--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes being an underling meant…" description: "\"“Sometimes being an underling meant managing up.”\" — Chloe Neill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/chloe-neill-1102_managing_sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-manag_454814.png" --- # Sometimes being an underling meant managing up. ![“Sometimes being an underling meant managing up.” quote by Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/chloe-neill-1102_managing_sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-manag_454814.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/chloe-neill-1102_managing_sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-manag_454814.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/chloe-neill-1102_managing_sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-manag_454814.png) > ““Sometimes being an underling meant managing up.”” [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Managing up involves influencing supervisors to achieve mutual goals despite lower rank. **In simple terms:** Influence your boss to get things done. Key Takeaway Leverage relationships upward. Themes leadership career politics Mood strategic pragmatic Type advice professional When to use this quote - workplace - team projects - career advancement Key Concepts power dynamics strategic communication Questions to Reflect On - How can you ethically influence higher-ups? - When does managing up become manipulation? A Different Perspective May be limited by organizational hierarchy and trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [If you are only an underling, don't dress too fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/if-you-are-only-an-underling-don-t-dress-too-fine/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Basically, managing is about influencing action. Managing is about helping organizations and units to get things done, which means action. Sometimes, managers manage actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/basically-managing-is-about-influencing-action-managing-is-about/) [Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/) > [“In many ways, life is about managing your delusions; keeping the ones that nourish and eliminating the ones that poison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/in-many-ways-life-is-about-managing-your-delusions-keeping-the-ones/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [The secret of successful managing is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the four guys who haven't made up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/the-secret-of-successful-managing-is-to-keep-the-five-guys-who-hate/) [Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/) > [Football management is about managing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-dyche/football-management-is-about-managing-people/) [Sean Dyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-dyche/) > [I've been asked to interview for many managing jobs, and I never said yes because I was never serious about it, and I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/i-ve-been-asked-to-interview-for-many-managing-jobs-and-i-never-said/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Managing a league club is like making love to a mermaid... you should always be aiming for a top half finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-holloway/managing-a-league-club-is-like-making-love-to-a-mermaid-you-should/) [Ian Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-holloway/) > [Transparency is not about restoring trust in institutions. Transparency is the politics of managing mistrust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-krastev/transparency-is-not-about-restoring-trust-in-institutions/) [Ivan Krastev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-krastev/) > [“If you can’t actually take time off without having to make sure everything is going right at the office, the thinking goes, you aren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sutherland/if-you-can-t-actually-take-time-off-without-having-to-make-sure/) [Jeff Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sutherland/) > [The world isn't fast-paced, it's frenetic. People have to be managers of themselves. 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We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/my-eight-years-in-detroit-obviously-were-my-most-successful-years/) [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) > [Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/many-american-tv-actors-employ-agents-managers-business-managers/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [I won't be managing the Mets. I am closing the door on managing the Mets and probably everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-torre/i-won-t-be-managing-the-mets-i-am-closing-the-door-on-managing-the/) [Joe Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-torre/) > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) ## More by Chloe Neill > [“I will have both of you," he said. "My Sentinel and my city. And the GP will learn exactly how stubborn we both can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-will-have-both-of-you-he-said-my-sentinel-and-my-city-and-the-gp/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“I wouldn’t let you leave the House if I didn’t—there’s too much at stake.” “At stake. Ha-ha.” At his frown, I winced. “Sorry. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-wouldn-t-let-you-leave-the-house-if-i-didn-t-there-s-too-much-at/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“Stop. That was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened." "No?" "No." "I could offer you more.” "What?” "Power. Access. Rewards. You’d need be available…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/stop-that-was-a-mistake-it-shouldn-t-have-happened-no-no-i-could/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“Fair enough" I gave him. "But you've got really nice shoes." He blinked, then cast a dubious glance at his boots. "They were in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/fair-enough-i-gave-him-but-you-ve-got-really-nice-shoes-he-blinked/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“I swear to God, it never ends!” Ethan roared. “Not when you’re immortal,” Malik agreed. “That’s actually the point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-swear-to-god-it-never-ends-ethan-roared-not-when-you-re-immortal/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“That’s tough. Anything I can do?” “Just stay in play as my backup.” I nearly swerved the car off the road. “I’m sorry—your backup?