Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You [Hardcover]

Rosanne Badowski (Author), Roger Gittines (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2003

Everyone has a boss. And anyone who has aspired to move up the corporate ladder knows that their relationship with those they report to is crucial. In Managing Up Rosanne Badowski offers a straightforward, entertaining, no-holds-barred account of what it takes to make your relationship with your boss work to your advantage, no matter where you stand in the corporate hierarchy.

Told through rich, colorful anecdotes about her years spent working with one of the smartest, most demanding and dynamic business leaders of the twentieth century, legendary GE CEO Jack Welch, Badowski reveals the secrets to career success she has gleaned over the years. At heart, it’s about working with the person above you to create a productive and effective partnership.

Everyone is a manager, in one way or another, Badowski points out. She discusses first-hand what it’s like to have to be a mind reader, to anticipate the future, to plan for the unexpected, and to perform the impossible. With refreshing candor and a hint of attitude, Badowski’s advice is unlike any other. She advises us that “Impatience is a virtue,” to “Have no shame,” and to “Beware the too-quiet office.” Having worked in one of the most challenging, high-profile corporate environments anywhere, no one knows more about prioritizing, about making decisions on behalf of your boss, about sifting through a daily barrage of data and information, about multitasking at warp speed, and exhibiting grace under fire. Ultimately, Badowski says, excelling at what you do is about a shared passion for the job.

Managing Up is an invaluable guide for managing your career and juggling responsibilities with finesse and confidence. It should become a management bible for anyone hoping to get ahead in their profession.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

After fourteen years of working shoulder to shoulder with GE tough guy Jack Welch, Roseanne Badowski is not afraid of what she calls the "s-word." She argues that all of us are secretaries as well as managers. In Managing Up, Badowski leverages lessons she learned in building a stellar relationship with her boss. She offers smart and solid advice beginning with her "Can you start on Monday?" interview with Welch, and then turning to the skills of "navigating a boss Monday through Friday." The book' s chapter titles may sound prosaic, but her approach crackles with energy and fresh ideas. For example, she writes about trust by including "time-tested phrases for breaking bad news." She details the perils of being unprepared and puts in a good word for nagging. She also makes a persuasive argument for the advantages of cultivating impatience to enhance productivity. With splashy anecdotes and checklists, Badowski offers realistic and and disciplined counsel. Hero worshippers be warned: Although Welch wrote the book's introduction, Badowski is such an engaging no-nonsense advisor that she becomes the most compelling manager represented in her book. --Barbara Mackoff

From Publishers Weekly

The business book market is jammed with books for bosses, telling them how to manage, lead, create corporate strategy and get more from employees. Badowski's tome takes a different approach, but is just as useful: it's meant for all workers, regardless of their position. Because, as she wisely points out, everyone has a boss. Badowski, who has the distinction of being Jack Welch's former executive assistant, here explains how she survived and thrived during her 14-plus years as the boss man's "secret weapon." She's written a snappy little guide, mixing anecdotes with clear-cut tips on how to partner with higher-ups. She advises readers to "make the agenda of the person you work for your own" and asserts that "individuals solve problems-not senior management." Of course, not everyone is lucky enough to have had such a celebrated corporate leader as his or her boss. But if workers can follow Badowski's advice, they may find ways to win over crabby supervisors-or at least strengthen their relationships with other colleagues.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Business; 1 edition (March 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385507720
• ISBN-13: 978-0385507721
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #698,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, April 16, 2003

By 

Jane Berger "Publisher, GardenDesignOnline.com" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You (Hardcover)

"Managing Up" amounts to a practical and entertaining survival guide for those who find themselves somewhere on the food chain to the south of the lion kings of the corporate jungle. The author draws on her fifteen years as executive assistant to the legendary Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, to offer valuable insights, advice, and common sense perspective on what it takes to keep the boss happy, maximally productive, and hugely successful. Despite her admiration for Welch, Rosanne Badowski makes a compelling case for the vitally important role played by "support staff" in keeping business enterprises functioning smoothly. In fact, by the end of the book, it was clear to me that a considerable portion of the Jack Welch mystique was the product of the hard work, long hours and dedication that Badowski brought to the job. How do you run a massive operation like GE and spend almost every weekend on the golf course? You find a Rosanne, that's how. And what made "Ro" run? She says it's all about the pride and passion of being part of a winning team. But there is another P-word -- process. The Welch-Badowski team combined Jack's leadership genius with Rosanne's incredible talent for driving a relentless process that kept the CEO on top of things. "Managing Up" gives readers a good look at that process and at the rewards that come from hard work and doing one's best no matter who gets lionized.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for executives and their assistants, April 13, 2003

By 

Verne Harnish (Ashburn, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You (Hardcover)

This is a must-read, fabulous and fun (quick to read) book. I've never read such a straightforward and insightful look into the specific daily routine, style, and approach of a top executive. From her invaluable list on page 114 (how to prepare Jack so he was effective in meetings) to Chapter 11 on simplicity and how the annual calendar shaped Jack's routine, I picked up so many practical tips. And if you only read four pages, read pp. 156 - 159. I personally enjoyed the insider stories behind the Kidder Peabody mess and how Jack handles adversity (hint, he doesn't spend one minute looking in the past), to what Jack emotional felt when he had to let an executive go. You just don't get these kinds of insights anyplace else.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Right on Target..., June 9, 2005

By 

Kollapse (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You (Paperback)

...which explains her success as a partner with Jack Welch.

Ro has hit the nail on the head here. It's not really about keeping his favorite yogurt on tap or catering to his needs, it's about removing the obstacles and the minutiae so that the leadership can lead instead of wasting time on those things that can be done by others. It's more about being a true partner than it is about being a sterotypical assistant.

My take on this book is that although written by an assistant, it is applicable to anyone who has a boss and who wants to be a solution instead of just an employee. Many people take issue with being asked to handle things that they deem are "personal" for thier boss. That conversation is a waste of time and will be a deciding factor on how high you will go in your career. Make no mistake, for leaders of large organizations, there is no distinction between a personal and a work life. They are one. So, Ro really points out that being a solution for Jack sometimes meant that she had to make sure those "personal" things were managed to completion by someone other than Jack. That freed Jack up to take care of business.

Pre-managing your boss is a great way to bring speed to the entire organization. Ro stated early on that she was a creator of time. That is one of the most powerful offers that one can make to their boss and their organization. Time is the most precious asset that many of us claim to not have enough of. By ensuring that Jack didn't have to sweat the small stuff and sift through unneccessary crap, she was able to create the time for Jack to become the leader he is and to bring more prosperity to the organization and the people who support it. Be it personal or business, she handled it.

Observe also, that while many may think of Rosanne Badowski as just an assistant who wrote a book, she obviously has enough insight and leadership skills of her own to be the assistant of one of the most powerful CEO's for 14 years and...she wrote a book about it. I am also quite sure that she has enjoyed some prosperity as a result of her success with Jack.