🎢 Promote Yourself From Up, Down & Around
Promotions sometimes elude even the shiniest of office stars with consistently stellar deliverables. It’s maddening, but companies want to milk as much work for the least amount of hassle (a.k.a. money). If you find yourself in this rut or want to take preventative measures, start managing Up, Down, and Around.
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Sounds Like a Carnival Ride, but What Is It?
Managing UP: Managers, C-Suite, board members — anyone in charge of you.
Managing DOWN: Assistants, new associates, administration — any direct reports, too!
Managing AROUND: Cross-functional peers, team members, and coworkers one or two tiers removed. You all still report to the same people.
🤫 There’s even a secret fourth direction: inward. How is your communication contributing to your career goals? Who are helpful higher-ups to keep close by, and how are you optimizing your favors towards achieving professional milestones? Keep this in mind as you navigate through these dynamics from all angles.
💫 Got an rising-star direct report? Share this article so they know how to prioritize their time when it comes to inbound requests.
The Up, Down & Around Method in Action
If someone who falls in the managing UP category reaches out with a task, do it. Right then. Why are you still reading this? Go get it done and get it done good! Even if it’s not your direct manager, satisfying directives from the top down is always the priority.
For managing DOWN, you are the bottleneck between them and getting a given project across the finish line. Why? Approvals. Which means when something comes to you, it’s urgent, and you need to treat "down" requests like hot potato.
When managing AROUND, it’s generally acceptable to address it in a timely but non-urgent fashion. These are also requests that you should be weighing favors for. It may sound seedy, but consider their pressures and how you could alleviate them in exchange for requests you need to make. Like, “Sure, I can help you with this EOD rush job, but only if project X’s deadline can be pushed to Friday.”
These tactics are within your control, and require the tiniest amount of intention for some major career results.
Episodes for Promoting Yourself from Up, Down & Around
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