Managing Up Quotes

“When we come from a place of judgment, we become stuck in our own worldview. When we come from a place of curiosity we expand our range of possibility.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Appreciate the opportunity, embrace the challenge Yes, you heard me. Embrace and appreciate. Why? Because you will learn and grow more from a difficult boss than you ever will from a great or easy boss. A difficult boss will challenge you in more ways than you can imagine.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Request, don't complain. Inside every complaint is a request. Find it and make it.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Take responsibility for recapping conversations, project announcements, priorities, assignments, etc. Put them in writing. Recapping helps to focus, clarify, and confirm. It also provides cover. Get in the habit of sending off a quick e‐mail to your Impulsive Boss after she shifts into some new territory. Something simple like, “Hey, boss, just to recap. As directed, we will research options for setting up a satellite office on Mars.” Yes, it requires a little extra effort on your part, but what is your alternative? Spending countless hours stewing, stopping, and restarting? Managing up takes effort. Just remember: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water molds itself to the pitcher.” —Chinese proverb”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“manage my out‐loud thinking tendencies by clarifying and confirming decisions and projects before moving forward. Their willingness to manage me up has helped me be a better leader!”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Ask questions. Because introverts tend to introvert their thinking and decision making, they don't always do a great job of expressing their process or explaining themselves. Not getting enough information is one of the biggest challenges of working for an Innie Boss. It's not that introverts don't want to share, it's that it doesn't occur to them that you may need this information. So if you don't have the information or background that you need, you must take responsibility to ask questions. And when you ask questions, make them open‐ended questions – things like “what, how, why, tell me about” That will prompt them to give you more information.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Assess Your Willingness to Man Up Managing up is about deploying adaptive strategies, so in order to work, you must be willing to adapt. Remember, we can't change others, we can only change how we approach and interact with others. If you want your boss to adapt to you, you must be willing to adapt to her as well. Are you ready, willing, and able? Ask yourself the following questions: Do I like/love my job itself? Do I like/love my organization? Do I need this job (financially)? Do I need this job (for experience/career development)?”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Where am I on the scale of happiness/stress? Where is my boss on the scale of difficulty? What are the politics/organizational culture of my company? Is my boss a unicorn or is his/her style pretty indicative of the overall management style? Am I willing to make changes to my behavior and/or attitude? Am I willing to try to understand my boss? Do I want to thrive, solidify, or survive? Am I a victim?”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Research shows that it takes up to 22 months to emotionally and psychologically recover from the trauma of a psycho, crazy, bully, tyrannical, screaming, egomaniac boss.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“If, however, you want to succeed in one of these industries, climb the corporate ladder, or accelerate your career, then chances are you are going to having to outwork, outperform, and outlast your peers in both the reality and perception of productively, results, and commitment.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Ethical ambiguity One particularly disturbing aspect of the Narcissist Boss is his fluidity and capriciousness around ethics and truth.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Micromanagers who dictate and control your every move prevent you from exercising independent thought, creative problem solving, and risk taking – all things that lead to growth.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Only you can decide if dealing with difficult behavior is worth it. Stay in a place of choice, because a place of choice is an empowered place. 11”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Once we label a whole person as difficult, we lose our ability to make strategic choices about the actual behavior that is a problem.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“You will learn strategies to navigate other difficult people in your life, including coworkers, neighbors, friends, relatives, and yes, even significant others. But the most important thing you will learn is what kind of leader you want to be when it is your turn. Nearly everyone interviewed for this book said their best leadership teacher was their worst boss. The experience may”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“When in conflict with an Advancer, be prepared with your facts and ideas. Focus on resolving the issue as opposed to “winning” the argument. It's a subtle but important difference.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“The Energizer Boss may love new ideas, but she doesn't want them to all be her own.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss

“Being authentic does not mean you have to follow your every impulse or express every thought. It's about being in full choice about your actions.”
― Mary Abbajay, Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss