CHAPTER SIXTEENManaging Up: How to Work with Your CEO and Board
Relationship‐building among executive teams takes time and effort. It unfolds over time and can be even harder in our remote‐first world. The remote work environment presents yet another twist. For instance, my fellow executive team and I worked together for 18 months before meeting in person, and many of them had already met each other in various configurations.
In earlier chapters, we discussed the beginnings of relationship building and building relationships on your team of reports. In this chapter, we'll focus on ongoing healthy work relationships with your CEO, fellow executive utives, and board: the “managing upwards” part of leading upwards!
WORK WELL WITH YOUR CEO BY UNDERSTANDING THEIR PREFERRED WORK STYLE: FOUNDER HITEN SHAH'S STORY
According to entrepreneur Hiten Shah, in leadership roles, management goes both ways for startup leaders and their CEO.
“You're basically managing up, no matter what. You're not just managing the people that you manage, your direct reports, but you're also having to manage up. You have to manage the co‐founder and CEO that are trying to manage you,” says Shah.
Shah says that the way for leaders to do this well is to get to know the unique needs of their CEO or founder and work around and with them. ...
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