Managing Up – Supporting Your Leader’s Development

When we think about leadership development, we usually think about it as a top-down approach – senior leaders mentoring less-experienced ones, professional development on managing teams and individuals, temporary assignments leading organizational initiatives. Rarely do we consider the valuable role that an employee or team can play in developing a leader’s skills and behaviors. Yet, when offered sincerely, constructive feedback from the trenches can make a huge difference for the leader and the team. The keys to effective delivery of that feedback are in building trust and mapping your approach to your leader’s style.

At Lumina Learning we look at four leadership domains – Leading through People, Leading with Vision, Leading with Drive and Leading to Deliver.  Effective leaders are able to adjust their style within the four domains to adapt to a particular situation, yet each leader has a natural preference for one or two of the domains over the others. Recognizing where your leader’s preferences are will help you communicate more effectively with him or her, and identify areas where you may help with their development. Here are some tips.

A leader who favors Leading through People promotes a collaborative work environment based on trust and shared values, where each person has an opportunity to share their views. They’re great listeners, engage with individuals on a personal level, and tend to avoid conflict. Although leaders with this style preference welcome constructive feedback, it’s essential that you deliver it in a low key way (no “hard sell” or combative approach), tie it to their values, and articulate how it will help the team as a whole.  

A leader who favors Leading with Vision tends to focus on strategy, innovation and inspiring the team. They are energetic and lively, and may be very animated in conversations. Build rapport with them by keeping things positive and sharing stories that illustrate or support the point you are trying to convey. Ask questions to keep them on topic, and let them know that you appreciate them.

Leaders who favor Leading with Drive communicate clearly, provide the logic behind their decisions, and motivate others to constantly improve on past achievements. They are not afraid of conflict (so be prepared to defend your points) and appreciate it when you mirror their direct and to-the-point communication style. Be confident in your approach, but don’t affront their ego.

Leaders who favor Leading to Deliver are meticulous planners and enforce structures to ensure consistent delivery, keeping their composure even when the pressure is on. They need written evidence, data and numbers, and time to think. You can recognize them by their practical approach and formal manner of speaking. To effectively provide feedback to your leader with this preference, be sure you have facts and data to support your ideas and suggestions, and deliver them in an organized way.

No matter what your leader’s style, as you learn to manage up two things are critical: 1) build and maintain trust with your leader; 2) do it for the right reasons, i.e., to help your leader and support the team vs. advancing your own interests.

If you’d like to learn more about Lumina Learning and Lumina Leader, please contact me at info-us@luminalearning.com or 888.827.8855.