In the book Software Estimation, Steve McConnell emphasizes that in the face of political pressure (whether real or perceived) from senior leaders, it may be helpful to recognize the following characteristics about them:

1. Executives will always ask for what they want; they have a target in mind.
2. Executive will always probe to get what they want if they don't get it initially.
3. Executives will tend to probe until they discover your point of discomfort.
4. Executives won't always know what's possible, but will know what would be good for the business if possible.
5. Executives will be assertive (it's how they got where they are).
6. Executives will respect you when you are being assertive, and assume you will be assertive when necessary.
7. Executives want you to operate with the organization's best interests.
8. Executives want to explore options to maximize business value.
9. Executives know things about the business, market, and company that you don't know, and may prioritize things differently than you would with this knowledge.
10. Executives prefer visibility and commitment earlier than when you would like to do so, to maximize the business value which can be realized from such a decision. However, they only want commitments when it is realistically possible to achieve them.

From this understanding, one can then consider and select from the many ways to influence leaders, or manage up! It's an essential survival skill!