Whether you are starting your first nonprofit job or looking to grow into a leadership position, “managing up” is a must-have skill to reach your professional goals and avoid getting stuck.
But what does it mean to manage up?
For career and pay-equity consultant Katie Donovan, this term is really about managing your career. The old days of following a defined set of steps to move up in an organization’s hierarchy are long over, she says. “It just doesn’t work that way. You have to figure out how you want to get there.”
Sometimes that means getting promoted at your current employer, and other times the only way to get the next level of experience is to go elsewhere. This is why you shouldn’t just focus on managing up to your boss or nonprofit, but through your industry, Donovan says: “It’s a much broader perspective you have to have nowadays.”
Abby Graf, vice president of programs at the Nonprofit Alliance, suggests thinking of managing up as the difference between waiting for your supervisors to give you what you need to succeed and proactively seeking it out. While working to advance your own goals, you’re also helping your boss and the larger team reach theirs, she explains.
Here are tips from experts to help you start or strengthen your approach to managing up, demonstrate leadership skills, and elevate your career.
Communicate the impact of your work.
First, make sure you understand the value or purpose of your job, Donovan says, and stay focused on that big picture when you meet individually with your boss. Don’t spend valuable one-on-one time talking about tasks; share the real results of your work — saving money, making money, or changing people’s lives, for example. Ask how you can expand that impact, she suggests, or offer an idea for how you could do so, such as through a new partnership. “Start talking bigger so you will get the bigger jobs. If you stay small, they’re never going to see you as more than what you do.”
Start talking bigger so you will get the bigger jobs. If you stay small, they’re never going to see you as more than what you do.
Don’t assume that your higher-ups know what you are achieving or wait for them to ask, says Merv Antonio, senior director of learning and convening at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, which runs a leadership training program for nonprofit professionals. Instead, document your successes and communicate them regularly.
If you don’t already have regular one-on-ones with your boss, consider asking for them, he says. Use those check-ins to seek constructive feedback, too, and make it easier for your manager to give you that by asking specific questions if you have them.
Get to know your leadership style.
Understanding who you are and how you show up as a leader is key to both managing yourself and managing those above you, Antonio says. You could start by taking a self-assessment, such as DiSC, StrengthsFinder, or the Leadership Challenge, he suggests. Any of these tools can help you gain greater awareness of your approach and potential impact as a leader, as well as your strengths and weaknesses. Once you understand that, you can find ways to apply your strengths more on the job and offset your weaknesses, by improving them or delegating certain things to others.
Be a leader now.
In its training program, the Center for Nonprofit Excellence emphasizes the idea that leadership is an action, Antonio says. “It’s more about the concrete behaviors and the choices that one makes on a regular basis instead of a formal position or title.”
Document your successes and communicate them regularly.
If you’re aspiring to get a higher-level title, consider what you could do regularly in your current position that would be an act of leadership, he suggests. To figure that out, first understand the biggest priorities of your nonprofit and your boss. Then, identify opportunities — both in work you’re already doing and gaps you could potentially fill — to help advance those goals.
Build leadership experience and skills.
No matter your role, look for opportunities to take on more responsibility and develop skills that are valuable for nonprofit leaders, Antonio says, such as budgeting or donor relations. One way to do that: Volunteer or join the board at a nonprofit with a similar mission in a capacity that’s different from your daily work, he suggests. If you’re a program director, for example, you could join a finance or fundraising committee.
Learn about — and respect — your manager’s communication preferences.
Good managers find out how their employees like to be communicated with, Donovan says, and you as a good employee should do the same. This includes understanding things like whether they want to be informed about all of your progress or just when there’s a fire, get a quick “hi” and “bye” from you every day, and know about changes you make to your schedule, such as leaving early for a doctor’s appointment.
Good managers find out how their employees like to be communicated with, and you as a good employee should do the same.
To figure out your boss’s style, ask them, Donovan suggests. You could say you want to make sure you’re meeting their expectations and making their life easier — how do they want you to do that? Then, make sure to follow through, she says. “If they tell you and you know you can’t do that for a long period, keep your job search going, because you just learned it’s not a good match.”
Get to know your boss’s boss.
This is the real secret to managing your career, Donovan says, but most people don’t do it. Figure out when they are at the coffee machine, get on a committee with them, or sign up for a volunteer opportunity that they are participating in, she suggests. “Get to know them because they’re the ones who will decide if you can replace your boss or become your boss’s equal. Your boss can’t do that.”
This isn’t being sneaky or going around your manager; it’s making sure the person with the ability to promote you sees you, she says. And if that person asks how you’re doing, don’t talk about the movie you just saw. Instead, tell them about the project you’re working on that’s coming in under budget and on time.
Build a community of nonprofit colleagues.
Make friends with as many people as you can — both internally and at other nonprofits, Donovan suggests. Think of it as a professional community, not just a network you’ll hit up when you look for your next job. This enables you to learn how your peers are managing their careers and can also lead to opportunities down the road, such as finding out about job openings that aren’t publicly advertised.
Pay attention. Acknowledge when people besides your boss do things.
If you work remotely, find ways to socialize with your colleagues online, such as group chats on Slack or Teams. “Pay attention,” Donovan says. “Acknowledge when people besides your boss do things.”
And if your nonprofit offers virtual cocktail hours or other social gatherings for staff — go. “Even if you don’t drink, show up,” Donovan says. “Be seen. Make the comment.”
Develop relationships with people in other departments, too, she adds, because promotions don’t always happen in a straight line.
Ask for what you need to meet your goals.
Understand what you want from your supervisor, such as their approval, their support, or a promotion, and then ask for what you need to reach that goal, Graf suggests. For example, if it helps you to know the deadlines for projects or to get feedback in a timely manner, clearly communicate that. You could think of this as giving your manager an “operation manual” on how you work to teach them how to help you succeed, she says.
Give your manager an ‘operation manual’ on how you work to teach them how to help you succeed.
Make your boss’s job easier.
Part of managing up is impressing your manager, Graf says, and you do that by pushing your work as far as you can and knowing when you can keep going on your own and when you need to get their approval.
It’s OK if you get stuck, Graf says, but don’t just take a problem to your boss and say you don’t know how to solve it. Bring some ideas or questions to give them a starting point, which makes it easier for them to do their job and to help you do yours. “It’s always kind of asking, ‘What else could I move forward?’” Graf says. “Ultimately, it’s demonstrating that you care and you’re thinking.”
‘Depersonalize the work.’
Try to separate your work — deliverables, goals, products — from your relationship with your supervisor, and focus on both at the same time. Think of the work as a third entity, Graf suggests, and recognize that you and your boss are human beings who are working toward the same goals.
Assume the best intent when working with your manager or receiving feedback, she adds. If you find yourself getting upset or taking something personally, pause; then ask for clarification so you can stay focused on the facts.
It’s always kind of asking, ‘What else could I move forward?’ Ultimately, it’s demonstrating that you care and you’re thinking.
Know when to move on.
If you’re dealing with a difficult manager, at some point you might find that you can’t succeed, Graf says. Focus on what you can control, which is yourself. Do the best you can, but don’t lose confidence or let yourself get worn down by a supervisor who isn’t helpful.
Don’t try to “fix” a bad boss, Donovan says. “If you really work for a jerk, go find another job.”
She adds that the only way to make sure you are truly getting paid fairly is to change employers about every five or six years, because small annual increases won’t keep up with the market rate. “Either you’re getting promoted with a good bump — not just a little bump, a good bump — or you’re moving out,” she says. “That’s managing your career. That’s managing up. You are the person you’re managing. You’re not managing your boss.”
