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Dear friends,
What I know is that everyone is struggling right now. Whether you are in a new and worse economic position or grieving lost family members and friends or simply trying to get through the day with kids at home, I am sending you support. Please do whatever brings you comfort, even if it is momentary.
One of the many challenges that have intensified in our new work-from-home situation is “managing up.” Even though our supervisory relationships in academia can be loose and less explicit than in the corporate world, they are equally important. This blog from Science is a good primer, and here are some specific suggestions for our current time.
Over-communicate, but don’t overwhelm. We are all preoccupied and stressed out. Your boss/ mentor/ senior colleague may not be paying attention to long emails, but they also may need a reminder about what you told them before. So, write a BLUF (bottom-line-up-front) email, where you succinctly state what you are going to do, or your request to them, and then indicate that the detailed explanation is below. It is worth a few extra minutes to do this if it will head off a tedious back and forth.
Make it a habit to confirm and acknowledge. When you go from Zoom meeting to Zoom meeting without any breaks, it’s so easy to lose track of the follow up. Spend a minute enumerating the next steps and the person responsible at the end of each call. Set an alarm if it helps. If it doesn’t happen, email with a summary.
Take the reins. Now more than ever, be explicit about what you need. A mentee recently managed me very effectively when I had to shorten a long-planned meeting. They sent me a detailed agenda, with a time duration for each time, starting with “Life updates (5 minutes)” It kept me on track and moved our project forward.
Be transparent about your constraints. The vast majority of boss/ mentor/ senior colleague types will be better equipped to work with you if they know where you are coming from. However, this is not universal. If you have doubts about sharing any personal challenges, gut-check with a trusted work friend first.
Check in. When we don’t see each other, misunderstandings can grow into mistrust. It’s worthwhile to ask your boss/ mentor/ senior colleague how they feel your joint work is going in this tumultuous time.
Some big-picture questions that can help you manage up:
Where do your motivations and your boss/ mentor/ senior colleagues’ align? Shared priorities are critical when you need buy-in. Beyond making sure you are performing well at your current work, your boss/ mentor/ senior colleague will invest in you when they see how you can move their agenda forward.
When you have a complaint or concern, can you offer potential solutions or further actions? Several academic leaders tell me that they hear complaints all day long. Bosses/ mentors/ senior colleagues very quickly gravitate towards people who are looking for a path forward. You don’t have to have the answers, but you do have to show an orientation towards finding a solution.
Please send me your updates or just a quick hello. Good news always helps! Together we are all going to get through this.
Warmly,
Urmimala