Managers spend a lot of time focusing on managing “down” – guiding their teams and energizing results that align with organizational goals. A recent study from McKinsey highlights the importance of also managing “sideways” with colleagues and “up” with higher-level leaders. In fact, the combination of managing up and sideways has a 50% higher impact on business success than managing down does. And when it comes to individual career success, managing sideways and up is twice as important as managing down.

How can you manage up more effectively? Listen in as Larry Sternberg explores a Top 10 List for how to cultivate a great relationship with your boss with real-life examples from Mark Bertsche and his manager, Libby Farmen (who also happens to be a couple of decades younger than Mark, which adds an interesting twist to their professional relationship). Putting this Top 10 list into practice in your own work could help you capture that greater success for your business and for your own career through managing up more effectively.

On all our podcasts and blog posts, you have an opportunity to talk back to us through comments and emails. We hope to hear from you! Until next time, manage to make a difference every day!

This post highlights Chapters 9 and 10 of Managing to Make a Difference (Wiley), a handbook for hitting the sweet spot of middle management. Next up: Cultivate a Great Relationship with Your Boss. Connect with Kim Turnage and Larry Sternberg on LinkedIn to see the latest blog updates.