Your relationship with your boss is one of the most powerful forces shaping your career: more than your title, your projects, or the org chart. In this Day 5 episode of the 12 Days of Readiness, we flip the script on “managing up” by starting where influence actually begins: your thoughts about the person you report to.

How you see your leader quietly determines how you show up with them.

Look for what’s true and positive about your boss: their experience, the complexity they manage, the invisible stress they carry and then align your behavior with that perspective. That mental reset leads to practical changes: shorter emails, clearer asks, cleaner links, proactive reminders, helpful suggestions, and well-timed recognition that lands on their hardest days.

When you make it your mission to help your leader be successful, you bring more energy than you take — and the dynamic shifts for both of you. This episode helps you build that kind of relationship on purpose.

Registration is now open for the 2026 Speak by Design University program at speakbydesign.com/join.www.speakbydesign.com/join. We will close registration December 31st at midnight.

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