Managing Up

A Forbes article published April 7, 2026, argues that “managing up” is a leadership skill that can drive career success. “Managing up” means understanding your leader’s goals, communicating with them clearly, anticipating their needs, and aligning your work with their bigger mission.

What this looks like for QBs who are still playing

For quarterbacks, “managing up” is really about helping the people above you lead you better because you understand what they need, and they understand that you are “on board.” For a current QB, that can mean understanding (and making clear that you understand) what your coordinator has emphasized, what your head coach values in decision-making, and what your position coach needs to trust you on game day.

A playing QB can use “managing up” by showing up with answers, not just questions; understanding weekly priorities; and making sure coaches never have to wonder whether you grasp the gameplan. Managing up also means reading what matters most to the staff in a given week. When you know the real priority, you can align your preparation and your voice with it.

What this looks like for QBs who have moved on

Once football ends, many former QBs discover that “managing up” is one of the most transferable skills they own. The best former players often know how to absorb coaching, translate complex information fast, stay calm under pressure, and communicate across a team. In business, those same habits become: knowing your manager’s goals, surfacing issues early, adapting to different communication styles, and making your leader’s job easier without losing your own voice.

For a former QB now in a business role, managing up can mean learning how your boss (or lead investor) thinks, bringing them solutions instead of surprises, and making it easier for them to rely on you: anticipate their needs, provide them with information before you are asked, and adapt your communication to what helps them make decisions.

Former QBs may have an extra advantage here because they already understand hierarchy without being passive inside it. That is exactly what managing up looks like in a company or organization. You learn the mission, understand how decisions get made, and give leaders the information and steadiness they need to lead well. Young QBs applying for roles can also emphasize this as a skill learned as a QB.

Where this shows up in the Red Zone

This topic connects strongly to several QB Connections Essential Strengths and Skills. It calls for Humility, because you have to care about helping another leader succeed. It requires Empathy, because you have to understand how your coach, boss, or supervisor sees pressure and risk. It depends on Accountability and Being Consistent, because trust is built when your communication and preparation are dependable. It also leans heavily on Communicating Clearly, Analyzing Situations, Aligning People, Listening Intently, and Pursuing Feedback. Those are not just work skills; they are quarterback skills that travel.

A practical takeaway for current QBs

This week, ask yourself: What does my coach most need from me right now? Then answer it in three parts: what they need me to know, what they need me to communicate, and what they need me to embody. That might be command in the huddle, clean operation, emotional steadiness, or ownership of the game plan. When you meet that need consistently, you are not just playing quarterback — you are leading upward.

A practical takeaway for former QBs

In your next meeting with a supervisor or key stakeholder, walk in ready to answer three questions before they ask them: What matters most right now? What risk should we see early? What decision do you need from me? That habit turns you from a talented contributor into a trusted partner. And trust, in football and beyond, is what expands responsibility.

Bottom line

Managing up is about understanding leadership well enough to manage yourself so you serve the mission, strengthen trust, and help the team function better. That skillset is important from the QB Room to the Board Room.

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