Managing Up: Strengthen Relationships with Leaders Who Shape Your Career
- Time: March 31 | Noon-1 p.m.
- Location: Online
Navigating relationships with your boss, senior leaders, or key stakeholders can be one of the most important — and most challenging — parts of professional life.
How do you advocate for what you need without sounding difficult?
How do you share feedback or push back on an idea with confidence?
How do you build trust with leaders whose decisions directly impact your work and career?
Join Power Hour, an MWF webinar series designed to equip women professionals and entrepreneurs with the tools they need to lead, grow, and succeed.
In this interactive session, Michelle Gilbert, Chief Engine Officer of Purple Engine Coaching, will share practical strategies for effectively managing up — building strong, productive relationships with those who hold influence and decision-making power.
Drawing on her experience as a corporate leader and executive coach, Michelle will demystify what managing up actually means and why it’s a critical leadership skill at every stage of your career.
Participants will walk away with clear, actionable strategies to communicate more effectively, advocate for their ideas and needs, and navigate challenging conversations with professionalism and confidence.
What You’ll Learn
In this one-hour session, you will learn how to:
• Communicate with clarity and confidence with senior leaders
• Advocate for your ideas, needs, and priorities
• Navigate difficult conversations or pushback professionally
• Reduce misunderstandings and build trust with decision-makers
• Strengthen strategic relationships that support your career growth
The session will include a live Q&A, giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions and gain additional insights from Michelle.
Meet the Speaker
Michelle Gilbert is Chief Engine Officer of Purple Engine Coaching & Consulting, a company she founded following an illustrious 34-year career in public relations and corporate communications.
An ICF-certified executive coach with more than 30 years of leadership experience, Michelle Gilbert helps leaders navigate the conversations and moments that shape their careers — the ones that feel uncomfortable, high-stakes, or hard to prepare for. Whether delivering tough feedback, influencing up, or building executive presence and influence at the next level of leadership, Michelle partners with her clients to help them show up with confidence, clarity, and impact.
With 24 years of experience at Fortune 50 companies, Michelle understands the realities of leading under pressure, managing competing priorities, and influencing across levels without losing authenticity. She has sat in the meetings, led the conversations, and navigated the expectations that come with senior roles.
Through coaching, Michelle partners with her clients to strengthen their credibility and confidence, communicate with intention, and handle difficult conversations in ways that build trust and earn respect. Together, they focus on practical strategies leaders can apply immediately in real-world situations, so they’re not second-guessing themselves in critical moments and their leadership drives stronger outcomes for their teams and organizations.