For over 30 years, Julius has led human resources (HR) activities across many premiere organizations and industries on several continents. He has also engaged in focused HR efforts across numerous professions, including health, safety, and environmental programs (HSE). Linda, a degreed engineer, has been a safety professional since 1987. She has also served across many premiere organizations and industries, and has done so in various roles, ranging from industrial hygienist/engineer to safety director. These complimentary experiences contribute to a perspective about the influence and collaboration that resonates with a diverse population (regardless of level, industry or even organizational culture).
Influence and collaboration are terms with fairly universal definitions, unlike the phrase ‘managing up.’ It's not uncommon for that phrase to be viewed negatively in the professional world, much like ‘brown-nosing’ and ‘kissing up.’ This paper seeks to align its readers around what managing up truly is, why it's a necessary professional success factor, and how to do it well.
Managing up through influence and collaboration is not about managing up for the sake of it. It's understandable that, to motivate most of us to behave a certain way, the ends must justify the means. In the case of HSE professionals, the ‘ends’ include workplaces that preserve both human life and the environment.
With such worthy ‘means,’ the topic of managing up takes on an importance with undeniable value. Key areas of discussion include the following:
Defining Influence, Collaboration and Managing Up;
Understanding You, Your Value and Your Values;
Accountability in Action; and
Tactics to Manage Up.
