How to Be Awesome at Your Job

1038: Getting What You Need from Your Boss through Managing Up with Melody Wilding

Mar 6, 2025

Melody Wilding, a human behavior professor and author known for her insights in executive coaching, shares her expertise on managing up effectively. She emphasizes the importance of having crucial conversations with your boss to enhance your work life. Learn how to stand out with strategic communication, assert your needs, and navigate salary discussions by showcasing your future value. Wilding also discusses building strong professional relationships through proactive initiatives and owning your career growth.

37:31

Episode guests

Melody Wilding

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Initiating one-on-one meetings by sharing achievements enhances visibility and aligns individual efforts with managerial expectations.

Effective managing up involves honest conversations about boundaries and expectations that foster trust while improving workplace well-being.

Deep dives

Starting Conversations with Wins

Commencing one-on-one meetings with managers by sharing wins is essential for effective communication. This approach allows employees to highlight positive outcomes and demonstrate strategic thinking, providing managers with critical insights into their problem-solving processes. By presenting accomplishments rather than merely updating the status of projects, employees can help their managers advocate for them within the organization. This method enhances visibility, as it showcases an employee operating at a higher level and aligns the team's goals with the manager's expectations.

Intro

2min

Mastering the Art of Managing Up

20min

Owning Your Career: Stories of Initiative and Innovation

4min

Creating Triple Wins

7min

Navigating Salary Conversations: Focusing on Future Value

2min

Mastering the Art of Managing Up: Strategies for Effective Communication

5min

Melody Wilding breaks down the crucial conversations to have with your boss to improve your work life.

— YOU’LL LEARN —

1) How to differentiate yourself with one conversation

2) How to build your pushback power

3) The easiest way to improve your visibility

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— ABOUT MELODY —

Melody Wilding is a professor of human behavior at Hunter College and author of Managing Up. She was recently named one of Insider’s “most innovative career coaches.” Her background as a therapist and emotions researcher informs her unique approach, weaving evidence-based neuroscience and psychology with professional development. Her previous book is Trust Yourself.

• Book: Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge

• Website: ManagingUp.com

— RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW —

• Book: Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen

• Book: Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen

— THANK YOU SPONSORS! —

• Earth Breeze. Get 40% off your subscription at earthbreeze.com/AWESOME

• BambooHR. See all that BambooHR can do at bamboohr.com/freedemo

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