Often employees fall into the trap of feeling disempowered and having to work very long hours in order to get the job done. But by learning how to “manage upwards” or “manage your manager”, you can control your workload, improve your productivity, achieve your professional goals and have a better work-life balance. Here are some practical advice on how you can take control of your relationship with your manager to achieve success.

1. Understanding your manager’s needs and style
The first step in managing your relationship with your boss is to gain a better understanding of how you can meet your manager’s needs. Know your manager’s style and be aware of their current priorities so you are better able to align them with your own. A good way to learn these things about your manager is to watch the way they interact with others. How do they like to be kept informed and what are their preferred methods of communication?

2. Develop and adapt your own communication style
Once you understand your manager’s work style, learn to put yourself in their place and try to figure out how he or she perceives you and your own communication style. Try to position your communication with your boss positively and consider how you can adapt your own style.

3. Influence your workload
If you are swamped with work, schedule a meeting to discuss priorities and options for what you can and cannot handle. If you cannot take something on, you need to be able to say why. Be proactive by asking your manager to suggest who you may ask for assistance, or suggesting the use of a contractor. Be prepared to be able to tell your boss exactly what your workload includes and have your to-do list available for inspection.

4. Manage your manager’s expectations
DBM’s recent research shows people have up to eight or more jobs throughout their working lives. Many managers have not “risen through the ranks” as they would have done a generation or two ago. This means they may be less familiar with the processes of your day-to-day job. So the responsibility lies with you to manage their expectations and ensure they have a realistic idea of performance expectations such as how long things may take.

While you may have the urge to impress your boss by doing work from home or staying back late into the night to get things done, this may also have negative outcomes. By secretly doing work from home, you may make a good impression in the short term, but you are also raising your manager’s expectations with what you and your teammates can realistically achieve within normal work hours.

5. Provide your manager with solutions
One of the most important skills to learn when managing upwards is to approach your manager with solutions rather than problems. By requesting their approval on a solution, you are involving them in the decision and making their job easier, and you are showing them you are proactive. This has the double benefit of impressing your manager and giving you a fantastic opportunity to hone your problem solving skills. By making a few changes to the way you work with your manager, there are huge gains in helping to achieve productivity and meeting the company's or department's objectives. Just remember to keep the lines of communication open, ask for feedback and never cross the line to being manipulative. You will be more likely to be considered for that promotion if your manager sees your initiative, problem solving, and decision-making skills.