When you hit a roadblock at work, it isn’t always clear how to seek help from your manager without sounding incompetent or passive. Managing up—the art of steering the relationship with your boss—is crucial. With a bit of preparation you can get the support you need and come across as proactive, thoughtful, and reliable. Whether you’re early in your career or a seasoned professional, the tips below will help you communicate effectively, overcome obstacles, and showcase your abilities.
Contents
- Come with proposal !
- Two must-do actions + the right mindset when you’re blocked
- Turning a roadblock into an opportunity: even asking for help can be an asset
- A strategy for presenting several options to your boss
1 | Come with proposal !
Years ago, while doing my MBA internship at the Paris HQ of a big cosmetics brand, my desk was on a different floor from my supervisor’s. Most communication was by phone. Whenever she called I had to pick up instantly, like a volleyball defender on match point.
If the exchange lasted more than a few words she often ended with a semi-imperious “Can you come ?” I would sprint up the stairs in high heels—taking the lift felt too slow in that “every-second-counts” atmosphere.
Worse, if I called her to flag a problem she sometimes cut me off, shouting “COME WITH PROPOSAL !!!!” and I’d dash upstairs again. That brutal lesson taught me always to show up with at least the seed of a solution, not merely the problem. Tough, yes, but immensely valuable. Later the same boss—who had often barked at me—invited me to join her again. She shaped my career: hard skills, soft skills, network. Managing up can feel like an art, even a kind of “magic,” but nothing mystical is involved: never stay alone with failure, yet don’t drag your boss in for every minor glitch.
2 | Two must-do actions + the right mindset when you’re blocked
Action #1
Do: Before you ask for help, try to solve the issue yourself—or at least diagnose it precisely. Define where it sticks and what you need from your manager.
Avoid: “I have no idea what to do” or “It’s impossible.” That sounds helpless or defeatist.
Action #2
Do: Put yourself in your boss’s shoes: with their authority and resources, how might they tackle it? Offer several scenarios or hypotheses so your manager can choose, instead of forcing a yes/no dilemma.
3 | Turning a roadblock into an opportunity: even asking for help can be an asset
Your boss knows some problems exceed your remit—budget, authority, expertise. What distinguishes you is the quality of the options you bring. Offer thoughtful alternatives and you prove both technical grasp and strategic thinking—strong signals that you can climb higher.
Success is an obvious proof of competence, but when you’re cornered, the way you ask for help—the relevance of your questions and solutions—can also boost your reputation. That “COME WITH PROPOSAL!!!!” still echoes in my mind: whenever I feel stuck, I breathe and tell myself the same mantra. It dispels helplessness and steers my thoughts toward constructive horizons.
Further reading – How to build your personal brand at work and become a key asset
4 | A strategy for presenting several options to your boss
Beyond personal anecdotes, two professors who shaped my thinking—Chen Tian-ji and Mao Qing-sheng—taught me to analyse problems by separating short- and long-term factors and by widening the frame. Applied to business life, a dead-end can ease if you play on time, scope or hierarchical level :
- Extend the time horizon
Short term, some constraints (e.g. no budget) seem fixed.
Medium/long term you can reschedule, spread costs, plan the purchase for next year…
When you pitch options, spell out the conditions for success: “If we delay three months we can tap next year’s budget …” - Broaden the scope
A bottleneck may arise in one department, but pooling several teams could unlock synergies (shared budget, cross-functional project). The wider your vision, the more integrated—and mature—your proposals. - Raise the hierarchical level
At your level the only visible path is head-to-head conflict; yet if your boss talks peer-to-peer with another department head, a broader deal may defuse systemic tension. Showing you can think “top-down” signals leadership potential.
Your own tips ? You surely have methods to prepare help requests or to get into the right mindset—feel free to share!
Standing out internationally isn’t just about technical skill. To make your contribution visible and memorable, develop emotional intelligence, reasoning style, mindset, communication and decision-making. It’s a 360° journey of real transformation.
If you’re seeking new development angles or want to strengthen your leadership, explore my professional-coaching services. I can help you remove obstacles, boost effectiveness in your current role and achieve your ambitions!