Give Upward Feedback Without Making It a Verdict
Frame upward feedback as observable impact plus a request, not a judgment.
Feedback up the hierarchy needs more precision, not less honesty. Upward feedback carries more status risk than peer feedback because the other person controls resources, ratings, and access. That does not mean avoid it. It means design it. The safest useful structure has four moves: choose a moment with enough privacy, ask permission, anchor in SBI facts, and make a request tied to a shared goal. Permission is not theater; it gives your boss agency and lowers defensiveness. SBI keeps you out of motive-reading. The request makes the feedback actionable. This playbook uses three proven managing-up lenses. Gabarro and Kotter…
Sign up free — one personalized lesson every day, matched to your role and goals.
Already have an account? Sign in