Nobody teaches you this part. You learn to manage your team, and you assume managing your own manager will just sort itself out. It doesn't. It's a skill like any other, and most people either ignore it and end up invisible, or overdo it and end up performing instead of working. Neither builds real trust.
Seven moves for working well with your own manager, not a general essay on office politics.
01
Learn what your manager actually gets measured on
Your priorities land better when you can connect them to what they're accountable for. Ask directly if you don't already know, most managers have never been asked this and are happy to answer it. If you can't say what your manager is measured on this quarter, you're guessing at what matters to them.
02
Bring solutions, not just problems
Show up with a recommendation, even a rough one. It's easier for a manager to react to a proposal than to generate one from scratch on your behalf, and it changes how you're seen in the room, from someone who surfaces issues to someone who moves them forward. A rough recommendation beats a well-described problem, every time.
03
Ask for feedback before it becomes a review surprise
Don't wait for the formal cycle to find out what's not landing. Ask directly and often, a surprise in a review is usually a sign you weren't asking enough, not a sign the feedback came out of nowhere.
04
Say no to the wrong things, not just yes to everything
Managing up includes protecting your own time and your team's. A well-reasoned no builds more trust over time than silent overcommitment does, a manager who can predict your judgment trusts you with more, not less.
05
Send a weekly update, even if nobody asked for one
A manager who has to ask "what's going on with your team" has already lost visibility they should have had by default. A short, consistent update prevents that question from ever needing to be asked, and it's one of the cheapest ways to build trust that exists.
06
Name your projects so a stranger could follow them
A project called "Phase 2" means nothing to someone two levels up. A project called "Checkout Speed" gets remembered, referenced, and asked about later, which is most of what visibility actually is.
07
Celebrate wins loudly, not just inside the team
Recognizing your team privately is necessary but not sufficient. Say it in the update, say it in the channel your manager reads, say it where the people who decide what happens next can actually see it. A win only your team knows about didn't fully happen, visibility-wise.
A Simple Weekly Update
Wins: [what shipped or landed this week] In progress: [what's actively moving, and when it's expected] Blockers: [anything you need from someone above you] Coming up: [what's next]
Starting the Conversation, If You've Never Asked Directly
"What are you personally measured on this quarter? I want to make sure what I'm prioritizing actually connects to it."
"I've got a rough idea on [problem], want me to bring you an option instead of just flagging it?"
"Is there anything from the last few weeks that didn't land the way you wanted? I'd rather hear it now than at review time."
Managing Up Self-Check
Fill this out once a quarter. If more than two of these are blank, that's the place to start.
What my manager is actually measured on this quarter
One problem I'm currently just flagging, that I could bring a recommendation for instead
The last time I asked for informal feedback (not at a review)
Something I said yes to recently that I probably should have pushed back on
My last three project names, and whether a stranger could follow them
A recent team win that only the team knows about, and where I could say it louder