Managing Up, Across, and Out

You do not get promoted just for managing your team well. You get promoted for managing expectations well.

As a new leader it is tempting to focus only on your direct team. That is necessary but not sufficient. Real progress depends on the people outside your span of control: your boss who approves headcount and shields your roadmap, peer leaders who own dependencies that can stall you, and clients and partners who decide whether your work becomes renewals, upsells, and referrals.

This post gives you practical ways to influence in every direction without politics or theater. You will get templates for weekly updates, status reports that speak business, and messages that turn risks into options.

Managing Up: Give Your Boss Clarity, Not Detail

Your manager does not need code, or backlog tickets, or your entire thought process on a topic. They need certainty and choices.

What great managing up looks like

No surprises. Escalate early with options and your recommendation.

Translate risk to business impact. Speak in revenue, dates, customer promises, and margin.

Ask for what you need. Be specific about headcount, budget, or decisions.

Keep a tight feedback loop. Regular, predictable updates build trust and prevent misalignment.

5-sentence executive summary template

1. Goal and current state in one sentence
2. What changed since last update
3. Risks with likelihood and impact
4. Options with trade-offs and your recommendation
5. What you need from your manager by when (or what you will do if you do not hear back by a specific date)

My own boss is big on putting the essence of the summary right at the start. He wants to know the bottom line immediately. If you can distill the core message into the first sentence, you will save everyone time and earn trust faster.

For option 5, if your manager is very busy and you have a great relationship and mutual trust, you can state what you will do if you do not receive feedback by a certain time. This keeps things moving while still giving them the chance to weigh in.

Weekly note to your boss template

Outcomes shipped last week

Top 3 risks and owners

Next 2 weeks plan and key dates

Decisions needed from you by Friday

One metric to watch

Send on the same day and time each week. Make it boring in the best way.

I do not actually send this exact format weekly since we have regularly scheduled meetings in our organization that cover most of this. However, I do use this structure verbally from time to time during 1-on-1s when needed. Be careful not to duplicate communication. Adjust the cadence and format to match what already exists in your organization.

Managing Across: Peers Are Your Multipliers

Peers control your dependencies. Treat them like customers.

How to work across teams

Create a shared dependency board or sheet with owners, dates, and exact acceptance criteria.

Use a simple handshake brief for any cross-team work:

• Problem and success metric
• Interfaces and definition of done
• Owner on each side and escalation path
• Check-in cadence and one shared doc

We use this format for business unit internal education a lot. It keeps everyone aligned on what success looks like.

When friction shows up

Assume good intent and restate the shared goal.

Move from blame to facts. What is blocked, by whom, and what unblocks it.

Offer help before asking for help. A small favor earns a big one later.

Cross-team standup agenda

• What changed
• What is blocked
• What decision is needed
• Who is on point
• When we will check again

Keep it to 15 minutes. Decide in the meeting or schedule a decision huddle right after.

Managing Out: Clients Buy Confidence, Not Just Competence

Outward leadership is how delivery becomes renewals and growth.

No surprises rule

Tell clients about risks as soon as you believe they are credible. Bring options, costs, and a recommendation.

I have never lost a client, and I cannot remember ever having difficult conversations for bringing risks up to them on time, no matter the impact and likelihood of the risk. Clients universally appreciate it. It feels scary at first, but it is of utmost importance to do so.

Client status that speaks business

• Outcomes delivered and how they help the original goal
• Timeline and scope changes since last update
• Risks with clear owners and dates
• Decisions needed from client
• Next milestones and what good looks like

We actually produce this report every single week. We call it the Project Health Report. A copy goes to the account manager on our side, but the main recipient is the client’s stakeholder. I cannot emphasize enough how many times this report has prevented escalations, or quickly de-escalated ones that were brought up by someone who was not up to date with the PHR.

