Day 18
Managing Up
Chanakya never confused his job with the king's job. He gave advice; Chandragupta made the final call. His influence didn't come from his title — it came from consistently being right, staying discreet, and never embarrassing the king in front of others. Three rules: make the person above you look good, save your disagreements for private conversations, and be so useful that you become impossible to ignore.
Who has authority over work that matters to you? Are you influencing them effectively — through demonstrated results and discreet counsel — or ineffectively through advocacy and pressure?
Identify one thing you want your manager or authority figure to do differently. Instead of asking directly, ask yourself: what result could I demonstrate that would make this obvious without my saying it?