Here's how you can keep your boss informed of your progress and effectively manage up.

Keeping your boss informed and effectively managing up is crucial for career growth and team goals. It builds trust, ensures alignment, and prevents miscommunications. The key is to be proactive, clear, and concise. Regular updates tailored to your boss's preferences demonstrate accountability and dedication. Regular updates via reports, emails, or quick check-ins keep your boss informed. Highlight key achievements, challenges, and upcoming priorities to ensure support. Understand your boss's communication style. Some prefer detailed reports; others like brief summaries. Adapting ensures your updates are well-received. Present challenges with potential solutions to show proactivity and critical thinking.

I remember early in my career, my unit head called me for a pep talk on managing up. She highlighted the importance of setting goals and ensuring that my goals are aligned with my team lead’s goal. She guided me on how to discuss and clarify goals with my boss. This helps to remove any ambiguity and ensure both of you understand the expected outcomes of the goals. A side tip is to always right down the goals and any actions from your initial goal setting discussion. Don’t assume you understand the goals, ask clarifying questions. This is also an opportunity to clarify which of the goals to prioritise. Don’t forget to revalidate your bosses priorities at your regular check points.

Specifically for senior stakeholders, I would limit myself to 3 to 5 goals throughout the entirety of the project/program. (Recently, I completed a 3 years program with only 5 overaching goals from beginning to end). This helps eliminate the time and energy for senior stakeholders to understand changing goals and keeps them engage where they need to be, in making decisions and taking action. Updates becomes simple as well, because it can be a 5 mins email read if things are on track or a scheduled meeting if a risk needs escalating or a decision needs to be made.

Understand Priorities: Tailor communication to address their key concerns. Scheduled Briefings: Arrange regular meetings for updates and strategic discussions. Executive Summaries: Provide high-level summaries with visual aids for clarity. Actionable Insights: Highlight impacts on business objectives and next steps. Transparent Reporting: Be honest about progress and challenges. Two-Way Communication: Encourage feedback and actively address concerns. Adapt Style: Use their preferred communication methods. Risk Management: Identify risks early and present mitigation plans. Follow-Up: Send detailed minutes and action plans post-meetings. Build Relationships: Develop strong rapport for better collaboration.

I had a client struggling to provide clear updates to his CEO, despite his efforts. The CEO felt a lack of big-picture understanding. We discovered that his reports were too task-oriented, missing a 360° view of his scope, including potential risks and issues. By creating a simple scorecard with milestones, risks, and issues, the CEO gained confidence, and communication improved. Key takeaway: Focus on the big picture and provide perspective to keep your boss informed and confident in your work.

Be honest about your progress and any challenges you face. Transparency builds trust and allows your boss to assist in problem-solving when necessary. When presenting a problem, come prepared with potential solutions. This demonstrates your proactive approach and problem-solving skills. Understand your boss’s preferred communication style (email, in-person meetings, brief updates, detailed reports) and adapt accordingly. Anticipate your boss’s needs and provide information before being asked. This shows initiative and helps them stay informed without having to chase updates. Invest time in building a positive working relationship with your boss. Understanding their priorities and work style will help you manage up more effectively.

Managing up or your boss starts with building that strong relationship through consistent communication, do weekly checkins and cover your progress, challenges and next steps. Continue to update in clear bullet points and through metrics by highlighting key milestones and accomplishments. Stay proactive in identifying potential issues early and propose solutions. Ensure that you and your boss are on the same page on agreed goals, timelines and priorities.Regularly reach out to seek feedback and improve your approach based on the feedback. These aspects build strong trust and goes a long way establishing a trusted relationship with your boss.

Estas reuniones periódicas deben ser cronometradas a principio del año, una vez que se han concretado los nuevos objetivos. Que sean periódicas ayuda a la construcción de un vinculo cercano y de confianza, en donde se pueden aclarar dudas, inquietudes y en donde también se puede contar como ha sido el proceso hasta ahora, y los detalles de las responsabilidades del día a día, así como ideas nuevas a proponer para lograr las tareas con mayor eficiencia. El jefe puede direccionar en caso de un malentendido y ayudar con algunas alternativas de solución para lograr las metas. Es importante preguntar como viene siendo el trabajo, donde se puede mejorar para alinear expectativas y estar en la misma pagina

Updates containing progress and status are essential, but don't forget to include: 1) highlights, 2) lowlights, 3) planned actions.

