When Managing Up Goes Wrong — And How to Get It Right

By Friday of a week like this, most managers have had a moment.

A meeting where priorities shifted.
An email from a senior leader that changed direction.
A decision that surprised the team.

And if you’re a manager, especially a new manager or someone early in your leadership journey, you feel the weight of that moment immediately.

Do I defend my team?
Do I push back?
Do I comply quickly?
Do I explain more?
Do I absorb the pressure?

Managing up isn’t theoretical. It shows up in moments like these.

And when it goes wrong, it creates tension in both directions.

The Two Common Managing-Up Mistakes

There are two patterns that quietly undermine managers who are learning to lead better.

Mistake #1: Avoidance.
The manager doesn’t clarify expectations upward. They assume. They interpret. They try to read between the lines. When confusion hits, they carry it alone instead of resolving it.

This creates stress below. The team feels instability but doesn’t know why.

Mistake #2: Blind Alignment.
The manager agrees to everything. They don’t clarify trade-offs. They say yes upward and then scramble downward. Deadlines stack. Energy drains. Standards blur.

This creates exhaustion below. The team feels pressure but doesn’t understand the broader context.

Neither approach builds trust.

Avoidance weakens clarity.
Blind compliance weakens credibility.

Strong leadership requires something harder.

The Right Way to Manage Up

Healthy managing up is neither defensive nor submissive. It is constructive.

It looks like this:

• Asking for clarity instead of assuming intent
• Confirming priority order when requests compete
• Surfacing risks early instead of absorbing them silently
• Framing pushback as alignment, not resistance

If your boss shifts direction, a mature managing-up response sounds like:

“I want to make sure we execute this well. If we prioritize this, which initiative should move to the background?”

That question does three things at once.

It shows ownership.
It shows strategic thinking.
It shows respect.

It protects your team without escalating conflict.

That’s leadership.

How This Impacts Your Direct Reports

Your team watches how you respond to pressure.

If you react emotionally to shifts from senior leadership, they absorb anxiety.

If you comply without context, they absorb confusion.

If you clarify, communicate, and align, they absorb stability.

Managers often underestimate how much confidence is built when their team sees them navigate upward conversations calmly and clearly.

Learning to manage better means recognizing that your emotional posture sets tone. Your questions shape clarity. Your transparency builds trust.

The goal isn’t to shield your team from every change.

The goal is to make change feel navigable.

The Leadership Maturity Test

Here’s a simple self-check for managers early in their career:

When pressure comes from above, do you:

A) Internalize it?
B) Deflect it?
C) Translate it?

Only one of those builds leadership maturity.

Translating pressure into clarity is one of the most important skills a manager develops over time.

It doesn’t happen naturally. It happens through reflection, feedback, and practice.

That’s why coaching matters.

Inside Boundless, managers work through real upward challenges. They pressure-test language. They refine how they clarify expectations. They learn to influence without escalating conflict or undermining trust.

Managing up isn’t about status.

It’s about stability.

And when you get it right, your team feels confident—not confused—when change happens.

That’s leadership.