Factor V: Organizational Positioning Skills Cluster M: Managing Up V – M
Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down.
Respect for one‘s superiors; care for one‘s crew.
Grace Murray Hopper – U.S. military leader, mathematician, educatorUnskilled
Lacks self-confidence in front of more senior people
May appear nervous and tense, not at his/her best
May lose composure or get rattled when questioned by executives
Doesn’t know how to influence or impress more senior managers
May not understand what top executives are looking for
Says and does things that don’t fit the situation
Select one to three of the competencies listed below to use as a substitute for this competency if you decide not to work on it directly.
SUBSTITUTES: 3,4,5,9,12,27,33,34,37,38,48,49,57
Skilled
Can deal comfortably with more senior managers
Can present to more senior managers without undue tension and nervousness
Understands how senior managers think and work
Can determine the best way to get things done with them by talking their language and
responding to their needs
Can craft approaches likely to be seen as appropriate and positive
Overused Skill
May manage up too much
May be seen as too political and ambitious
May spend too much time with more senior managers, parrot their positions, overestimate the
meaning and usefulness of the relationships
Career may be too dependent on champions
May be too free with confidential information
Select one to three of the competencies listed below to work on to compensate for an overuse of this skill. COMPENSATORS: 5,9,12,17,22,24,29,30,45,51,53,57
Some Causes
Lack of self-confidence in front of more powerful people
Fear of making a mistake; slipping up and doing something dumb
Perfectionism; the fear of not being perfect in the eyes of senior management
Lack of proper preparation due to lack of knowledge or skills or a work style deficit
Tendency to become more emotional under pressure and stress
Leadership Architect® Factors and Clusters
This competency is in the Organizational Positioning Skills Factor (V). This competency is in the Managing Up Cluster (M) with: 6. You may want to check other competencies in the same Factor/Cluster for related tips.
Performing in front of one or a number of higher level managers is usually tough; they are all highly skilled in something to get there; don’t have much time; ask tough questions and expect answers; sometimes don’t care how they make you feel. Many in your situation don’t get through unscathed. Many higher level managers will test you to see what you are made of; some may ask tough questions just to see if you can handle them; some may intentionally want to push you to see what you are made of; they are not always going to be nice to you. It seems the higher up they get the less time they spend thinking about or making any effort to make others feel comfortable around them. They all made their share of mistakes when they were in your position. They learned through tough times. They stumbled once in a while. In fact, the research says successful higher level managers made more mistakes on the way up than the people who didn’t get there.
Some Remedies
1. Nervous? Keep your cool. Being nervous, anxious and uncomfortable around one or more higher-ups is fairlynormal; the key is not allowing that to prevent you from doing your best. Being uncomfortable can sometimes lead to physical reactions like sweating, hesitating or stuttering speech, mispronounced words, flushing of the face, grumbling in the stomach, running out of breath while talking, etc. When that happens, stop a second or two, take a deep breath, compose yourself and continue what you were doing; they all have been there before. Remember, all you can do is the best you can do. You probably know more about this topic than they do. You’re well-
prepared—being anxious can prevent you from demonstrating your expertise. More help? – See #11 Composure.
2. Worried about mistakes? Worst-case it. List all of your worst fears; what bad things do you think might
happen; envision yourself in each of those situations; mentally practice how you would recover. Can’t think of the right words? Pause, don’t fill the void with ―uhs.‖ Refer to your notes. Feeling defensive? Ask a question. Running overtime? Go straight to the conclusion. Practice the more realistic recoveries live in front of a mirror or with a colleague playing the audience.
3. Unprepared? Practice, practice, practice. Rehearse what you are going to do several times so you can do it
as naturally as possible; this gives you time to deal with questions and unexpected reactions more comfortably. Record yourself on videotape. Did you speak no longer than five to 10 minutes per major point? Anything you went into with so much detail that you sounded like an almanac? Did you vary tone and volume or was it monotone? Will they remember your key points 15 minutes after the meeting ends? More help? – See #49 Presentation Skills.
4. Unfamiliar surroundings? Visit the setting.
If it’s a presentation to a number of higher-ups, visit the setting of the event beforehand to get more comfortable in the actual setting; if you can, practice the event there. When you visit, consider the seating. Will people be able to hear you easily or should you speak up? Any spots where line of sight is restricted? Be sure not to stand there. Will your overheads be easy to read from the back? If not, go to fewer points and larger type.
5. Taking too much time? Be efficient. Plan what you need to do and say carefully. Take as little time asnecessary. Maybe bring more material than you need and will use. Since no one has ever run out of material, take 60 slides but show 40 and be prepared to show 30. Summary slides can help with this. Top managers are very busy; everyone loves someone who takes up less time than is planned or on the agenda. Let them ask for more detail; don’t drown them.
6. Difficulty with questions? Be ready for Q&A. Many people get in trouble during questions and answers.Don’t fake answers; most high level managers will tolerate a ―Don’t know but I’ll get back to you on that.‖ Think of all the questions ahead of time; ask someone else to look at what you are going to say and do, and think of questions they would ask. Rehearse the answers to the questions. Another place people get in trouble when challenged is by retreating to a safe recitation of facts; executives are usually asking for logic and problem analysis, not a repackaging of what you’ve already said. The worst case of course is when an executive rejects your argument. If this happens, draw the person out to see if you’ve been misunderstood and clarify. If that’s not the case, let the disagreement be as it is. Few executives respect someone who drops an argument as soon as challenged. You should listen carefully, and respond with logic in 30 seconds or less per point. Don’t repeat the entire argument; long answers often backfire since people have already heard it and few may agree with the questioner. In haste to be thorough, you may just look defensive.
7. Need advice? Find a confidant. Ask a member of top management you know well and trust for advice on
how you could feel better and perform more effectively when you transact with him/her and the rest of the team. Share your anxieties with a trusted colleague and ask for suggestions and observations. Find someone who appears comfortable in the settings you find difficult and ask how to do it.
8. Annoyed? Consider who bothers you. If only certain higher-
ups bother you and others don’t, take a piece of paper and list the styles of the two groups/individuals. What are the similarities? Why does one style bother youand the other doesn’t? With the groups/individuals that bother you, how could you respond more comfortably and effectively? Perhaps you could use some of the techniques you use with the more comfortable groups. Probably you should prime yourself to take nothing in personal terms and no matter what happens, return to a discussion of the problem. More help? – See #12 Conflict Management.
9. Not acquainted? Get to know more top managers. Try to meet and interact with higher-ups in informal
settings like receptions, social or athletic events, charity events, off-sites, etc.; you will probably learn that higher- ups are just regular people who are older and therefore higher than you in the hierarchy. You may then feel more comfortable with them when back in the work setting.
10. Don’t understand your audience? Find out how top managers think. Read the biographies of five ―great‖
people; see what is said about them and their view of people like you; read five autobiographies and see what they say about themselves and how they viewed people in your position. Write down five things you can do differently or better.
Some Develop-in-Place Assignments
Manage a group through a significant business crisis.
Prepare and present a proposal of some consequence to top management.
Write a speech for someone higher up in the organization.
Serve on a junior or shadow board.
Write a proposal for a new policy, process, mission, charter, product, service, or system, and
present and sell it to top management.
The greatest weakness of all is the great fear of appearing weak.
Jacques Bénigne Bousset – French bishop and theologianSuggested Readings