Risk message template

• Context in one sentence
• The risk and why it matters to your goal
• Three options with cost, schedule, and quality impact
• My recommended option and why
• What I need from you and by when

This is very similar to the executive summary template because it is one. It is just focused on a specific topic, and you are sending it to the client stakeholder as the main recipient instead of your boss.

Quarterly business review outline

Quarterly business reviews are a critical touchpoint for demonstrating value and building strategic partnership. Here is a template for a QBR:

• Value recap with before and after metrics
• What we learned and how we adjusted
• Roadmap for the next quarter with 1 to 2 strategic bets
• Open discussion on new priorities and industry changes
• Proposed follow-ups with dates

Be the partner who shows up with clarity, not the vendor who shows up with hours.

I really like doing QBRs in person, at least once or twice a year. If it is possible, show your client how important they are to you. Meet them live and give them all your focus and attention.

Influence System: Up, Across, Out

Make alignment a system, not a hope.

Cadence you can start tomorrow

Monday morning: 5-sentence executive summary to your boss

Midweek: 15-minute cross-team sync focused on decisions

Thursday: client status with options and recommendation

Monthly: metrics review for predictability and customer signals

Quarterly: business review and roadmap refresh

Stakeholder map

List every key person. Note their goals, concerns, success metrics, and preferred channel. Review it monthly.

Review it at least quarterly with your boss. Analyze and try to map out the people above your stakeholders as well. This helps you plan partnership expansion with the client and keeps your boss engaged in strategic relationship building.

Words That Build Trust

Instead of “we are delayed,” say “we are behind plan and here are three ways to recover with costs and dates.”

Instead of “we might slip,” say “if X does not land by the 20th, feature Y will miss Q2. I recommend dropping Z to protect the launch.”

Instead of “we need more time,” say “this change adds 3 weeks and 12 percent cost. Here is the smallest version that ships on time.”

Clarity beats drama. Options beat apologies. You get the gist.

Practical Toolkit

Copy these into your notes app or wiki.

Executive summary starter

• Goal and current state
• What changed
• Risks and impact
• Options and recommendation
• Ask and deadline

Handshake brief

• Outcome and success metric
• Interfaces and definition of done
• Owners and escalation
• Cadence and single doc link

Client risk email

• One line context
• Risk and impact
• Options with trade-offs
• My recommendation
• Ask and date

Anti-patterns to Kill

Status without decisions. If no decision is needed, send a summary, not a meeting invite.

Surprises. A late good update is worse than an early bad one.

Technical detail as a shield. Use business language when you report up or out.

Silent dependencies. If it is not written with owners and dates, it is a wish.

Final Thoughts

Managing your team is table stakes. Managing up, across, and out is how you unlock real leverage. When your boss always knows the truth, your peers always know the plan, and your client always knows their options, you stop pushing work uphill. The work starts to flow.

Influence is a system. Build it once, then let it compound.

✅ Key Takeaway

Influence beyond your team requires systems, not just politics. Use concise executive summaries for your boss, decision-focused syncs with peers, and options-based communications with clients. Clarity and cadence build trust faster than technical depth.

This article is part of my series “From Engineering to Management.”

Full Series:

• Part 1: A Different Kind of Promotion
• Part 2: Delegation, Leverage, and the Myth of Control
• Part 3: Managing Up, Across, and Out (this post)
• Part 4: Budget Tracking and Forecasting (Coming November 10)
• Part 5: Beyond Delivery: Contracts, Upsells, and Renewals (Coming November 14)
• Part 6: Packaging and Positioning (Coming November 17)
• Part 7: Market Awareness as a Leadership Skill (Coming November 21)
• Part 8: Managing Expectations (Coming November 24)
• Part 9: People Leadership in a Business Context (Coming November 28)
• Part 10: From Manager to Business Leader (Coming December 1)

How do you manage stakeholder relationships? What communication systems have helped you build influence beyond your immediate team? I’d love to hear about your approaches and any templates you’ve found useful.