Managing Up Is Strategic Storytelling

Most of my toughest weeks as a leader didn’t come from poor execution—they came from failing to manage up.

It wasn’t about doing better work. It was about making the work visible, understandable, and assuring that things were under control.

Not every manager will have the time or space to dive deeper and understand the nuance behind your decisions.

The good news? It’s a growth opportunity. These moments push you to sharpen how you communicate, build trust through clarity, and grow your influence by connecting the dots consistently.

Managing up isn’t about politics. It’s not about playing games or performing for promotion. It’s about communicating with intent. It’s strategic storytelling: ensuring your impact is seen, your direction is clear, and your team’s work continues to move forward.

1. Communicate Regularly and Reliably

I’ve seen leaders clean up internal chaos in just two months—only to face skepticism in the management room.

Why?

Because they forgot to tell the story. They focused entirely on solving the problem and assumed results would speak for themselves.

But senior leaders don’t always have the luxury to wait for the full picture. And when they don’t hear progress, they often assume there isn’t any.

When you don’t communicate on time, decisions get made based on assumptions. Your brilliant progress might go unnoticed. Your great idea might be missed. The team’s success can stall—not because of performance, but because of perception.

Communicating progress isn’t extra work. It is the work.

Even if no one is asking, create visibility. It’s your responsibility.

A 1-on-1 update, a concise email, a short Slack post, or a one-slide summary—choose whatever fits the context.

Align early on how your manager wants to stay informed. Ask:

“What’s the best way for you to stay updated—weekly summaries, monthly highlights, or something in between?”

Make it easy for them to digest the update and see your impact—and even easier for them to share it when you’re not in the room.

2. Bring Just Enough Detail

When you share too little, your manager fills the gap with assumptions.

When you share too much, you risk overwhelming them—or losing their attention altogether.

The skill is in calibrating just enough.

Start with the outcome and your rationale. Let their curiosity pull you deeper if needed.

“We considered three options. We’re leaning toward Option B. This is fastest to implement, and lowest cost. Happy to go deeper if you’d like to unpack it.”

If you’re unsure of how much to share, just ask:

“Was this too high-level or too detailed? What would make it more useful for you next time?”

Remember: your goal isn’t to offload your entire thought process—it’s to build clarity and trust.

3. Don’t Try to Impress—Try to Inform

You live the details. Your manager doesn’t.

Your job is to elevate the signal from the noise.

They don’t need the full story—they need the headline, the why, the next steps. And they need your level of confidence to bring everything to green.

Don't aim to impress with technical depth. Don’t make drama out of the challenging problem you’ve managed. Aim to inform with clarity.

Instead of:

"It’s really complex and challenging. We’ve been firefighting 2 days. Let me walk you through everything.

Say:

"We hit a blocker that affects our timeline. Here’s what we’re doing about it. We have high confidence that this will bring things on track.

Your credibility goes up when you keep it simple and grounded.

4. Show Ownership and Accountability

Things won’t always go as planned. Your manager knows that. What they want to see is whether you’re in control, and confident in how to move forward.

If you hit a blocker, acknowledge it. That’s normal. But don’t stop there—show that you're thinking ahead. What are the options? What’s your next move?

Instead of giving excuses or blaming someone else

“We didn’t make progress because X didn’t deliver and Y failed.”

Show how you plan to solve the problem.

“We hit a blocker. Here’s what we’re doing to resolve it. We may need a decision from X to proceed.”

Own the resolution, even if you don’t own the problem. That’s what accountability looks like.

And if you don’t feel on top of the situation or you are out of options—say so. Earlier is better. Ask for help clearly and calmly:

“We’re hitting repeated blockers, and I don’t think we can fully resolve them internally. I’d appreciate any input or ideas you might have.

It’s not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of leadership maturity—naming the problem, proposing a path forward, or asking for help when necessary.

5. Keep Your Composure—Even When It’s Hard

This might be the most transformative habit you can build for long-term leadership success:

Don’t match emotion with emotion.

One of the most powerful lessons from a recent leadership program was this:

Ego meets ego = explosion. Ego meets calm = clarity.

Mature leadership means mature communication. Even when a conversation gets tense. Even when you're challenged unfairly. Your tone sets the tone. And your ability to stay calm when others aren’t is what builds trust over time.

Stakeholders, execs, and team members won’t always react positively. But that’s not your cue to mirror their energy. It’s your moment to steady it.

Hold this mindset close:

“I do the best I can. I don’t take it personally. I’m here to help.”

This is what separates reactive managers from grounded leaders. It’s not about suppressing emotion—it’s about choosing response over reaction.

If you struggle with this, start by reconnecting to why you’re in this role. You care about outcomes. You’re here to build. And not every challenge is yours to absorb.

Staying grounded doesn’t just improve the moment—it defines your presence as a leader.

6. When Your Ideas Don’t Land, Be Strategic

Sometimes you have a brilliant idea, but you can already feel the resistance in the room.

Don’t push. Pause. Reflect. Look for the gap.

The timing might be wrong. The context might be missing. The trust might not be there yet.

Don’t be pushy or let your ego get bruised when things don’t click immediately. Be strategic in how you build alignment. Strong ideas need strong delivery to land well.

Instead of:

"This is clearly the right path. I don’t understand why we are not doing it."

Say:

"I get that this might feel early. Would it help if we tested this idea on a small use case and learned from it together?"

Start small. Let people see the value first, not just hear about it. Be strategic in how you build alignment.

Managing Up Recap

No matter how capable or empathetic your manager is, they can only make decisions based on what they know—and what they know often comes from you.

If managing up feels awkward or unnatural, you’re not alone. It’s rarely taught. But it’s a skill that’s learnable.

Here are the essentials to keep in mind:

• Make your work visible. Don’t wait for the results to speak for themselves—it might be late.

• Adapt to their style. Communicate in a way your manager can absorb quickly and act on.

• Aim to inform, not impress. Keep it clear and to the point.

• Own the resolution. Even if you don’t own the problem, show how you’re moving forward.

• Ask for help early. It shows maturity, not weakness.

• Stay calm when it’s hard. Your tone sets the tone—especially under pressure.

• Be strategic when ideas don’t land. Timing, trust, and delivery matter just as much as the idea itself.

  Managing up isn't just a skill—it’s a leadership accelerator. The more intentional you become, the more your impact compounds.

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