It almost all boils down to more and better communication. Likely, both you and your manager aren't as good at it as you could be - but you can only change what

It almost all boils down to more and better communication. Likely, both you and your manager aren't as good at it as you could be - but you can only change what you do. * Get to know your manager. What do they value, what do they care about? What's their style - analytical, from the hip, super-organizer, likes to try things...? * Ask for feedback, ask for the things you want. Managers aren't mind readers. (Make sure you have regular 1:1s!) * Ask for what their goals and expectations are, what they're looking at on a strategic level. Unless you got a heavy politician, most managers love sharing that, they just don't always know you want to hear it. (If you got "The Politician", learn politics or find a new manager) * Communicate often. Your manager has likely a few more reports than you, and keeping up with all of them is hard. Worse, if your manager doesn't see how you're doing, you're likely more affected than they are. Make sure they see. * Communicate clearly. If your manager is a veteran who wrote the system, sure, slay'em with jargon. If they're non-technical, or lack knowledge of the system, explain things so they can understand. Without being patronizing. * Communicate respectfully. Both with your manager - that's just plain survival ;) - and with your team mates. Because it's your manager's job to fix those issues, and making more work is not a good way to win their heart. No matter how technically brilliant you are. * Keep context in mind. All that info you're now communicating - do they need it right now? Can it wait? Is it turning out to be noise for them? Or, alternatively, will this lead to a crisis if not addressed urgently? Adjust accordingly. Managers are strange beasts, they both desperately want more information and are drowning in the wrong kind of it. In other words, treat them like a human being, and treat them like somebody whom you want to help. Congratulations, you're well on your way to be good at "managing up". ;)