Managing Up

Take ownership of your performance and grow in your career by managing your manager

Pendleton Jones

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Agenda

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About Me

10+ years in engineering: IC, Tech Lead, and People Manager
Hired engineers, led promotions, delivered feedback
Built and scaled engineering teams at fast-growing companies
Been on both sides of the table - navigating unclear expectations and stalled growth

My goal: Help you demystify the manager-employee relationship and take ownership of your career.

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Quick Questions

Who has heard of the term "managing up"?

Who has ever had a challenging relationship with their manager?

Who thinks managers don't do anything useful?

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What is Managing Up?

Proactively communicating with your manager
Taking ownership of your career growth
Building a productive working relationship
Helping your manager help you succeed

🤝

It's a partnership,
not a hierarchy

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Henry the HOPR

The newest engineering addition to HOPR mobility

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HOPR All Hands

The whole team comes together

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Doubling Down

When an employee commits to the mission

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Build a Relationship with Your Manager

The foundation of managing up is a strong working relationship

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Work With Me Documents

A personal README that helps others understand how you work best.

What to include:

Communication preferences
Working hours & availability
How you prefer feedback
What motivates you
Pet peeves & quirks

Why it matters:

Builds trust faster
Reduces miscommunication
Shows self-awareness
Helps new teammates

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Running Effective 1:1s

Set the agenda - Don't wait for your manager
Take notes - Follow up and track progress
Avoid status updates - Use async for that
Bring topics that matter - Career, blockers, feedback
Be consistent - Protect this time

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Giving & Receiving Feedback

Receiving Feedback:

Listen first - Don't get defensive
Ask clarifying questions - Seek examples
Thank them - It takes courage to give feedback
Follow up - Show you took action

Giving Feedback Up:

Ask permission first
Be specific and timely
Focus on behavior, not personality
Offer solutions, not just problems

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Performance Review Season

Henry receives feedback that he's 'meeting expectations' but not standing out

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A Peer Gets Promoted

Henry watches as a colleague who started the same time gets promoted ahead of him

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Henry's big realization

He needs to change his approach to managing his career

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Performance Management

Take ownership of your growth, promotions, and compensation

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How Promotions Actually Work

Two Questions Managers Ask:

Are you doing well in your current role?
Are you doing work at the next level?
Have you shown sustained ability to perform at that level?

Early Promotion Risk

If you're promoted before you're ready, you'll struggle to meet expectations at the new level.

This can lead to a PIP or being managed out - the opposite of career growth.

Patience + consistent performance = sustainable growth

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The Hard Truth About Promotions

You're not entitled to a promotion
Your manager's job is the team, not your career
An early promotion can actually be a problem
Missing a cycle once or twice isn't a big deal

The people who advance fastest learn how to work with their manager, not around them.

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Compensation Conversations

✅ Do:

You are not lucky to have this job
Compensation is for work, not a gift
Ask for what you want - don't be shy
Bring data on your contributions
Best time to negotiate is before accepting

❌ Don't:

Ask without explaining your value
Compare yourself to others directly
Make ultimatums you won't follow through on
Ask for more than market rate

"Don't ask for more money - ask what you need to do to earn more money."

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Individual Development Plans

Define where you want to go and how to get there.

Goal-Oriented

"I want to be a Staff Engineer in 2 years"

Clear target
Measurable progress
Specific skills to develop

Directional

"I want to grow my technical leadership"

More flexible
Exploratory growth
Adapts as you learn

Either approach works - the key is having a conversation about growth.

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Witnessing Managing Up

Henry observes a colleague effectively managing up

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The Rocket in the Basement

Henry discovers an ambitious side project

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Rocket-Boosted Pogo Sticks

Henry pitches his innovative idea to leadership

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The Apogee

Henry's efforts pay off as he achieves his career goal

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Negotiate Success

Tools and techniques for aligning expectations and achieving your goals

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SPADE Decision Documents

A structured framework for making and documenting important decisions:

S

Situation

What's happening now? Context, constraints, why this matters.

P

Problem

What decision must be made? Who's impacted? Cost of inaction?

A

Alternatives

2-5 real options with pros, cons, risks, and tradeoffs.

D

Decision

What we're choosing and why. Clear rationale tied to constraints.

E

Execution

Implementation plan, owners, timeline, and communication.

💡 Pro tip: Use SPADE docs to propose changes to your manager. It shows strategic thinking and makes decisions easy to approve.

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The Manager's Perspective

What managers are actually thinking about:

Can I work with you?

Are you reliable?
Do you communicate well?
Can you handle feedback?
Are you a team player?

Do you get it?

Do you understand the bigger picture?
Can you connect your work to goals?
Do I need to micromanage you?
Do you own your failures?

💰 A senior engineer costs $300K+/year

Managers want to ensure that investment pays off.

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Common Mistakes

Hiding mistakes - Surfacing them builds trust
Over-promising - Say what you'll do, do what you say
Not escalating - Problems don't age well
The vent session - 1:1s are not therapy
String of managers - Find a sponsor if unstable

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A New Beginning

Sometimes the best way to manage up is to find a manager worth managing up to

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Writing Your Self Review

Tips for Success:

Keep it relevant - focus on the review period
Extract themes - don't just list tasks
Be honest about areas for growth
Connect work to team/company goals

STAR Framework:

SituationSet the context

TaskYour responsibility

ActionWhat you did

ResultImpact & outcomes

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New Beginnings

Navigate role transitions with intention and impact

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Leaving a Role

Focus on the Clean Handoff

Don't try to finish everything — focus on setting up your successor for success

Document What You're Doing

Current projects and their status
Key contacts and relationships
Tribal knowledge only you have
Ongoing processes and schedules

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Joining a New Role

The Manager's Screen

What Managers Are Evaluating

Can I work with you?
Do you understand how your work ties into company goals?
Will you be slow? Will I need to look over your shoulder?

Key Traits They Look For

Teamwork - Collaboration over heroics
Ownership - Especially over failures

SWOT Analysis

Know yourself before interviews:

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

STAR Framework

Structure your answers:

Situation → Task → Action → Result

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Keep a Brag Doc

Don't wait until review time to remember your wins.

Keep a running document of your accomplishments throughout the year.

Track wins continuously - not just at review time
Include metrics and impact - quantify whenever possible
Note feedback you received - positive and constructive
Document challenges overcome - shows resilience
Save emails and messages praising your work

Your future self will thank you when it's self-review time.

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Key Takeaways

What will your manager do about all this? Maybe nothing. But you'll still be better for it.

Create a "Work with me" doc
Own your 1:1 agenda
Keep a brag doc
Ask for feedback proactively

Have an IDP
Understand your manager's perspective
Communicate your career goals
Run clean escalations using SPADE

Thank you! Questions?

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Let's Connect

View This Presentation

manage-up.pendletonjones.com

Connect on LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/pendletonjones

Resources Doc

Managing Up Resources

me@pendletonjones.com

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