Skilled At Every Level

Most of us want productive and healthy work relationships. The ability to influence is an essential element for success, regardless of title or reporting structure. My role as a RevOps consultant has provided numerous opportunities to work vertically and horizontally across organizations. Core to my RevOps work is identifying when people, process and technology cause friction. As such, that friction provides ample opportunity to practice influencing skills. It’s in that spirit that I offer some perspective and advice.

What Managing Up Is Not

Before we get into the good stuff, let’s briefly define what leading as a consultant (or managing up) is not:

Control, especially for self-serving purposes or pushing an agenda.
Disingenuous manipulation.
Getting better at office politics.
Morphing into a sycophant.
Hiding the unpleasant but necessary truth..

Various “Official” Definitions

Influence, and cultivating influencing skills, has the subject of literally thousands of scholarly articles and business books. Here are a few definitions of “managing up” that I’ve found useful and intriguing.

In her Association of Talent Development article, Dana Brownlee defines managing up as a subordinate customizing their work style/behaviors to better suit their manager. They take steps to make their manager’s job easier, proactively striving to optimize success for all.
Author of “Managing Up: How to Move UP, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss” Mary Abbajay provides this perspective: managing up “is about learning how to work well with somebody who may work differently than you. When you manage up effectively, she says, your relationship with your boss works for you, for your boss, and for the organization.”
Lastly, the Harvard Business Review defined managing up as, “being the most effective employee you can be, creating value for your boss and your company.”

Done Well It Increases Your Value

Effective leaders surround themselves with smart people who don’t default to “yes.” They want teams that are supportively challenging. I think we can all agree that managing up and leading as a consultant is about cultivating productive working relationships so everyone can be successful.

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room -- our bosses, our clients, as well as ourselves -- are fallible. We’re human. We’re subject to bad moods, feelings of overwhelm, and overly busy schedules. We miss things. That’s the context of work. So when you manage up, it makes you more valuable because you see the big picture and add value in spite of and because of our humanness.

The Science Around Influence

As a consultant, I’ve found the interesting “work” happens when you’re more focused on others. It turns out there are layers to our ability to influence others.

In “When Execution Isn’t Enough,” Claudio Feser summarizes the research around influence, identifying nine approaches on the continuum of “hard” to “soft” tactics. Like with any tool or skill, you need to use the right approach at the right time. That’s when mastery shows up.

The nine influencing approaches are distinguished between three outcomes: commitment, compliance, or resistance. These outcomes center around the person (their attitudes and perspectives) you’re trying to influence.

Commitment - when the person already is enthusiastic, showing initiative and persistence to carry out your request.
Compliance - when the person is apathetic about your request. They make a minimal or average effort, and therefore are likely to give up in the face of resistance or setbacks.
Resistance - when the person is opposed to the requested action. Behaviors may be refusal, arguing, delaying, or actively seeking to have the request nullified.

Okay, that makes sense. Your influencing approach depends on how much your audience agrees or resists your request action. So how do you know which approach is best for any given situation? If you want to get into the scientific weeds, then I recommend checking out the Academy of Management study and Chapter 3 of Claudio Feser’s “When Execution Isn’t Enough.” Measurement of influence tactics are plotted in the graph below.

IRL Behaviors

Disclaimer: In general, the following advice assumes that your boss or client is competent, rational, and not toxic. Let’s leave the advice for when the person you’re working for (or with) is wretched for another post.

The following list uses “boss” and “client” interchangeably.

Pay attention to who your boss really is. Make note of their work style, personality, aspirations, and priorities.
Take note of what frustrates them and try to avoid doing that.
When alerting your client with an issue, you’re also proposing a solution (or two). Essentially, you’re trying to make their job easier, not harder. Being proactive -- in communicating problems and recommending answers -- demonstrates your value and skill.
Ask clarifying questions, especially at the beginning of projects. Take the extra time so you fully understand what their expectations are.
Look for opportunities that proactively remove tasks or projects off their plate. It could be as simple as not asking to meet via an email. Rather, get on their schedule (via their gatekeeper or meeting invite) accompanied by an agenda and meeting objective for clarity and brevity.
Be aware of communication preferences and discuss accommodations or compromises. For example, your boss prefers getting detailed information via a real-time meeting with written reports. Have a conversation about when that approach makes sense (time, effort). Propose other methods that are workable for both of you.
Leave surprises for gifts and birthday parties. No one enjoys getting broad-sided with bad news. “Share good news soon and bad news sooner.” Be proactive with updates so they are prepared. If you’ve made a mistake, own up to it and offer solutions to avoid future gaffes.
Learn how to brainstorm on ideas, including their upsides and risks, and translate that into work where you can drive the project. Again, you’re looking for ways to subtract, not add, to their plate.
Be positive and have patience. Life’s better when you are. Positivity attracts positivity. Be a leader and choose the high road.

Plan For Growth

Hiring the right RevOps consultant -- especially one who is skilled at leading and creating positive working relationships -- for your organization is an important decision. I have the ability to help you achieve your goals while making the process easier for you. Check out my RevOps approach and methodology and read how successful RevOps projects lead to revenue success. Alternative partners can help you fill the gap and plan for growth.

Managing Up & Leading as a Consultant