It seems counterintuitive: How are you supposed to manage people above you when you haven鈥檛 even figured out how to be a manager? But I know from personal experience that if you don鈥檛 begin with managing up, you won鈥檛 have to worry about managing down. It is critical to learn how to manage these relationships effectively so that you can secure the resources you need to be successful in any situation. Observe how others successfully gain resources in the organization. As long as their methods align with your values, follow suit.

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As a new manager, you first have to learn to manage those above you. Otherwise, you won't be around very long to manage those below you.