A Tactical Guide to Managing Up: 30 Tips from the Smartest People We Know
TL;DR: This First Round Review article compiles advice from experienced startup operators on managing relationships with bosses and stakeholders. The tips are organized into seven categories: understanding your manager's priorities, honing communication delivery, getting buy-in for your asks, handling feedback effectively, optimizing 1:1 meetings, sharing your impact, and building lasting rapport. Key themes include aligning on success definitions with your manager (Julie Zhuo's two-question framework), understanding your manager's preferred communication style and adapting your delivery accordingly, and building shared context before making big asks through 'breadcrumb trails' rather than surprising stakeholders with fully-formed proposals. The article emphasizes proactive over-communication, treating managing up as an ongoing investment rather than an event, and the importance of understanding competing priorities across your manager's responsibilities. Several tips focus on structured approaches like weekly 'State of Me' emails (Lenny Rachitsky's template), shared 1:1 agenda docs, and creating self-serve status updates for remote work environments.
Key Insights
- Align on two key questions with your manager: What is success for you personally, and what is success for your manager's team - revisit these regularly as company goals shift
- Adapt your communication style to how your manager processes information - some need solutions first, others need context first
- Drop ideas incrementally over multiple conversations rather than surprising stakeholders with fully-formed proposals
- Send regular structured updates (weekly 'State of Me' emails) to maintain visibility and reduce the need for synchronous catch-ups
- Create shared agenda documents for 1:1s with context and links populated ahead of time for more productive meetings
Actionable Takeaways
- In your next 1:1, ask your manager what success looks like for them and their team, then share your own definition of success
- Create a user guide document outlining your preferred communication style, working schedule, and work motivations to share with your manager
- Start sending a weekly status email with current priorities, things on your mind, and blockers you need help with
- Before presenting a big idea, mention it casually 2-3 times in different conversations to build familiarity before the formal pitch
- When proposing solutions, prepare 2-3 options with a table showing effort, pros/cons, and stakeholders needed
Principles Validated (6)
Create a personal user guide to accelerate team onboarding and trust
First Round team, Nels Gilbreth, Erica Galos Alioto (First Round Capital, Eventbrite, Opendoor)
Write documentation to scale your time - content scales but your time does not
Edwin Chau, Samet Gray (Brex, FairShake)
Prioritize asynchronous communication over real-time messaging to maintain focus
Edwin Chau, Justin Berka, Nicholas Moryl (Brex, Great Jones, Rupa Health)
Set expectations through consistent actions rather than explicit announcements
Evita Grant (TecHustle (CEO and Founder))