Manage Up — Engineering Leadership, Part 7

Shawn West

10 minutes ago

3 min read

Your manager has a manager too. They're busy. The leaders who do well make their managers' lives easier.

Step 1: What Your Manager Needs (10 min)

Most managers want to know:

Is the team on track?
Are there risks I should know?
What do you need from me?
Anything I should not be surprised by?

If they have to dig for these, you're costing them time.

Step 2: Status Updates (10 min)

Weekly written update (Path 40 Tutorial 8):

## Done this week
- Shipped X
- Hired Y
- Resolved Z incident

## Doing next
- Ship A by Aug 15
- Interview B candidates

## Risks
- C team going on vacation; D might slip
- Cost spike noticed; investigating

## Need help
- Could you connect me with E?

Concise. Predictable. They scan in 30 seconds.

Step 3: No Surprises (15 min)

If anything is going to land in your manager's inbox from someone else, they should hear it from you first:

A customer complaint about your team
A miss on a commitment
A team member leaving
A security incident
A major decision

The bad-news rule: tell early; tell quickly; bring the response plan.

Surprises = loss of trust.

Step 4: Bring Solutions, Not Just Problems (10 min)

✗ "There's a problem with X. What should we do?"
✓ "There's a problem with X. I see three options: A, B, C. I'm
   leaning toward B because Y. Any concerns?"

Save your manager's energy. They can react to your proposal; they don't have to figure it out from scratch.

For genuinely novel situations: it's OK to bring just the problem. Most of the time, you have a take.

Step 5: Understand Their Goals (10 min)

What does your manager care about this quarter?

Headcount approval?
A specific outcome from leadership?
A reorg they're navigating?
A budget number?

Help them with their goals. Their wins become your wins.

In a 1:1, ask:

"What's the most important thing for you this quarter? How can my
team help?"

Step 6: Calibrate Frequency (5 min)

Some managers want daily check-ins. Some monthly.

Ask:

"How much detail do you want from me, and how often?"

Match their style. Don't over- or under-communicate.

Step 7: Ask for What You Need (15 min)

Managers can't read minds. Specific asks:

"I need approval to hire another engineer"
"I need an intro to the security team"
"I'd like a stretch project; can we discuss in 1:1?"
"I'd like a promotion; here's why"

Direct. Specific. They'll respect it more than vagueness.

If they say no: ask why; explore alternatives.

Step 8: Build the Relationship (10 min)

Beyond status:

Coffee / lunch occasionally
Casual conversation about life
Acknowledging their wins
Authentic interest in their work

People help people they like. Don't be transactional only.

Step 9: Constructive Pushback (10 min)

When you disagree:

"I hear what you're saying. My concern is X. Have we considered Y?"

Not:

Silent agreement, then complain to your team
Public escalation in a meeting
Slow-walking the decision

Direct, in private, respectfully. Most managers respect this.

After deciding: commit, even if you disagreed.

Step 10: Know When to Look Up (5 min)

Sometimes managers are wrong, distracted, or bad. Signs:

Your concerns get ignored
They take credit for your work
They throw you under the bus
They're consistently unavailable

In those cases:

Talk to skip-level (their manager) carefully
Document
Consider whether to stay

Most managers are imperfect humans. Some are unworkable. Calibrate.

What You Just Did

Managing up: what they need, status updates, no surprises, solutions not problems, their goals, calibrate, ask for needs, relationship, pushback, know when to escalate. The skill that gets overlooked.

Common Failure Modes

Wait to be asked. Manager has to chase you; trust erodes.

Surprises. Big news arrives via Slack or someone else.

Bring problems without options. They feel mind-read; you feel ignored.

Never ask for what you need. Don't get promoted; don't get headcount.

Silent disagreement. Sandbag the decision; lose trust.