Managing Up

Influencing leadership

Managing up requires influencing behavior and decisions without formal authority — a skill most people find unnatural. The power imbalance makes it feel politically risky, and challenging the downward flow of information runs counter to deeply ingrained notions of hierarchy. In this session, new and rising people managers will learn and practice upward influence and effective communication.

Specifically, they will:

• Explore a framework to gain confidence in what another person cares about, how they like to receive information, what pressures they’re under, and how they make decisions
• Hone how to lead with solutions, not problems, to signal forward thinking
• Practice actively listening to the challenges and perspectives shared by senior leaders to ensure stronger outcomes
• Gain access to a network of leaders across sectors and functional areas from around the world

This program will be offered in English (Zoom automated captions available in 35 languages).

Who Should Attend

People managers who:

• Have been in a people management role for less than 2 years
• Manage one or more people
• Can devote the time to learn and grow with peers across the globe

We recommend that two leaders from an organization participate together. Participating with a colleague fosters accountability and thought partnership that makes it easier to share learnings across an organization.

Program Schedule

 See this in your time zone here

Thursday, September 10th, 7 am – 9 am Pacific Time

What to Expect

Each 2-hour session (with a midpoint break) combines expert-led frameworks drawn from real-world experience with structured peer conversation in hand-matched breakout groups of 4–5 leaders, paired by experience level, sector, or geography to make every exchange count.

Come ready to engage: sessions run on Zoom with cameras on, which is central to how connection and trust develop in the room. A reliable internet connection is recommended. Everything from the session, including slides, templates, worksheets, and curated resources, is shared post-session so learning continues outside the virtual room.

About Rippleworks Leaders Studio

Rippleworks Leaders Studio is a series of expert-led learning programs designed specifically for social ventures. We partner with leading industry executives to run interactive, results-driven learning programs where social venture leaders gain critical skills so ventures can deliver impact at scale.