Anyone with a job, especially knowledge workers, should add Melody Wilding’s book, “Managing Up,” to their reading list. This book is an incredibly useful guide to navigating power dynamics, building effective relationships with higher-ups, and earning more authority, freedom, and confidence.

Each chapter begins with thought bubbles that explore the anxieties, epiphanies, or lessons learned related to a particular conversation topic (like alignment or boundaries conversations). These thought bubbles are followed by a client story, which helps readers relate to the particular conversation to be explored.

The book can be read cover to cover or skipped to find what’s most interesting. However, I recommend reading all the chapters at some point, as they often offer perspectives that you may not need now but will find useful in the future.

You’ll also find scripts (Melody encourages you to steal them) that can help you advocate for yourself in various conversations, such as networking, visibility, and advancement conversations. Since conversations are a part of every job, “Managing Up” serves as a great reference to come back to when you need guidance.

Reading this book will help you navigate various dynamics at work with much more confidence. It’s likely that your self-image will change in a positive way after reading it. There are many things to highlight and contemplate in terms of how to implement the advice in the book.

Thanks to Crown Publishing for providing a copy via NetGalley.