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How to Give Project Updates to Top Management and Ask for Help [Two-Minute Mentor #7]

August 5, 2016 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Project Updates to Top Management Top management is continually besieged with information and requests from across the organization. This makes it difficult to get their attention, especially when you need their intervention on a project.

To be effective in providing project updates to top management and seeking their help, it’s important to cut to the chase, simplify your message, and be brief.

  • Tell them where you are now in relation to the goals of your project. Don’t expect the big bosses to ferret up-to-date information about your project. Anticipate their questions and be ready with supporting data.
  • Tell them where you’re headed. Present your plans and tell them where you stand in relation to those plans.
  • Tell them how you’ll know when you’ve arrived at the goal.
  • Tell them how you plan to get where you’re going. Provide enough context to help the big bosses understand the challenges you face.
  • Tell them where you need their help and intervention. “Boss, we have conflicting customer specifications. I need your guidance about setting priorities.” Mention your recommendations and seek agreement. “Here is our recommended approach to the problem. Do you concur?”

Wondering what to read next?

  1. No Boss Likes a Surprise—Good or Bad
  2. Any Crisis Calls for Constant, Candid Communication
  3. What it Takes to Be a Hit with Customers
  4. Make Friends Now with the People You’ll Need Later
  5. Going Over Your Boss’s Head After She Rejects Your Idea?

Filed Under: Effective Communication, Leadership Tagged With: Managing the Boss, Skills for Success

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About: Nagesh Belludi [hire] is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based freethinker, investor, and leadership coach. He specializes in helping executives and companies ensure that the overall quality of their decision-making benefits isn’t compromised by a lack of a big-picture understanding.

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