Key progress updates and identifying challenges as they arise should be appreciated. Avoid the appearance of making excuses when trying to explain any changes or setbacks, if any.

Personally, I prefer an executive summary with ample voice-over, and if there's something crucial, a specific slide for an in-depth analysis is always excellent.

Es ideal ir conociendo las formas de comunicación en donde el jefe se siente mas cómodo, por sus tiempos y por sus preferencias y el momento de utilidad. Para optimizar el tiempo recomendaría preguntarle directamente como prefiere recibir la información, por ejemplo, si requiere ser copiado en todos los correos y en todas las reuniones o solo en algunas, si prefiere recibir la información de forma cuantitativa o cualitativa. Más allá de eso, creo que es importante tener claras las prioridades y discriminar lo urgente de lo importante para el jefe. De esta forma sabremos que es lo más inmediato que debemos comunicarle

It's important to understand how your boss wants to receive these updates: weekly written reports or a verbal presentation in your 1:1 meetings or team meetings. If you identify a critical discussion topic in between regular updates reach out to your boss on the appropriate channel (Email/ Slack/ Teams) to keep them informed and find a few minutes to discuss if required. Don't wait to escalate critical items while they evolve into a crisis.

A veces es mejor aguardar un momento, para enviar toda la información en un mismo correo de manera proactiva y útil. Esa cuota de tiempo, no es perdida, siempre y cuando estemos consiguiendo lo mas rápido que podamos la solución del problema o posibles caminos de solución para presentar al jefe, esto ayuda a dar visión estratégica, muestra compromiso y acercamos más la solución. Quizás puedes contactarle y comentar que se ha pensado enviar toda la misma información recopilada en un mismo correo y que le está por llegar. Organizar anticipadamente reuniones con otros equipos en pro de buscar soluciones de necesidades ya previstas, representa una gestión eficiente y que hace la diferencia

Keep an overview of the upcoming All Hands meetings, C-level briefing sessions, and roadmap planning exercises where your boss might need to share updates on the project. Proactively prepare slides, summaries, and other useful materials. This will help avoid (or at least minimize) last-minute requests from their side, which can often be stressful and rushed if unexpected for project / product managers.

Capturing risks and attention points is a valuable practice, as they can impact deadlines and create problems. Problems should be solved, not admired.

I prefer quick phone or Teams updates over email due to their simplicity and efficiency. And if it’s just feedback about something that does not require too much talk, a text will do it.

En un mundo tan tecnológico, no nos queda otra opción que adaptarnos. Al principio cuesta aprender otro sistema o plataforma pero luego te das cuenta que te simplifica un montón el trabajo, a optimizar el tiempo y a entregar un proyecto o reporte con mayor calidad. Si trabajas con proveedores, crear grupos o carpetas compartidas donde puedan ver la información en un mismo momento y en un mismo lugar de forma ordenada, ayuda a agilizar los procesos. Aprovechar los llamados virtuales sin olvidar colocar la cámara para poder sentir mayor cercanía es clave, los emojis ayudan también a no despersonalizar tanto las conversaciones virtuales

Aim to keep these 5 👋 top tips front of mind: - 1️⃣ Check-in 📆 Schedule a recurring weekly check-in this is crucial. - 2️⃣ Time ⏲️ Be mindful of check-in duration; time is a resource. - 3️⃣ Be Proactive ✅ Oversee running-agenda or leverage a kanban board. - 4️⃣ Be Human 👥 Top and tail check-in with authentic non-work banter. - 5️⃣ Add Value 🎯 Shift focus from you to your boss and organisation. - Plus remember shared knowledge is power: 🤜🤛 Adapt as required noting all things change ⚡⚡ Stay plugged into a broader network ☝️👆 Work together to keep your finger on the pulse.