About Mary Abbajay:

Mary Abbajay, author of the best-selling, award-winning Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss is the president of Careerstone Group, LLC, a full-service organizational and leadership development consultancy that delivers leading-edge talent and organizational development solutions to business and government. As a sought-after author, speaker, consultant, and trainer, Mary helps clients develop the strategies, skills and sensibilities needed for success in the 21st century. Mary is the co-host of the weekly workplace advice podcast, Cubicle Confidential, and is a highly-rated LinkedIn Learning instructor. As a frequent expert contributor for television, radio, and print publications Mary provides practical leadership and career guidance. Her work and advice have appeared in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Forbes, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Southwest Airlines Magazine, CNN.com, Monster, CNBC, and the BBC. 

 

Episode Notes:

Dr. Laura welcomes best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and president of Careerstone Group, Mary Abbajay, to the show to talk about her book Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work, and Succeed with Any Type of Boss. Through Careerstone Group, Mary offers different organizational and leadership solutions for businesses and government. Her vast experience with all types of bosses, which her book focuses on, compliments Dr. Laura’s research into the toxic ones.

Mary speaks to how the relationship with one’s boss needs to be managed and requires effort to be productive. Through her work, she hears a lot of complaining from both sides without evidence that there’s enough attention put towards creating a positive relationship. Mary and Dr. Laura discuss the differences between sucking up and managing up, the positive reactions from bosses and managers to her book, why HR may not be the best place to get help for dealing with a toxic boss, and how to handle toxic management in the workplace. This conversation is filled with real insight from Mary’s experience dealing with all manner of leadership. 

“But managing up the way I see it is about not managing the person, but managing that relationship. It’s like taking that power differential and turning it on its side, because in a relationship we all have agency, right? We all have advocacy. And so managing up is about making a concerted and intentional, sometimes a strategic effort to build a productive and positive working relationship so that you can succeed.” Mary Abbajay

Resources:

Learn more about Dr. Laura on her website: https://drlaura.live

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