The Level Up Letter - Vol. 36 - UP, DOWN AND ACROSS

Managing conversations in life and business up, down and across.

Author

Better Board Meeting
August 23, 2024

THE LEVEL UP LETTER

Hi All!
Here is your weekly Level Up Letter. In life, and in business, we need to manage in three directions. Up, Down and Across. Everything below is written with this one key principal in mind, you have to start with mutual respect. If there’s distrust or if you don’t have shared values, these conversations become much more difficult. Assuming that’s not an issue….Let’s dive in!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

UP

⁣Influencing those above you requires a blend of tact and boldness. The last thing you want to do is come to a person above you with nothing but problems. BUT you’ll probably need their help to solve a problem or to give you the resources you need. Here are a few tips to help when managing up.

  • Bring Solutions - You should be able to outline the problem AND give them ideas on what you think are the best ways to solve for it. It lets them know you’ve thought this through but are seeking their council on the best decision.

  • Use Data - This reduces “my opinion” and allows the conversation to be based in fact. Be honest with your data when doing this. If someone finds out you intentionally misrepresented the truth your credibility is toast.

Managing Up

  • Play To Their Ego - Even though our conversations are now rooted in data, people are emotional. That tends to influence their decision making so let it play into your conversation. “I’ve taken it this far, but you have far greater expertise on this topic that could help us solve for x.”

DOWN

Managing down requires you to be crystal clear with your communication, setting your expectations, providing support when needed and most importantly empowering the other person. Here are some helpful things to remember when managing down.

Managing Down

  • Make it About Them - You should take the time to find out what’s happening with the people you’re managing. It doesn’t matter if it’s an employee or a child. You need to try and understand what’s happening in their world.

  • Let Them Screw Up - One of the worst things you can do as a manager is give someone a task and then do it yourself because you’ll do it right. It completely disempowers them and wastes your time.

  • Give Them Ownership - We use OKRs both personally and professionally to give ownership over projects. You either did it, you didn’t do it or there was an outside factor that played in. This also helps you get clarity and define expectations.

ACROSS

Managing across is probably the least talked about but maybe the most common. How you interact with your friends, your partner, a cross functional team leader or other members of the C-Suite team are all at play in managing across. Here are a few ideas on how to manage these relationships better.

  • Remember You’re A Team - If you’re talking to someone on your level, be it in your relationship or in your business, remember that you both want the best outcome for everyone.

  • Communicate Clearly and Consistently - Ensure that your communications are clear and that you share important information regularly. This transparency helps prevent misunderstandings and aligns teams with common objectives.

Managing Across

  • Share Resources - You’ll get further, faster by pooling resources. A lot of times we’ve seen failure in relationships and across teams when people try and hoard their connections or their team members.

CAN WE GET AN INTRO?

We appreciate the feedback we get from all of you and for passing along the newsletter to others who might find it interesting. This week our ask is a little different. Instead of sharing the newsletter, we’re asking you to connect us with someone you know. We’re looking to help driven individuals hit their goals through personal coaching and business owners take control of their companies through our consulting services.

If that sounds like anyone you know, please connect us via email at [email protected]