An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management

by Will Larson

This leads to the other key aspect of managing up: knowing some things about your manager and their needs. Here are some good things to know: What are their current priorities? Particularly, what are their problems and key initiatives. When I get asked this question, I often can’t answer it directly, because what I’m focused on is people-related, but it’s a warning sign if your manager never answers it (either because because they don’t know, or they are always working on people issues). How stressed are they? How busy are they? Do they feel like they have time to grow in their role or are they grinding? Is there anything you can do to help? This is particularly valuable for managers who don’t have strong delegation instincts. What is their management’s priority for them? What are they trying to improve on themselves, and what are their goals? This is particularly valuable to know if they appear stuck,12 because you may be able to help unstick them. (You could be especially helpful by redefining impact in terms of work that your team can accomplish versus growing team size, which is a frequent source of stickiness!)