Episode 43: Managing Up and Down

Leadership isn't reserved for those with fancy titles—it's a skill that starts the moment you enter the professional world. In this episode, we dive into the often-overlooked art of "managing up and managing down," revealing how these complementary skills can transform your career trajectory regardless of where you currently stand on the organizational chart.

What exactly does it mean to manage up? It's about making your supervisor's job easier while strengthening the entire team. We explore practical strategies like anticipating needs before they're voiced, providing proactive updates, bringing solutions rather than just problems to the table, and being transparent about your capacity. As someone who's navigated the demanding world of big law, I share personal insights about how mastering these skills helped me become known not just for quality work, but for ownership and sound judgment—qualities that stand out at every career stage.

But effective communication flows in both directions. 

Managing down—or as I prefer to frame it, "leading from wherever you are"—is equally crucial whether you're working with summer associates, paralegals, legal assistants, or peers. We discuss the importance of setting clear expectations with context, providing constructive feedback, recognizing effort alongside results, and modeling the kind of professional relationships you aspire to have. 

The secret? The skills for managing in both directions share the same foundation: empathy, clarity, and a willingness to see situations from multiple perspectives. By mastering these approaches, you create more supportive, efficient, and ultimately more satisfying professional relationships for everyone involved.

Ready to put these ideas into practice? Try selecting one professional relationship and commit to a small but meaningful improvement this week. Whether it's a proactive status update, a sincere thank-you note, or simply asking "How can I support you right now?", these small actions can yield powerful results. Remember, effective leadership isn't about your position in the hierarchy—it's about human connection, and that's something we can all cultivate, starting today. Subscribe to The Grace Period for more insights on thriving in the high-stakes legal world while maintaining your humanity and well-being.

Find out more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilystedman/.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to The Grace Period

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Grace Period, where we get real about attorney mental health and well-being and pull back the veil on the high-stakes world of big law. I'm your host, emily Logan Stedman, a commercial litigator partner and someone who believes there's always room for a little more grace, even in this high-stakes profession. Here I share real stories from my own journey in big law and invite you behind the scenes, past the the billable hour, to talk about what it means to stay human in a demanding field. Whether you're a lawyer, a legal professional or someone trying to find your footing, this space is for you. Let's pull back the curtain, start the conversation and find our grace period together. Disclaimer the views and opinions shared in this podcast are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of my firm or any organization. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. Welcome to episode 43 of the Grace Period.

Speaker 1: 0:57

Today I want to dig into a skill that's essential at every stage of your career, but it's rarely taught directly. What is that? Managing up and managing down. To put it another way, how to communicate and lead effectively, no matter your title, experience or level on the organization chart. If you're early in your career, leadership might sound like something that happens later and you have partner or manager in your title, but the best teams are built by people who know how to communicate and support both those above and below them, right now where you are. Let's start with managing up. Managing up is all about making your supervisor's job easier and, by extension, making the team stronger. This might look like anticipating questions or needs before they're asked, providing status updates proactively without being prompted, bringing business solutions or any kind of solution to the table, not just problems when you hit a roadblock. Being honest about your workload and capacity so expectations can be managed on both sides. Taking ownership over deadlines all of them and thinking big picture about the case.

Speaker 1: 2:09

Early in my career, I realized partners and senior associates are juggling just as much as I am, and often much, much more the things vying for your time. The level of busyness you experience increases exponentially year over year. When I realized that I started proactively communicating, clarifying deadlines and flagging issues as early as I could, I became someone those senior to me could rely on, not just for good work, but for ownership and good judgment. But what about managing down? But for ownership and good judgment. But what about managing down? Or, as I like to think of it, leading from wherever you are, whether you're supervising a summer associate, collaborating with a paralegal, leaning on a legal assistant or mentoring someone informally?

Speaker 1: 2:57

Managing down means setting clear expectations and explaining the why behind a task, giving feedback that's specific, actionable and kind, checking in regularly and making yourself available for questions, recognizing effort and celebrating growth, not just the results. It's about modeling the kind of working relationship you hope to have, one built on trust, respect and open communication. Leading by example is at the heart of all of this, and the secret is that skills for managing up and down are really the same. They're about empathy, clarity and a willingness to see things from someone else's point of view or perspective. Here's some practical tips. Whether you're managing up or managing down, you should ask questions and listen actively. Really listen to the answers. Be transparent about your own needs and limitations. Say thank you often and sincerely. Offer help and accept help when it's needed. Again, lead by example if you're not sure where to start, pick one relationship up or down the chain and commit to one small change or effort to lead this week. Maybe it's a proactive status update. Maybe it's a quick thank you note. Maybe it's just asking how can I support you right now? Effective communication and leadership aren't about hierarchy. They're about connection, and anyone at any stage can build those skills.

Speaker 1: 4:40

Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Grace Period. I hope today's stories and reflections brought you a little clarity, a little comfort and a new way to think about managing up and managing down. Remember you don't have to choose between your well-being and your ambition. By setting boundaries, building supportive habits and giving yourself permission to pause, you can thrive in law, in big law and in life. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. That is the path to our grace period. Disclaimer the views expressed here are solely my own and do not represent the official policy or position of my firm or any organization. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only, not professional or legal advice. This podcast does not create an attorney-client relationship.