What Is Upward Communication?

Introduction

Upward management

(Electronic Industry Press Books)

Cooperate strategically with the boss's style and goals, and integrate it with his own style and goals, so that he can make a difference, assist the boss, and achieve personal professional goals. The process of consciously cooperating with your boss in order to give you, your boss, and the company the best results.

It can be seen from the definition that upward management is not exactly the same as upward communication. There is a difference in connotation between the two, the connotation of the former is obviously greater than the latter, and the latter only refers to the spread of information.

First, adapt to each other's needs and styles with the boss; second, share each other's expectations; third, interdependence, honesty, and trust. Simply put, it is to discover the strengths of the boss and try to avoid the weaknesses of the boss. I often ask myself, "What can I do to make my boss' work go smoothly and make my work go smoothly?"

Adapt to each other's needs and style. A harmonious working environment requires a harmonious and unified working method. It is necessary to accept the form in which bosses deal with problems, exchange views, and clarify their responsibilities in work and communication. It's not that the boss's work style cannot be changed, but for employees, the first thing is to adapt to the boss's work style first, and then make adjustments with the boss's recommended working methods based on the adaptation.

Share each other's expectations. In the work with the supervisor, it is very important to be able to communicate the expectations of both parties frequently and improve their respective capabilities through continuous communication of expectations. Once this state is formed, both sides will find each other a good reference, and can extend their expectations unconsciously, so that their efforts will gradually rise to a new level.

Dependence, honesty and trust. Remember that upward management is an interdependent relationship, a relationship of cooperation and assistance. In many cases, subordinates can't embarrass their superiors, and can't be dishonest to their superiors at work. Losing their trust is the biggest obstacle to their development.

First: help the boss make decisions. When helping the boss to make a decision, please pay attention to the first point: remind the boss in a timely manner about the content of the project decision discussed last time, and what the specific goals are. Second point: Use facts or data to provide an explanation. It is best to use some charts and images to help him make decisions quickly. The third point: After the superior has made a decision, the content of his decision must be presented in written form, to ensure that there are no mistakes and omissions, and that he must be a firm advocate of this decision.

Second: manage the time of the boss. The simpler the problem to be dealt with in the work, the shorter the time the boss should spend on it, helping him to prepare the information, make a summary, and synthesize different information and possible options. But don't confuse routine issues with important issues.

Third: present problems and solutions to the boss at the same time. Need to pay attention: "See the forest first, see the tree". Be sure to start with the basic tasks and tell your boss what your goals are, how you are progressing, and where you need advice. Tell your boss clearly the feasible plan that you have worked out, specific methods, work items, deadlines and necessary human resources.

Fourth: let the boss know more. Don't assume that your boss knows as much as you do, but assume that he has the ability to understand and try to teach him. This is because he has a broader perspective on the problem and a more accurate grasp of the interaction between the organizational departments. So you have two options: the first: use a bunch of technical information that your boss doesn't understand and force him to agree. Although this method may allow the boss to learn the technical knowledge, it may also cause communication obstacles and cause insufficient trust between the two parties. The second type: use easy-to-understand language, articles, examples, tables, and abstracts to help the boss grasp the problem. With face-to-face lectures and learning, interpersonal relaxation and trust can be generated, making the relationship between the two parties natural and conducive to making better decisions.

Fifth: Test your authority with your boss. Your boss has a new appointment for you, which seems to be a happy thing, but how big is the authority in the office and how should it be used, but it is not easy to make assertions, so you need to make an inquiry with your boss to avoid unnecessary trouble.

There are several ways to test authorization. Method 1: Play a safety card and ask your boss for advice. The sequelae is that your boss may think that you have no courage and you are uncertain about everything and cannot take on heavy responsibility. Method 2: Do what you think. The consequences of this completely subjective approach are not very satisfactory. Often, in practice, we find that our decision-making power was not as great as originally thought. Method 3: Test the water temperature method. The specific operation is between the first two, both consulting and having their own initiative. This method is particularly suitable for situations where there is no precedent.

Sixth: Boss promises to achieve the goal. In upward management, you must promise what you can achieve, and do not delay the realization of the goal because you are not capable of fulfilling your commitment to your superior. If promises are made and cannot be fulfilled, it will lower the trust of the boss.

Seventh: Pay attention to subsections to your boss. "Sections" have always been easy to overlook. Many people respect their bosses in words and deeds, but one look and gesture reveals their true inner thoughts.

Before conducting upward management, you must clearly reflect on yourself and establish the correct concept. That is, the purpose of upward management is to carry out the work better, and for the purpose of organization. At the same time, upward management should pay attention to skills and let the superiors decide to change:

1. Don't let your superiors feel that their subordinates are willing to change him;

2. Discuss with colleagues first for support;

3. Provide information for the superior to change by itself;

4. Don't hide, it should be honest and trust;

5. Cater to his strengths and try to avoid his weaknesses;

6, adapt to each other's personality and style;

7. Selectively use his time and resources. ^[1]