Melody Wilding on Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from Those in Charge

Beyond the To-Do List - Productivity for Work and Life

Erik Fisher

Business, Entrepreneurship, Self-improvement, Careers, Education

4.5 • 875 Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Melody Wilding, author of Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from People in Charge, joins the show to discuss the often-overlooked skill of managing up. Melody shares insights on how to communicate more effectively with those in higher positions, ensuring that you get the support and guidance you need for your career while maintaining a positive working relationship. In this conversation, we explore: What “Managing Up” Really Means: Melody explains that managing up isn’t about manipulating your boss, but about clear communication, setting boundaries, and ensuring your needs and expectations are understood. The Importance of Alignment: We discuss how aligning with your manager’s goals and expectations can help you achieve personal success while contributing to the team’s overall objectives. Building Healthy Communication: Melody emphasizes how open and honest communication is key to reducing friction and increasing productivity, especially when you’re managing different working styles. Creating Visibility: We talk about how to make sure your contributions are recognized and how to ensure your value is communicated in a way that aligns with both your goals and your manager’s. Boundaries and Feedback: Melody shares strategies for setting healthy boundaries with your manager, giving constructive feedback, and advocating for yourself in the workplace. Melody’s approach to managing up is a practical guide for anyone looking to improve their relationship with their boss, gain clarity about expectations, and move forward in their career with confidence. Learn more about Melody and her work at ManagingUp.com, and find Managing Up wherever books are sold. Connect with Erik: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Bluesky⁠ This Podcast is Powered By: ⁠Descript⁠ ⁠Descript 101⁠ ⁠Castmagic⁠ ⁠Ecamm⁠ ⁠Podpage⁠ ⁠Rodecaster Pro⁠ ⁠Top Productivity Books List⁠ Make sure to support the show by⁠ checking out the sponsors⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey Spotify, is Dampson Idris here to celebrate Tommy Hill Figures Apex GP collection.
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0:18.0	Discover Tommy Hilfiger's limited edition Apex GP Collection,
0:21.6	inspired by F1 The Movie, only in cinemas, June 25th. Hello and welcome back to Beyond the To Do List, a podcast about productivity. I'm your host,
0:49.8	Eric Fisher, and I'm excited to welcome to the show, Melody Wilding. I teased that she was coming on the show a few weeks ago with a different episode.
0:58.0	She is the author of Managing Up, how to Get What You Need from People in Charge. And in this conversation, we're talking about that skill of managing up, how you can communicate more effectively with your boss, make sure that your needs are being met,
1:11.5	and Melody is sharing actionable strategies for setting boundaries, getting feedback, and aligning
1:18.0	with your manager's goals so you can advance in your career while building a stronger and
1:23.9	more productive relationship with leadership. And if you've ever struggled with feeling out of sync with your manager or wish you had more support in your career,
1:32.4	than this conversation with Melody Wilding is for you.
1:39.0	Well, it is my privilege to welcome to the show, Melody Wilding, Melody, welcome to beyond the to-do list.
1:45.7	Thanks so much for having me.
1:47.1	You've got a great new book out.
1:48.4	I was talking with your friend and former guest.
1:51.8	She'll be back, so future guests too, Elizabeth Littardo, and she was talking about how your new book here, managing up, how to get what you need from people in charge.
2:01.3	It was something she was, well, then, currently reading or had just read, but she was also
2:05.7	reading a parenting book about parenting toddlers, and I thought, I can see a little bit
2:09.8	of the crossover there. And that's not to say that, like, management is, you know, some
2:16.6	people have referred to it as herding cats management.
2:19.6	Maybe it's better that it's like herding or parenting toddlers, but your book's actually
2:25.3	about the other direction, which is not something we talk about a lot because I think for
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