Coming Up in November 👀: Managing Up
Plus, how to model resilience for your team
Coming Up Next Month: Managing Up (The Right Way)
If you’ve ever felt like you and your boss weren’t quite on the same page, then you know it can get frustrating fast. You end up guessing what they need, and things get messy, causing stress and slowing everything down. But managing up (without sucking up) can go a long way toward turning that situation around – or avoiding it in the first place. When you get a handle on what your boss really needs and stay ahead of the curve, you make their life easier – and yours, too. It leads to better communication, smoother workflows, and way less stress for both of you. (#WorkSmarterNotHarder)
Stay tuned for a new Managing Up Challenge coming in November!
Want to Submit a Leadership Topic?
Have a specific leadership topic in mind that you’d love to see us cover? We’ve opened up commenting so that anyone can share their idea(s) in the comments. We can’t promise to pick yours, but we do promise to review and consider every single idea.
Developing Resilience Challenge Check-In
How did you do with the full five-day Developing Resilience Challenge? We went over quite a bit:
But the hard work doesn’t end just because our challenge is over – your team is always watching, and they’ll often take their lead from how you react. That’s why leading by example is so important.
Here are four specific examples of how you might model resilience for your team, inspiring them to stay strong through whatever challenges come their way.
1. Responding Gracefully to Critical Feedback
Your team might never actually see you receive critical feedback from upper management, but you can still turn it into a learning experience for them. For example, after a strategy session with senior leaders, you might share with your team, “I received some tough feedback on the way I approached this project. But it gave me a fresh perspective, and here’s what I plan to improve going forward.”
By doing this, you show that receiving feedback is part of growth and improvement. This approach models resilience by demonstrating that accepting critique is a valuable opportunity for learning, and it encourages your team to embrace feedback with the same mindset.
2. Seeking Feedback After a Difficult Decision
After making a tough decision, like cutting a project or reassigning roles, you can invite feedback by saying, “I know this was a difficult call, and I’d like to hear how it’s affecting you and any suggestions you have for moving forward.” By staying open, even when decisions are tough, you show your team that transparency is part of your leadership.
When you ask for feedback in challenging times, you model resilience by showing that difficult situations can lead to growth and improvement through open dialogue, fostering stronger outcomes for the team. (And stronger connections, too. Win-win.)
3. Staying Positive After a Missed Goal
If your team falls short of a weekly goal, you could say, “We didn’t hit the mark this time, but we made a lot of progress. Let’s focus on what worked and adjust for next week.” This keeps the focus on progress rather than failure and helps your team stay motivated when the chips are down.
By framing setbacks as learning moments, you show resilience by helping the team keep pushing forward, focusing on improvement rather than getting stuck on missed targets.
4. Taking Time Off to Recharge
After an intense project, you might take a few days off and encourage your team to do the same if needed. When you return, share something like, “I was feeling burned out after the last few weeks, and taking a few days to reset gave me the energy and clarity I needed. It’s important that we all take time to recharge.”
By prioritizing your own well-being, you set a powerful example that resilience isn’t just about working harder – it’s also about knowing when to rest and recover. This shows your team that long-term performance and resilience come from balance, not just endurance.
If you remember nothing else from today, remember this: Modeling resilience in everyday moments helps create a culture where your team feels supported, adaptable, and motivated to grow. By demonstrating how to handle challenges with grace, openness, and a positive mindset, you lead by example and inspire your team to develop their own resilience in both big and small situations.
Want to discuss resilience with like-minded leaders? Remember that you can join this month’s discussion thread and do just that. 👇
Your Next Steps
I hope these tips help you lead with resilience and inspire your team along the way. Be sure to follow along with the rest of the developing resilience series for even more insights. Throughout the rest of this month, we’ll continue to explore how you can help your team members develop resilience by looking at things from our new characters’ perspectives: Alex, Darcy, Sarah, and Evan. Watch for those articles to land in your inbox.
And, most importantly, just keep going – you’re making a bigger impact than you know!