Skip to content
Phil's Library

Managing up to executives

From an Amazon VP:

  1. Executives have less time.
  2. Avoid surprising executives with bad news.
  3. Build trust (though delivery) before you need to rely on it.
  4. Executives cannot be in your level of detail: give them enough detail to understand without burying them.
  5. Provide options and solutions: let executives know what you recommend, have considered, what support you need, and when you will follow up.
  6. If you want to stand out, answer the questions they didn’t ask.
  7. Do not go around your management chain. Loop your manager in as soon as possible; it’s not politics, it’s common courtesy.