Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You

by Rosanne Badowski, Roger Gittines

Everyone has a boss. And anyone who has aspired to move up the corporate ladder knows that their relationship with those they report to is crucial. In Managing Up Rosanne Badowski offers a straightforward, entertaining, no-holds-barred account of what it takes to make your relationship with your boss work to your advantage, no matter where you stand in the corporate hierarchy.

Told through rich, colorful anecdotes about her years spent working with one of the smartest, most demanding and dynamic business leaders of the twentieth century, legendary GE CEO Jack Welch, Badowski reveals the secrets to career success she has gleaned over the years. At heart, it’s about working with the person above you to create a productive and effective partnership.

Everyone is a manager, in one way or another, Badowski points out. She discusses first-hand what it’s like to have to be a mind reader, to anticipate the future, to plan for the unexpected, and to perform the impossible. With refreshing candor and a hint of attitude, Badowski’s advice is unlike any other. She advises us that “Impatience is a virtue,” to “Have no shame,” and to “Beware the too-quiet office.” Having worked in one of the most challenging, high-profile corporate environments anywhere, no one knows more about prioritizing, about making decisions on behalf of your boss, about sifting through a daily barrage of data and information, about multitasking at warp speed, and exhibiting grace under fire. Ultimately, Badowski says, excelling at what you do is about a shared passion for the job.

Managing Up is an invaluable guide for managing your career and juggling responsibilities with finesse and confidence. It should become a management bible for anyone hoping to get ahead in their profession.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Nonfiction, Management, Professional Development, Self Help, Buisness

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Leslie Graff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the book I was expecting as a mid-level employee searching for tips on working with both superiors and colleagues. This book was written by an executive assistant and it reads as such. This might be a good read for someone going in as a personal assistant to a high functioning leader, but it's so full of out of date discussion of things like the importance of the highlighter - seriously, the importance of highlighters - that I didn't find much of interest. Well, I suppose I did find the perspective interesting. The author is a total devotee to "Mr. Welch" that it gave me a glimpse into the mindset of that old school executive assistant trained in secretarial programs at "business schools" where ladies got coffee, managed schedules, and handled all sorts of personal matters for the big man in charge. Essentially her job is to help him clear through the clutter and everyone but him is the clutter. I know there are places that still operate in this manner and there are people who still will devote themselves to a leader or company at all costs, but I don't know how much today's worker should accept the advice to essentially give up one's life for the job considering the job certainly won't give up anything for you.

I would simply caution anyone looking for something meatier that this is not the book for you.

[Elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great fundamentals to managing up

I read this book at the perfect point in my career. Not only did I just receive a new manager to report to, but I am now managing a new team member. Throughout reading this book, I have applied several tips and strategies to help make my boss’s life easier. In addition, I’m teaching those I manage to manage up to me in similar ways. While some aspects of this book are dated, there are great things we can still learn, no matter where you’re at in your career.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not only funny but also offers some great insight to how to work with people who are different from you. It provides great insight on how to work effectively as a team, keep calm and give appreciation while being appreciated. Great read!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much more of a memoir about the GE CEO than a business book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring read and memoir on how to serve those above you.

[Chloe H · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. sort of unhelpful bc im not organizing a grown man's desk and briefcase for him. but some takeaways were nice. dated for sure, had to read this for work. 2.5/5

[Cj Rey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve used this book to help train at least three different teams on how to be a star in a corporate environment.

This book is showing it’s age. Not sure how relatable the stories are to our newest members of the corporate workforce.

But the principles are still sound. A few of my faves:

Make life easier for the person above you.

Better buried than bored.

We are all managers...we are all support staff as well.

The essence of management—regardless of your title—is making thing happen.

Did the work I performed today help achieve a goal?

Don’t be afraid to disagree—but be prepared to offer solutions.

Admit your mistakes. But learn from them.

Developing confidence in your skills is paramount in business and in life.

The job you’re in should offer room to grow—or it’s time to move on.

Impatience is a virtue.

Business is a game—keep score, try to win, play fair, and have fun.

Energy begets energy.

Individuals solve problems—not senior management.

If you feel time drags at the office, you need a new job.

If at the end of the day you haven’t laughed, you’ve wasted the day.

Go ahead, take a swing. It’s better to be faulted for being too bold than too timid.

Treating all employees equally is unfair to your star performers.

What are we doing right? What are we doing wrong? What can we do better?

If work isn’t fun, there’s something wrong. Well-paid drudgery is still drudgery.

[Heathercheryl Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a tremendous help to me even a few years after I became an personal assistant to an executive. I enjoyed her engaging style and found the book to be an excellent crash course in managing the relationship. It was like having a girlfriend in the "same boat!" Personal assistant to Jack Welch for many years, she gave good insight into the personality of a dynamic executive and how to work with one. "Everyone is a manager no matter where you stand in the corporate heirarchy."

[Goose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Witty and full of insights about a major corporation, I found parts of this book helpful as an EA. I would have liked fewer stories about Jack Welch himself, and more about Rosanne Badowski and creative ways she managed him as a busy executive. Beneficial read, but I would have appreciated more concrete management tactics.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good ideas and insights in here. Lots of stories about Jack Welch. A look into the business world of the 90's and so a look into how the old boys club worked. The selection of Jeff Immelt was done through years of golf games with the top candidates playing with the board of directors, cool cool. IDK, it has some good things in it but again sort of book is best served in a blog post or even just a not card or a twitter thread.

[Timothy Koller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a straight-forward book about functioning inside an organization. Principles of trust, communication, and follow-through are taught. There are practical tips; nothing completely novel, but it is refreshing to hear from someone who was in the support role explain effective management practices.

