Navigating Expectations Above You: A Leadership Imperative for Project Success
Projects rarely fail because teams lack competence. More often, they fail because expectations above the project were never fully aligned, clearly understood, or actively managed.
At senior levels of project delivery, the real work is no longer hidden in schedules or task lists. It lives in conversations with clients and sponsors. It shows up in how expectations are shaped, clarified, and revisited as realities evolve. Navigating expectations above you is not a soft skill. It is a defining leadership responsibility.
Clients and sponsors do not experience projects through methodologies. They experience them through confidence, clarity, and trust. When expectations are left unmanaged, uncertainty fills the gap. Silence becomes assumption. Assumption becomes disappointment.
Effective project leaders understand this early. They treat upward management as proactive relationship leadership rather than reactive reporting.
At its core, upward management is the ability to intentionally manage relationships above you by anticipating needs, keeping decision makers informed, and aligning delivery with evolving priorities. It moves leadership beyond instruction following into a purposeful partnership.
Rather than focusing only on what the project team is doing, senior project leaders anticipate what clients and sponsors need to know in order to make informed decisions. Communication becomes intentional rather than habitual.
In practice, navigating expectations upward rests on three critical leadership disciplines.
Alignment
Client priorities are not static. Business pressures shift, risks evolve, and what mattered last month may no longer carry the same weight today. Senior project leaders remain attentive to these signals and address misalignment openly, even when the conversation feels uncomfortable. This flexibility reflects a commitment to outcomes rather than rigid adherence to plans.
Transparency
Strong leaders communicate progress consistently, surface risks early, and present solutions alongside challenges. They understand that surprises erode trust far more than difficult conversations held early and thoughtfully. Transparency builds confidence, even in uncertainty.
Listening
Expectation management is not a one-way process. Regular feedback conversations uncover unspoken concerns and help recalibrate success measures before frustration sets in. Seeking feedback demonstrates maturity, confidence, and respect for the sponsor or client perspective.
Over time, this approach reshapes the relationship. Delivery shifts from transactional execution to strategic partnership. Clients no longer feel managed. They feel supported. Trust deepens, decision-making improves, and shared ownership of outcomes emerges.
At senior levels, navigating expectations above you is no longer optional. It is the bridge between competent delivery and lasting impact. When project leaders master this skill, they stop reacting to change and start shaping success with intention.
That is where projects truly succeed.
PML would like to extend a huge thank you to Ifebuche Juliet for sharing her knowledge and wisdom with the PML community! Learn more about her below and reach out to connect!
About the Author
Ifebuche Juliet is a Senior Project Manager, Mentor, and Executive Director who helps teams align strategy, execution, and people to deliver measurable growth. Passionate about leadership, collaboration, and clarity in execution, she writes about project delivery, people strategy, and productivity.
Connect directly with Ifebuche on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifebuche-juliet-obi/
And check out her Medium page here: https://medium.com/@ifebuchejulietobi
Read Ifebuche’s previous PML Blog post called: When Intuition Misleads: A Leadership Lesson in Balance https://projectmanagementlife.org/when-intuition-misleads-a-leadership-lesson-in-balance
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