Mid-management role need to work upstream

[RatiTeen]

I am currently in mid-management role and I received a feedback that I need to work upstream more. I also received the feedback that I'm quite efficient in getting work done by my team but need to see upstream ways of working. How do I do that? I asked my manager to give me some opportunities that gives me visibility upstream but I am waiting for those projects. Any other suggestions?

What the hell does working upstream even mean? I think you need to ask them to be more specific and tell them to stop using dickish management speak ( perhaps redact that last bit)

Are you in supply chain management and they're asking you work on something specific or is this just not plain English?

Well that sounds like a bollocks line. I’m similar but boss keeps saying she’s going to hand over projects to increase my profile, then decides to show up at the meetings I’m supposed to be leading at because she thinks her seniority is required. It’s such a waste of time and I’m clear I’m being strung along re development. Hoping 2025 will be the year I leave. I suggest you look to do the same. (I’ve done the job for 10 years and know my stuff.)

Do you know what they actually mean by that? I wouldn't have a scooby.

Your not a salmon are you?

'Work upstream'? This just sounds like meaningless corporate jargon...

Ask for clarification as to what they mean by this and clear examples of what they want you to do.

As a rough guess, "upstream" means getting involved in strategic decisions, and stakeholders that influence your work and your team's work. It’s about moving beyond execution (downstream activities)

I think it means you need to interact more with people directly above you and across and above you. You need to let them know about all the great stuff you do so they know your name and what you are capable of. This means that they know they can go to you when they have a query about X Y or Z. At the moment I expect they likely have no idea you know loads about X Y and Z and have no idea how competent, helpful and intelligent you are.
when your boss and everyone else at his level in other departments talk cross-functionally I expect your name doesn’t come up very often, but your boss thinks it should because (s)he knows you’re very good.

so 2 things need to happen: your boss needs to big you up and you need to big yourself up.
the former is easy. The latter is very hard if you’re not that sort of person naturally.

my advice is: don’t assume people know you’re good. Don’t assume what you do is automatically recognised.

you have to be a bit cringey but….
make it known when you sorted problem X and put process Y in place to make sure problem X doesn’t re-occur.
speak about how you avoided issue Z because you were doing forward planning or because you run report ZX every day and you noticed XY was happening, or saw pattern YX which led you to conclude that XZ needed to be adjusted….

observe the people who do this self-bigging up well. There is an art to it. Copy them. Try not to cringe at the people who borderline brown-nose.

good luck 🍀

NoTouch - that's correct. Working on strategic decision makers i.e. directors and above. Also this gives visibility.

Thanks Eskimal

I was also thinking it meant working more strategically.

To me this means building relationships with more senior leaders and those at your level in other departments so you get a better understanding of how the whole company is operating and what the company's goals are, not just your team targets.

An example would be you work more closely with the finance team and learn where the budget pressures are, this means you can suggest ways your team can change the way it works or that you propose a new project to save money to alleviate that pressure within your team's work area.

Difficult to be more specific without knowing what you do but that's what I imagine the gist is.

Thanks

Yes I took it up mean managing upwards. You manage your team and their work (downstream) but at some point you also need to strategise and create opportunities - rather than wait for them to be given to you. Develop new ideas, processes, spot opportunities for the organisation or similar and take them to the bosses. Or go and say ‘I’d like to develop xyz skills and wanted ti suggest I could be leading on a new development … ‘. Or do a bit of empire building by growing your team/influence/reach ? Council be barking up the wrong tree as don’t know what your work is - just what sprang to my mind when reading.

Thanks