Managing Up: Building a Strategic Partnership with Your Manager (AS-033) Training Course

Managing Up: Building a Strategic Partnership with Your Manager

The most effective assistants and administrators do not simply respond to instructions. They understand their manager's goals, anticipate needs, manage priorities…

5 daysClassroom or online

49Upcoming dates

12Cities

£2,250Fees from

Course overview

Introduction

The most effective assistants and administrators do not simply respond to instructions. They understand their manager's goals, anticipate needs, manage priorities proactively and act as trusted partners who make the manager more effective.

This Managing Up training course helps participants build that strategic partnership. Participants learn to understand their manager's role, priorities and working style, agree clear expectations, communicate proactively, manage time and information on the manager's behalf, raise concerns constructively and handle disagreement professionally.

The course also explores how to support managers through busy periods and change, how to demonstrate added value, and how to grow the role from task support to genuine business partnership.

Course Objectives

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

Explain the concept of managing up and its benefits for managers, assistants and organisations
Analyse a manager's goals, priorities, pressures and working style
Agree clear expectations, decision rights and communication routines
Anticipate needs and manage the manager's time, information and commitments
Communicate proactively with updates, briefings and early warnings
Raise concerns, give feedback upward and handle disagreement constructively
Build trust through reliability, discretion and sound judgement
Expand the role towards strategic support and personal development

Target Audience

This training course is suitable for a wide range of professionals, including:

Executive and personal assistants
Administrative assistants supporting managers
Office managers and chiefs of staff
Team coordinators and project support officers
Assistants supporting more than one manager
Newly appointed assistants to senior leaders
Experienced assistants seeking a more strategic role

Training Methodology

Participants learn through guided reflection, case studies, structured discussions, communication practice and role-plays based on real assistant-manager situations. Each participant prepares a partnership plan for their current manager, including communication routines and ways to add value.

Target Competencies

Upward communication
Expectation management
Anticipation and planning
Constructive challenge
Trust building
Strategic support

Course outline

1Day One: Understanding the Partnership

What Managing Up Means: Partnership rather than manipulation
The Changing Assistant Role: From support to strategic partner
Understanding Your Manager: Goals, pressures, priorities and stakeholders
Working Styles: Recognising preferences for detail, speed and communication
Your Own Style: Strengths and possible friction points
Mutual Expectations: What each partner needs from the other
Exercise: Building a profile of your manager's world

2Day Two: Agreeing How You Work Together

Expectation-Setting Conversations: Scope, authority and priorities
Decision Rights: What you can decide, recommend or escalate
Communication Routines: Daily check-ins, weekly planning and briefings
Managing Inbox and Diary on the Manager's Behalf
Handling Requests from Others for the Manager's Time
Agreeing Standards: Quality, response times and confidentiality
Role-Play: Holding an expectation-setting meeting with a new manager

3Day Three: Anticipating and Adding Value

Thinking Ahead: Anticipating needs before they are expressed
Preparing Briefing Packs for Meetings and Travel
Tracking Commitments and Following Up on Actions
Filtering Information: Summarising what matters
Protecting Focus Time for Strategic Work
Supporting the Manager During Peak Pressure and Change
Workshop: Designing a weekly briefing for a senior manager

4Day Four: Difficult Conversations Upwards

Giving Feedback to a Manager: Timing, framing and respect
Raising Concerns About Workload and Unrealistic Deadlines
Disagreeing Constructively: Offering alternatives
Handling Mistakes: Owning errors and protecting trust
Managing Moods, Pressure and Difficult Behaviour
Ethical Dilemmas: When instructions conflict with policy
Role-Play: Negotiating priorities and raising a concern

5Day Five: Growing the Partnership

Building Trust Over Time: Consistency, discretion and judgement
Demonstrating Value: Communicating your contribution
Taking on Projects and Strategic Responsibilities
Career Conversations with Your Manager
Supporting Multiple Managers Fairly
Personal Partnership Plan: Actions for the next ninety days
Final Presentation: Sharing a partnership improvement plan

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Managing Up: Building a Strategic Partnership with Your Manager course?

The course runs over 5 days of classroom training, usually Monday to Friday.

When is the next Managing Up: Building a Strategic Partnership with Your Manager course?

The next public date is 7 - 11 Dec 2026 in London. There are 49 upcoming dates in total.

Where is this course held?

Upcoming sessions run in London, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Munich, Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam, Dubai, Geneva.

Can I take Managing Up: Building a Strategic Partnership with Your Manager online?

Yes. Every date can also be joined live online in a virtual classroom with the trainer, for £1,280 per participant. Choose "Live online" in the dates table when you register.

How much does the course cost?

Fees start from £2,250 per delegate, depending on the city. Fees include tuition and course materials.

Do participants receive a certificate?

Yes. Delegates who complete the course receive a London Leadership Management Innovation certificate of completion.

Can this course be delivered in-house for our team?

Yes. LLMI can tailor and deliver this course privately for your organisation at your premises or in one of our training cities.

Course information last updated 14 November 2026.

Managing Up: Building a Strategic Partnership with Your Manager

Course overview

Introduction

Course Objectives

Target Audience

Training Methodology

Target Competencies

Course outline

Dates and fees

Frequently asked questions

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