How to Manage Upward with Tact and Diplomacy

At some point in your leadership career, you will need to “manage upward” – sell an idea, strategy, or approach to your leader that they either don’t want, don’t understand, or don’t like. The art of successfully navigating these complicated and difficult situations requires both tact and diplomacy.

Ultimately, these situations rely on the same mindsets, skills, and approaches that work for coaching or confronting difficult conversations with people on your team. The basic skills of effective communication and influence also apply to these situations. Some specific tips for this particular relationship dynamic are…

Understand and appeal to what’s important to them

First, adjust your message delivery to fit their preferred communication style. Then, do everything you can to understand their work pressures and objectives. Frame your message in terms of what’s important to them rather than in terms of what’s important to you.

For example (and admittedly simplified for the sake of brevity) , if you are concerned with the health of relationships of people on your team and your supervisor is primarily concerned with getting results, and you see an issue that is affecting relationships between members of your team, look for how the issue is affecting results. Then, deliver your concern to your supervisor in terms of the results impact.

Make them look good

Figure out how they are evaluated by their supervisor and make sure you do everything in your power to deliver the results that make them look good. By creating success for them, you improve the odds that they will listen to your ideas and perspectives.

Disagree in private, agree in public

If you have an issue with your supervisor’s position, perspective, or decision, keep the disagreement private. You do not need to confront every issue where you disagree. You will need to confront some of these issues.

When the time comes to voice your concern, do so in a private conversation with your supervisor. In public, you need to support the decisions and instructions of your leader. Disagreeing or failing to support your supervisor’s direction in public will undermine your supervisor’s authority and will likely irritate them. As a result, you will lose the ability to successfully voice your concern in private.

Ultimately, the art of managing up is the art of tact and diplomacy. It is more art than science. It is heavily dependent on your relationship history and other situational concerns, and, still, the basic guidelines above will help you achieve success in these delicate situations. As you confront these upward management situations, remember this statement by Sir Isaac Newton: “Tact is the art of making point without making an enemy.”

Managing your boss is just one of the difficult challenges that new supervisors face and Bud to Boss can help with this important transition.