“Effective executives build on strengths, their own strengths, the strengths of superiors, colleagues, and subordinates.”
Peter Drucker, The Effective Executive
Every frontline leader answers to someone. We spend most of our energy looking toward those entrusted to our leadership, and that is where our hearts belong. Still, how well we handle the relationship above us shapes how much room we have to protect and support our team.
Our own supervisors are carrying a lot right now. Gallup found that manager engagement worldwide dropped to 22% in 2025, down from 31% in 2022. When the person above us is stretched thin, a little thoughtfulness from us can go a long way for everyone.
A Moment Worth Paying Attention To
The position that frontline leaders, supervisors, and managers hold is one of the most challenging in professional life. Leadership training is often minimal or nonexistent. The role carries great responsibility and accountability, but limited authority. The change in position is often into a new world, not just a new office. Leaders must originate and carry effective communication, then efficiently engage many very different individuals.
All of these challenges can lead to stress, frustration, and burnout long before a leader has time to grow into the position others believe they are capable of holding.
Being honest, I have to admit none of this was considered when I stepped into my first leadership role. It was the school of hard knocks. I developed through sheer determination. I chose not to quit.
Today I look back and see that my development did not have to be as hard as it was. I could have sought help, mentorship, and guidance. I could have read more and invested in my growth. Instead, I banged my head against the wall and learned through situations that were much more difficult than they had to be. Do not be me. Seek mentors, connect with other leaders, take advantage of resources, and invest in yourself with time and focus. Every minute you spend focused on being a better leader can pay you back in the future.
Why Managing Up Matters for Our Team
Rensis Likert described supervisors as linking pins who connect their team to the rest of the organization. That is our daily reality. We carry the team’s needs upward and the organization’s decisions back down, and both directions matter.
Research on leader-member exchange shows that strong, trusting relationships with a supervisor are linked to better performance, clearer roles, and lower intentions to leave. When our supervisor trusts us, our team feels the benefit through quicker answers, more flexibility, and a stronger voice when resources are decided.
What Our Supervisor Needs to Know
Consider what keeps your supervisor up at night. It might be compliance, staffing, safety, or a program number coming due. John Gabarro and John Kotter encourage leaders to understand their boss’s goals and pressures. Once we know those worries, we can share what touches them and leave out the rest.
A good update is short, relevant, and comes with a next step. Try three parts: what happened, what it means, and what we are doing about it. If we need a decision, say so plainly in the first sentence so it does not get lost in the details.
Ask for Help With Confidence
Many new leaders worry that asking for help will make them look unable to handle the job. I have paid some stupid tax here myself by waiting far too long to ask. Asking early, with the facts in hand and an idea or two of your own, usually builds trust. It shows good judgment and tells our supervisor that we value their experience.
Speak Up for Our Team
Some days our team needs us to push back. Research on upward influence finds that reasoning with facts and logic tends to lead to better outcomes than pressure or flattery. Bring the numbers, name the impact on the people we serve, and offer a workable option.
Then respect the decision, even when it goes the other way. Explain it to your team openly and without blaming the person above you. That steadiness keeps trust intact in both directions.
Build Trust Upward
Trust grows from reliability, transparency, and no surprises. Do what you said you would do, share hard news early, and give your supervisor a heads up before they hear it from someone else. Learning about a problem for the first time in a senior leadership meeting is a hard spot to put anyone in.
When Styles Do Not Match
Sometimes our supervisor leads very differently than we do. They may want detail when we prefer the big picture, or email when we prefer a quick conversation. Drucker’s words help here, because building on a superior’s strengths includes shaping our updates to the way they take in information best. Adjusting our approach serves the relationship and keeps the focus on the team.
Try This Week
Write down what your supervisor worries about most. Then choose one update you can give them before Friday that speaks to that worry in three sentences or less. If your team has a need that has been waiting, bring it along with a fact, the impact, and an option.
Reflection
What would our team gain if our supervisor fully trusted us to speak for them?
How can you make your supervisor’s job easier while still advocating for your team’s needs?
What will you do this week to build a little more trust upward?
