“I’m exceptional at managing my managers.”

Now this made me smile. I have to say it’s one of THE BEST things I’ve heard in a while (so refreshingly candid, practical and true) and it came from a young professional I consider to a ‘rising star.’  And yes, it’s a thing—'managing up’ is a critical skill.

Personally, I was very fortunate to have a strong female executive mentor at my first consulting job who helped me learn this critical skill that has continued to serve me to this very day (and one that I hoped I’ve passed on as well). Because no matter what your title is or where you are at along your career path, we all have to report to someone—whether it be a supervisor, manager, director, vice-president, CEO or board of directors.
I thought this is an important topic to share, because navigating the workplace can be challenging enough. I found this great HBR article (and link to a series) that talks about this critical skill and the different types of bosses you may encounter.

Bosses that are new, in a different location, insecure, indecisive, long-winded, all-knowing, hands off, not as smart as you, and boards—we’ve all had one or more of these at one time or another—its really just a good opportunity to learn and figure out how you can help.
https://hbr.org/2015/01/what-everyone-should-know-about-managing-up