[Roger Custer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ms. Badowski explains the hectic pace of a corporate CEO executive assistant which is not the experience of most people who manage up in small or medium organizations. Her stories were interesting but I didn't find the advice helpful and it was hard to connect with her experience.

[Tryon Hilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never could have done her job. It’s a great collection of stories, and sound business advice- but it doesn’t seem like there was much life outside of the relentless service to the big guy. Worth reading! Impressive. Not the life I want.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wouldn't recommend it unless you are an avid admirer of Jack Welch. In all other cases, there are ingenious and funny and more inspiring books out there. Sorry Ro!

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less of a helpful manual and more of a series of vignettes, which was interesting but not what I was looking for, ultimately.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful advice for managing difficult situations — when you have reason to stay rather than jump ship.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good book for young professionals although a bit outdated.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some good nuggets of information, but 20+ years after its publication, the material is definitely dated.

[Nico · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this stupid book for my stupid job and I hated it so much but will I log it anyway? Yeah.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I was hoping to get good tips and tricks for helping manage the relationship with my boss and future bosses, but all I got was tips on how to be a good administrative assistant, which I am not.

[Sara Carrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was working as EA of a CEO. Useful and practical perspective to improve my work. I felt identified with a lot of situations. Thank you.
PS. After this book I bought Jack Welch's book.

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of the writing, but she makes good points. Reading the takeaways from each chapter may be enough.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Managing Up by Rosanne Badowski

Mostly a common sense book on management. And as non-fiction, since it didn't put me to sleep - a good tool for new managers, secretaries, staff, and students.
Rosanne divided the book into chapters like Prepardness, Humor, and Common sense. Each chapter tells a short story or event to support the theme and each chapter ends with relevant bullet points.
I'm very impressed by this Executive Assistant. My guess is that she cold run her own Fortune 100 company with ease.

Below are some of the salient points I got from the text that resinated with me:
At times we are all managers, and we all support staff; managers have to roll up their sleeves and get in the trenches.

It's not good enough to be aware of what's happening around you; you have to know why it's happening.

If you're not helping, your hindering.

Good managers can spot phonies a mile a way. Being a phony is a sue path to failure.

Start building your reputation from day one.

Make the agenda of the person you work for your own.

Get experience anyway you can.

Beware the too-quiet office. It may be a sign that energy and enthusiasm have bottomed out.

Don't take yourself too seriously.

Treat your mistakes as opportunities for growth.

Share what you know.

What have you done lately?

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

My final foray, at least for the time being, into professional development was Badowski’s Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship with Those Above You, and if I’m completely honest it’s the only one I should have read.

I enjoyed the “theory” and the “professional opinions” in the Harvard Business Review compilations I read, Managing Up (The 20-Minute Manager Series) and HBR Guide to Managing Up and Across , but neither of them had the wit, the humor or the charm of this book. Seriously, there is something to be said about reading a book that could be an incredibly boring (or pedantic) subject that makes you laugh out loud or giggle to yourself on public transportation. They all provide great advice, but this book offered the advice through the art of storytelling and not the other way around.

Click here to continue reading on my blog The Oddness of Moving Things.

[Ainsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended to me by a leader I respect as I am about to start a new, bigger job, Managing Up is a fairly quick read that has some good points. Rosanne strongly believes in hierarchy, which reads as both old school as well as practical and realistic--both ensuring a good relationship with your manager and checking your ego at the door. She emphasizes the importance of making your boss' agenda your agenda, making his/her life as easy as possible, and making him/her look as good as you can.

Ro makes a compelling case that, wherever one is in the org chart, everyone's a manager and everyone's support staff. Still, I found some of her guidance more geared toward assistants than other professional roles.

Jack Welch found an immensely capable, positive, loyal perfectionist workaholic in Ro to help him run his company--and his life. I came away wanting a Rosanne of my own!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear concise advice book on how to get things done when you work for a guy that "gets things done" on a global level. Badowski offer candid stories of how she learned on the job, made mistakes, read her bosses mind, and accomplished daily tasks in a way that fit his routine and made his achievements her own. She does not back down from digging in the trash to know what items he decided against and she would go out of her way to make sure the people who worked under her boss were prepared for his calls and meetings. One great takeaway: "Make the agenda of the person you are working for your own."

[Belal Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that clearly outlines the idea of leading and managing those above you in a company. This is a must read for all young professionals.

Regardless of where you are on the corporate ladder, leading and managing folks is about building relationships, which as this book outlines by having; chemistry, trust, confidence, impatience (yes, im-patience), energy, resilience, a sense of humor, common sense, preparedness, adaptability and behavioral flexibility, fairness, clear communication, teamwork, passion and purpose with those around you.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written by Jack Welch's executive assistant, this book has a great deal of interesting GE/Jack Welch anecdotes; but the business message wasn't anything new or truly entertaining. Additionally, many of the "managing up" tips were more tailored to administrative assistants than mid-level managers themselves. Overall I was not impressed with the book, but was impressed with the author and her ability to work for Welch so smoothly.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is wonderful for those of us who are just starting out in the business world or often wonder if our "bosses" are making the right decisions. Things I took away from this book: trust and openness is more important than anything. Teamwork is vital for the success of a company. It also delves into Six Sigma which I really would like to know more about in the future.

I loved the anecdotes and short stories included and the advice given to help others succeed.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brisk overview on the author's tenure as Jack Welch's personal assistant. A fun read, at times inspiring and good anecdotal approach to learning (and fostering learning). While Welch sounds like a challenging man to work with from the book, he also sounds like an easy many to admire in the work...

If you are a fan of the Manager Tools podcast, this will be familiar, but useful in the retelling, territory.