The Magic of Managing Up, Down & Sideways

Management by definition is to handle or direct. Perhaps when you think about management you envision a people leader, someone who makes decisions or the person you report to at work. However, management isn’t just reserved for the individual leading a team or organization because management is also the act of achieving one’s purpose. Regardless of your position in an organization, you have the opportunity to manage your relationships with peers, superiors or direct reports in a way that helps you achieve your purpose. This is the magic of managing up, down and sideways. 

Managing Up is the art of making your leader's job easier. HBR has many different articles on managing up, but one article summarizes managing up as being the most effective employee you can be, thus creating value for your boss and company. The overall goal of managing up is to develop a pattern of interactions with your boss that delivers results for the organization and yourself. Managing up is about learning how to adapt to the way your boss prefers doing things in order to deliver results in a way that works for them, and also helps you further your career. In a corporate setting, managing up may mean managing up to your direct boss. As an individual contributor or small business owner, managing up may mean working with a project leader or pitching your business to a prospective client. 

Managing Across to peers and/or partners is also important to help you execute in your role. Peers and partners may not work for you, but they work with you and help you to accomplish goals. By developing good working relationships, you can better understand partners and peers' pain points, challenges and how to make them successful, and in turn you are successful. Managing across could mean working cross functionally or with a partner organization. 

Managing Down is all about how you manage your people. It is about developing trust, respect, and understanding to help set up your team to succeed. It is also about establishing clear expectations with one another so that they are in a position to manage up. Managing down may mean working with your employees or any individual that works with you to accomplish your goals.

Achieving your goals is easier done when you are managing in all directions. 

Action into Insight: 

Practice managing up - Try adding a goals and expectations section to your agenda for meetings with your boss. Understand what your boss needs and regularly seek clarification on their objectives, concerns and priorities. 

Practice managing sideways - Schedule regular meetings with your partners and peers so you can get a better understanding of how you can work with them, or help them achieve their goals. 

Practice managing down - Set regular meetings with your team to check in to better understand how you can support them in accomplishing their goals.