Managing Up: How to Work Well with a Difficult Boss

A practical guide to understanding your boss, getting what you need, and disagreeing without damaging the relationship.

You don’t get to choose your boss. You do get to choose how you work with them.

This 12-page guide helps you figure out what your manager actually cares about, adjust how you communicate, and handle the hard moments: unclear priorities, last-minute changes, and decisions you disagree with.

Who it’s for: employees and team leads who want a better working relationship with their manager, without becoming a pushover.

What’s inside:

• Five habits that make any boss trust you
• A cheat sheet for each of the four boss styles: what they value and what drives them crazy
• A clash chart for when your style and your boss’s style collide
• Scripts for the hardest situations: the micromanager, a boss who takes credit for your work, shifting expectations, a boss who’s never available, favoritism, and disagreeing with a decision
• How to ask for help with your workload, and for feedback so you’re never surprised
• A boss conversation planner worksheet

Instant PDF download. Print it or fill it in on screen.