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/that-s-tough-anything-i-can-do-just-stay-in-play-as-my-backup-i/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“I stepped back, pivoted on a heel, and swivelled my hip for a side kick. It probably seemed, to a casual observer, that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-stepped-back-pivoted-on-a-heel-and-swivelled-my-hip-for-a-side-kick/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“Awkwardness, thy name is vampire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/awkwardness-thy-name-is-vampire/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“I'll have you in my bed again, Sentinel. And at my side. That is a promise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-ll-have-you-in-my-bed-again-sentinel-and-at-my-side-that-is-a/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“There are those amongst us who have erred, deeply and significantly. Who have wounded the world and broken themselves. The worst of them lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/there-are-those-amongst-us-who-have-erred-deeply-and-significantly/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“There was a time,” he finally said, “when I would have acknowledged your reticence and given you time and space to reach your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/there-was-a-time-he-finally-said-when-i-would-have-acknowledged-your/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“A friend once told me the hurt that came with the end of a relationship was painful because it was the death of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/a-friend-once-told-me-the-hurt-that-came-with-the-end-of-a/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“Supernatural healing was a handy trick for an absentminded vampire, although it would make my enemies harder to kill. Tit for tat, I guess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/supernatural-healing-was-a-handy-trick-for-an-absentminded-vampire/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“Gaslight Goods. Let us be your light in the midst of life's darkness, the sunlight in your foggy day, the candle in your wind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/gaslight-goods-let-us-be-your-light-in-the-midst-of-life-s-darkness/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“I lightly grasped the edges of my shirt and dropped into a neat curtsy, batting my eyes coquettishly. “Thank you, Liege,” I said, Gratefully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-lightly-grasped-the-edges-of-my-shirt-and-dropped-into-a-neat/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) [Explore all 285 Chloe Neill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) ## More Managing quotes > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [I won't be managing the Mets. I am closing the door on managing the Mets and probably everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-torre/i-won-t-be-managing-the-mets-i-am-closing-the-door-on-managing-the/) [Joe Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-torre/) > [Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/many-american-tv-actors-employ-agents-managers-business-managers/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [My eight years in Detroit, obviously, were my most successful years managing. I think that Pittsburgh and Detroit are probably very, very similar. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/my-eight-years-in-detroit-obviously-were-my-most-successful-years/) [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) > [I've seen people be effective, even among local teams, by offering something that improves wellbeing in a small way - people who get passionate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rath/i-ve-seen-people-be-effective-even-among-local-teams-by-offering/) [Tom Rath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rath/) > [The world isn't fast-paced, it's frenetic. People have to be managers of themselves. Time has been managing itself for 15 billion years; we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/the-world-isn-t-fast-paced-it-s-frenetic-people-have-to-be-managers/) [Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/) > [“If you can’t actually take time off without having to make sure everything is going right at the office, the thinking goes, you aren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sutherland/if-you-can-t-actually-take-time-off-without-having-to-make-sure/) [Jeff Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sutherland/) > [Transparency is not about restoring trust in institutions. Transparency is the politics of managing mistrust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-krastev/transparency-is-not-about-restoring-trust-in-institutions/) [Ivan Krastev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-krastev/) > [Managing a league club is like making love to a mermaid... you should always be aiming for a top half finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-holloway/managing-a-league-club-is-like-making-love-to-a-mermaid-you-should/) [Ian Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-holloway/) > [I've been asked to interview for many managing jobs, and I never said yes because I was never serious about it, and I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/i-ve-been-asked-to-interview-for-many-managing-jobs-and-i-never-said/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Football management is about managing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-dyche/football-management-is-about-managing-people/) [Sean Dyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-dyche/) > [The secret of successful managing is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the four guys who haven't made up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/the-secret-of-successful-managing-is-to-keep-the-five-guys-who-hate/) [Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/) > [“In many ways, life is about managing your delusions; keeping the ones that nourish and eliminating the ones that poison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/in-many-ways-life-is-about-managing-your-delusions-keeping-the-ones/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Basically, managing is about influencing action. Managing is about helping organizations and units to get things done, which means action. Sometimes, managers manage actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/basically-managing-is-about-influencing-action-managing-is-about/) [Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/) > [Don't allow old traditions to become permanent mental scripts for managing your life in the present. Reason: you will not be able to transform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-l-johnson/don-t-allow-old-traditions-to-become-permanent-mental-scripts-for/) [Darren L Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-l-johnson/) Browse all 186 Managing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes being an underling meant managing up.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chloe Neill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-managing-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Managing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-managing-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/chloe-neill-1102_managing_sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-manag_454814.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/chloe-neill-1102_managing_sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-manag_454814.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/chloe-neill-1102_managing_sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-manag_454814.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes being an underling meant managing up.” — Chloe Neill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Chloe Neill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes being an underling meant managing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-managing-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/sometimes-being-an-underling-meant-managing-up/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```