Many of the executives and emerging leaders we coach express the same frustration: “My boss wants to be involved in everything. I can’t make a move without their input.”
But here’s the hard truth: in many cases, it’s not the boss who’s creating this bottleneck-it’s the behavior of the direct report.
Too often, talented professionals approach their leaders with well-organized data and clearly defined problems, but stop short of offering a recommendation. This forces the manager to step in and make the decision, which reinforces a cycle of dependency. Instead of being seen as proactive and strategic, the employee is viewed as a capable executor in need of constant oversight.
Most leaders-especially those at the executive level-want their teams to take ownership, demonstrate a bias for action, and operate autonomously. What’s often missing is a shared understanding of how to collaborate effectively and a clear approach to decision-making communication.
That’s why we’ve developed a simple yet powerful Managing Up Framework to help professionals break this cycle and take greater control of their leadership journey.
The Managing Up Framework
This framework offers a structured approach for how to communicate decisions, progress, and feedback needs with your manager. It is especially effective for executive leaders reporting to a C-level manager, but its principles apply at every level of leadership.
1. Status: Work-In-Progress (WIP)
This is work that’s in motion. You’re not yet seeking approval, but you are proactively inviting your manager’s input-at a stage when that input can still shape the outcome. This builds inclusion without ceding ownership.
Goal: Share enough context and clarity to allow your manager to influence direction if needed, while reinforcing your role as the driver of the work.
Example: “We’re testing a few creative directions for the campaign. Here are the early concepts-do you have a preference or input before we finalize?”
2. Approval Needed
At this stage, the work is largely complete, and you are asking for a final sign-off on a path you’ve already chosen. This is not a moment to defer decision-making. Always come with a recommendation in hand.
Goal: Demonstrate your strategic thinking and decision-making, while inviting only the essential feedback required for approval.
3. Inform Only
The work is complete or has already launched. You’re not seeking feedback, just keeping your manager in the loop.
This phase communicates confidence and ownership. It also builds trust, showing that you can act decisively and take responsibility for the outcomes.
Goal: Reinforce your autonomy. Be prepared to explain your rationale if challenged, but don’t invite re-litigation of the decision.
Example: “We’ve rolled out the new onboarding sequence. Here’s a quick overview of what’s live.”
Coaching Tip: Use 1:1s to Set Communication Guardrails
Your regular 1:1 meetings are a powerful opportunity to reset expectations, set boundaries, and establish rhythms around feedback and decision-making.
Clearly define:
- What types of updates your manager wants to see
- When and how feedback should be provided
- How you’ll differentiate between input, approval, and FYI items
This small shift in agenda-setting can unlock huge gains in autonomy and efficiency.
Pro Tip: Be Strategic in Agenda Order
The framework isn’t linear-you can reorder agenda items based on your manager’s style.
For example, starting with “Inform Only” items helps build momentum and gets early agreement (“head nods”) before diving into deeper discussions. This can set a positive tone and help avoid unnecessary micromanagement, especially with detail-oriented leaders.
Reduce Friction
Managing up isn’t about manipulating your boss-it’s about owning your communication and clarifying your role as a leader. By implementing this framework, you’ll not only reduce friction and gain trust-you’ll also accelerate your growth by demonstrating exactly what great leadership looks like.