Teaching Charge Nurses to Manage Up

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

In a recent workshop attended by many charge nurses, we discussed the importance of managing up in this role. Many were unsure about what that meant or how to develop strategies in their charge nurse-nurse manager relationship.

The term managing up refers to the practice of building a productive and collaborative relationship with your manager. Instead of being a purely hierarchical, top-down dynamic, it’s about understanding the manager’s priorities and goals, then collaborating with them to achieve those objectives. It’s not about “sucking up” or doing their job for them. Managing up successfully will, in most situations (though not all), help you build trust with your manager and demonstrate your value as a charge nurse.

Five Strategies to Manage Up

1. Meet Regularly – You are the eyes and ears of the nurse manager at the frontline. Make no assumptions about what they know is happening on the unit – often nurse managers are the last to know because everyone assumes they do. Be proactive in scheduling a meeting at least quarterly. Provide status reports on staff, staffing, patient assignments, broken equipment, policy implementation, quality challenges, and safety concerns. Address staff concerns and any issues that may arise with physician colleagues and other departments. Discuss the current state of the patient experience and any conflicts you may see festering in the unit.
2. Understand Your Manager’s Communication and Style – Take time to learn how your manager prefers to work and communicate. Do they like brief, bulleted emails, text messages, or a quick chat? If you work nights, what issues do they want to be notified about right away, and what can wait? Do they want your input into staff performance evaluations and how can you most effectively do this
3. Ask for Feedback about Your Performance – Actively seek feedback (using start, stop and continue feedback questions) from your manager on how you can improve and better support both them and the staff. This shows that you are committed to your own development and the success of the working relationship.
4. Bring Solutions, Not Just Problems: When you encounter a challenge, come to your manager with at least two potential solutions. This demonstrates that you’re a problem-solver, not just a problem-reporter. It demonstrates that you have a leadership mindset and that you’re taking initiative.
5. Seek Coaching: If you are struggling with something in your leadership, seek coaching from the manager. Examples of struggles that charge nurses frequently discuss with me include: 1. Working with Defensive Staff  2. Managing Bullying and Incivility 3. Interrogation by Staff About Assignments 4. Preceptor-New Employee Relationships 5. Requirements to Jump into Staff too Much to be Effective in the Role. Don’t struggle with these issues – talk about them.

Charge nurses are another set of eyes and ears for nurse managers. They are part of the unit’s leadership team but many don’t feel that connection. Teaching how to manage up is a key skill and not necessarily one that comes naturally to new leaders.

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