Managing up

Counteract rambling without getting fired.

Raise your profile without upsetting your manager.

Show them you’re on the same side.

In this 1970 classic HBR article, Harry Levinson shares practical insights into the mysteries of motivation and takes a fresh look at the use and abuse...

Own the mistake and offer a solution.

Five strategies to consider when every task, no matter how small, seems to invite scrutiny.

Having a passive manager doesn’t have to be a frustrating experience.

When to leave and when to stick it out.

What to do when you see an opportunity, but don’t know which levers to pull.

Take the lead.

Five steps to help you pick your battles, prepare for the conversation, and advocate for yourself.

Four ways to become your own best advocate.

Everybody knows turnover at the top means upheaval. But new research shows just how bad your chances of keeping your job are.

Do you hate your boss? Here's how to manage them.

Would you like a better boss? A boss who helps you obtain valuable information, win needed resources, and secure important support for your group and for you personally — in short, a boss who’s a real ally and partner? If your boss provides these benefits, you’re lucky. We hear far more complaints than praise from […]

The plan meeting is where a project becomes real; it is where people make the decision to go forward with an idea or not. Yet managers often overload...

Don’t stoop down to their level.

One of my early mentors used the word “approbation” frequently. I don’t hear it much these days, but he spoke often of having “approbation” for colleagues, particularly young people whom he “had time for,” whose views he valued enough to consider thoughtfully. The dictionary defines “approbation” as “an expression of warm approval” and emphasizes that […]

How can subordinates improve relations with their superiors? And how can superiors help their subordinates feel comfortable in what is often a tense relationship? These questions have usually been dealt with only indirectly in management circles. Yet the relationship is so threatening to many subordinates that they react in ways that are damaging to themselves […]

I am always reminding my clients of the importance of keeping their boss happy. I tell them to develop positive, supportive relationships with their bosses, keep them well informed, anticipate their needs, and focus on the good points. But this advice didn’t work for a recent client, whom I’ll call Claudia. A senior manager in […]