Arch Manning Shows Why Organizations Need A ‘Next Man Up’ Mindset

Next man up. That familiar phrase, barked by countless coaches, holds true even for the scion of a legendary football family.

We saw that on Saturday as Arch Manning came off the bench to guide the Texas Longhorns to a 56-7 demolition of UTSA, and he showed that he was worthy of his family’s lineage. When starting quarterback Quinn Ewers went down in the second quarter, Longhorns fans had cause to be concerned. While he might not have Manning’s pedigree, Ewers is an accomplished quarterback who was off to a strong start against the UTSA Road Runners, hitting 14 out of 16 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns. It was a continuation of his early season domination at the position.

Ready for the occasion, Manning stepped right in, dissecting UTSA’s defense by throwing for 223 yards and four touchdowns. Unlike his famous Super Bowl-winning uncles Eli and Peyton, 19-year-old Arch Manning even showed the ability to scramble, running for a 67-yard touchdown, the longest for a Longhorns QB in almost 20 years.

While football is in his blood, the newest Manning quarterback has already shown he’s learned a valuable lesson: always be prepared to step up to lead your team because you’re only one play away from being needed.

John Wooden, the iconic coach of the UCLA Bruins, always told his players on the bench that they needed to be ready at any moment to get in the game.

“The time to prepare isn’t after you have been given the opportunity. It’s long before that opportunity arises. Once the opportunity arrives, it’s too late to prepare,” Coach Wooden would say often.

That lesson applies just as much in the office as on the hardcourt or the gridiron. We have all been in situations where we could not reach our goals or complete our tasks because somebody was ill or suddenly out of the office. Only a certain person in the office has access to key data, but they are on a cruise for two weeks and are not checking their email. The project can only be completed by a single employee who is dealing with strep throat. We’ve also seen what happens when one of your teammates leaves the company, and nobody is willing or ready to take over their responsibilities.

Companies need to embrace the mentality that Manning showed this past weekend: next man up.

Instead of sulking when Phil Simms went down, the New York Giants showed that mindset when they rallied behind backup QB Jeff Hostetler to win Super Bowl XXV in 1991. The New England Patriots offered the ultimate example of this when Tom Brady took over from an injured Drew Bledsoe and led the team to the first of six Super Bowl titles.

Manning’s impressive performance on Saturday offers a powerful reminder that organizations need a deep bench and employees who are ready to step up to face challenges and assume more responsibility.

Steve Shillingford, the founder and CEO of DeepSee.ai and a member of the Forbes Technology Council, understands how a “next man up” mindset helps businesses and organizations take things to the next level.

“Whether you’re one of the largest banks in the world or a brand-new startup, getting better and going faster begins by building and galvanizing the right team. Companies must attract the right people, cultivate a breadth and depth of talent, and organize around a clear, collective vision,” advises Shillingford.

That’s something that applies to every organization, big or small. We should all try to enact a next-man-up mindset at our workplaces.

As for Manning, while he is headed back to the bench once Ewers is healthy, he was happy to get in and lead the offense against UTSA, calling it a learning experience.

“Obviously there’s a lot to improve on and grow from,” Manning told ESPN after the game, “but I’m glad I got to get in there and get hit again and feel what it’s like.”