Managing Up: 7 Ways to Nail Remote Work During a Pandemic

At ClickTime, we’re in the fortunate position of keeping our summer internship program intact despite the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s the first time we’re running a fully virtual internship program, and it’ll be an experiment for all of us. Just as we’re learning to onboard, train, and manage/mentor our intern class at a distance, our interns will be learning how to work effectively in an all-virtual work environment. As they join our company today, we plan to teach them one skill that will define their success: Managing Up.

What is managing up? Quite simply, managing up means you’re making it easier for your manager to manage you. It’s assuming that part of your job is to make your manager’s job easier. That might be a hard pill to swallow: “Wait, I need to do my work, and I also need to do part of my manager’s job?” Yup. In doing so, you’ll gain favor with your manager, and signal that you’re destined to become a manager yourself because you ‘get it.’

The ability to manage up is a vital skill in any context; in a fully distributed environment, it’s more important than ever. When we’re all working at a distance, it’s impossible for managers to physically see the work you’re doing, to coach you on-the-spot, and to have spontaneous conversations that will help you learn by osmosis. In turn, managers need to be explicit about everything from goal-setting, expectations, how we communicate, and beyond - and managers are relying on you to be explicit about your progress, roadblocks, and needs.

Managing up is a skill that needs to be cultivated, not a natural talent that people are born with. To that end, we’re sharing a few simple tips and tricks that we share with new ClickTimers -- and that you can put into practice immediately. Adopt even half of the recommendations here, and your boss will thank you forever!

• Create agendas for your 1:1 meetings. 1:1 meetings between managers and direct reports are generally about you: What you are working on, what you’re planning to accomplish, and where you’re roadblocked/need your manager’s help. So when you come to a 1:1, be completely prepared when your manager asks you, “How can I help?”
• Circle back to things you’ve previously discussed. Your manager most likely has other people and projects to manage. They can’t keep everything top-of-mind. When you sit down together and need to address items you discussed at your previous meeting, refresh her memory of what you covered, what conclusions were drawn, and what the action items were.
• Ask Questions. If you don’t understand what’s going on, it’s likely that others don’t either - so ask about it! If you’re convinced your question is stupid, remember: It’s much better to ask a stupid question than to make a stupid mistake.
• UIHO. One of the top tips for efficiency at ClickTime is using the phrase, “Unless I hear otherwise,” or UIHO. By giving a UIHO statement - e.g. “UIHO, I’ll be cleaning the kitchen fridge at 5PM” - you’ll save your manager time by relieving them of any unnecessary decision-making, and you’ll ensure that your manager isn’t blocking you from completing any assignments. It’s a win-win communication strategy. Use it often!
• Acknowledgement + Task Completion. When your manager assigns you a task, they’re relying on you to drive it to completion. So own it! When you receive an email asking you to complete an assignment, reply immediately with a quick note like, “I’m on it.” If the assignment will take a while, proactively send your manager periodic status updates. When it’s complete, let your manager know. Taking these steps will save your manager time, energy, and the burden of following-up on projects that are yours to own.
• Ask forgiveness, not permission. Err on the side of action. If something seems like the obviously right thing to do, just do it. Occasionally, you might get yelled at for doing the wrong thing, but that’s better than being yelled at for being indecisive.
• “How Can I Help?” This is the most powerful question you can ask. Whether you’re in an interview or on the job, asking, “How can I help?” demonstrates your commitment to the team and organization above all. Everyone loves a team player. Ask this question, and you’ll have won everyone’s trust.