Why Managing Up to Your Boss Is Not Enough

Your skip-level meeting could cover any of these other topics:

• Walk them through three slides of your last big presentation; share something that shows them your business chops or speaking skills (important skills for upward mobility) • Ask them the best career advice they've received • Discuss what you hear directly from customers • Offer to help them on a workstream • Share positive feedback

Your professional advancement will be faster if you invest intentionally in leaders up your chain, people outside your core team, and a network beyond your company. When people of influence know you, they can advocate for you, offer you high-profile projects, and support your career goals.

Your "diagonal" meeting could focus on any of these areas:

• Ask where their team's priorities overlap with yours • Request 15 minutes to present in their team meeting • Learn more about their career path • Seek their feedback on something specific • Offer to mentor someone on their team

That's why you shouldn't just manage up to your boss, you should also:

• Manage higher • Manage diagonally • Manage outside

Your "outside" meeting might include some of these ideas:

• Ask them what they are most passionate about on X topic • Share what you are passionate about on X topic • Learn what they like most/least about their company • Listen to how they got started posting actively on LinkedIn • Request an intro to one other person who might be valuable to you