to “speak their language” so you can get more traction and build a smoother working relationship.

Think of it as emotional intelligence in action.

 

Proactive Communication = Trust and Influence

One of the biggest myths about managing up is that you only need to communicate when something goes wrong. Not true.

Consistent, proactive communication is what builds trust.

Here’s what that might look like:

• Weekly updates with wins, challenges, and what’s coming next
• Flagging issues early, with your thinking on how to solve them
• Asking regularly: “Is this still aligned with what you need?”
• Making your team’s work visible—not just the end results, but the why and how

This creates confidence in your leadership. It shows you’re not just executing—you’re thinking strategically, managing risks, and driving progress.

Don’t Assume They Know What You Need (They Don’t)

One of the biggest barriers to successful upward communication? Assumptions.

Many women assume:

• “If I do a good job, they’ll notice.”
• “If they haven’t said anything, I must be doing fine.”
• “They must already know what I’m working on.”

But most managers are juggling competing priorities—and they’re not mind-readers.

If you need feedback, ask for it.
If you want to grow, say so.
If you have boundaries, name them.

Managing up means showing up.
It means being visible, vocal, and clear about what you need to do your best work—and helping your manager do theirs.

This Is Leadership

Managing up isn’t about climbing the ladder faster.
It’s about owning your role as a leader, regardless of your job title.

It’s about:

• Building a strong, transparent relationship with your manager
• Advocating for your work and your team
• Making strategic decisions about how you work and communicate

And most importantly, it’s about being intentional—not invisible.

 

Let’s Get Practical

Click here to receive your start ‘Managing Upwards this week’ checklist 

If you’re not sure how to start managing up, or you’re navigating a tricky manager relationship, you’re not alone.

🎯 Book a 30-minute laser coaching session with me and let’s unpack:

• Your manager’s style (and how to work with it)
• Communication rhythms that build trust
• How to increase your visibility without feeling self-promotional

👉 Book Your Session Now

You’re already doing the hard work. Let’s make sure it gets seen, valued, and supported.