Navigating Expectations While Protecting Professional Integrity
Managing up is one of the least discussed—and most critical—skills for SIDs.
Athletic communications professionals operate in environments where expectations flow from many directions:
Coaches with immediate needs
Administrators with long-term priorities
External stakeholders with public-facing demands
Balancing those expectations without losing clarity, standards, or professional identity requires more than diplomacy.
It requires Foundational Comfort.
Managing Up Is Not About Pleasing Everyone
A common misconception is that managing up means saying yes.
In reality, effective managing up is about alignment, not appeasement.
SIDs who try to please everyone often:
Dilute standards
Create inconsistent messaging
Burn out under competing demands
Foundational Comfort allows you to hold your ground professionally while still being collaborative.
You are not responsible for eliminating tension. You are responsible for navigating it well.
Clarity Is the First Responsibility
Managing up starts with clarity.
Clear SIDs:
Ask precise questions
Confirm priorities
Restate expectations before executing
Unclear expectations create unnecessary stress and reactive behavior.
Clarifying direction early is not pushback—it is leadership.
Translating, Not Transferring, Pressure
One of the most important managing-up skills is translation.
Pressure often comes to SIDs unfiltered. Emotion, urgency, and frustration arrive together.
Strong SIDs do not transfer that pressure downward or outward.
They translate it:
What actually needs to be done?
What is the real timeline?
What can realistically be delivered?
This protects staff, student-workers, and the integrity of the work.
Holding Standards Under Authority
Managing up tests internal standards.
It is easier to hold standards when pressure comes from below.
It is harder when it comes from above.
Foundational Comfort allows SIDs to say:
“Here is what we can do responsibly.”
“Here is the risk if we move faster.”
“Here is the standard we need to maintain.”
This is not defiance. It is professionalism.
Leaders respect consistency—even when they challenge it.
When Managing Up Feels Personal
Managing up often feels personal because authority is involved.
Foundational Comfort helps separate:
Authority from identity
Feedback from self-worth
Pressure from panic
This separation keeps communication calm and effective.
You can disagree without being disagreeable.
Why Managing Up Builds Leadership Credibility
SIDs who manage up well become trusted advisors.
They are relied upon not just for output, but for judgment.
Over time, this leads to:
Increased autonomy
Earlier involvement in decisions
Greater influence across the department
Managing up is not about control.
It is about earning trust through consistency and clarity.
Question
Managing up is unavoidable.
The choice is whether it erodes or strengthens your leadership presence.
Ask yourself:
Where am I over-adjusting to pressure instead of clarifying expectations?
What standard am I hesitant to articulate upward?
How can I translate urgency without transferring stress?
Foundational Comfort allows SIDs to remain grounded—regardless of who is applying pressure.
Reflection: How can you manage up this week without compromising your standards or yourself?
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