workplace skills
Managing Up and Managing Down
Managing up and managing down are two distinct parts of managing a group of people in your organisation - your manager(s) and the people you manage!
Managing your manager is a vital skill which is no one’s job description. Manager and managed is the most important working relationship and one which dictates much of our 9 - 5 existence. Learning how to manage your manager can improve your working life, give you greater job satisfaction and sharpen your personal effectiveness.
Being a manager involves planning, coordinating, organising, directing and implementing. Do the people reporting to you seem uncooperative, unwilling to following through, do not inform you of problems or have bad attitudes? Are the people you are supervising unresponsive to your leadership? During the session we will look at how to create and maintain a positive environment and one that will allow your staff to manage up to you.
Objectives
At the conclusion of the seminar/workshop participants should be able to
- Describe the four key elements in the business of managing your manager
- Identify where there might be gaps between your manager’s expectations and your understanding of your role in the organisation
- Understand how to use behavioural and communication styles to effectively navigate the manager/managed relationship
- Evaluate how effectively you currently work with managers and others in the hierarchy
- Demonstrate the awareness and knowledge of skills in managing yourself - up and down!
- Identify the parallel processes in the relationship
Managing Up
Participants will be introduced to a range of subjects drawing on:
- What they never taught you at Business School
- Understanding your manager’s types, style, challenges and time
- Managing up: communicating information and making effective decisions
- Managing perceptions
- You’re in the army now. Tips for strategic participation at meetings
- “Never outshine the Master” and other top tips
- Working for two managers, a disorganised manager or an unavailable manager
- Your manager’s managers
Managing Down
- Newly promoted? You‘re not in Kansas anymore. Tips for separating personal from professional
- Do I look like your mother/parent/guardian/god?
- Your most important job as a manager
- Communicating with and earning the respect of your team
- Building and maintain trust
- Influence what your team moan about (and how to make sure it isn’t you!)
- Managing older workers, plateaued performers, generation Xers
- How to provide challenges and rewards
