Being number two

You’re a key but not the leader

The leader–second relationship is one of the most important in an organisation. The synergy between the two can result in something greater than the sum of the parts. A lack of synergy? Disaster.

Writing and research about the second-in-charge (2IC) or second-chair role is limited, despite its importance to organisational success. But what has been published provides some key findings for the leader, the 2IC and those who appoint them.

In his 2015 MBA research project on second-chair leadership¹, Nicholous Deal notes the 2IC is “called to service an altruistic purpose through leveraging influence with the first chair and followers.” This is the key for 2IC leaders. While not necessarily having positional authority, they can have a lot of influence. Leaders play an important role here by conferring on the 2IC status within the organisation. Not doing so typically yields a negative impact on the leadership structures and relationships of the organisation.

It’s a complex task to succeed as a 2IC in part because of paradoxes noted by Bonem and Patterson² that the 2 IC must manage. These paradoxes are:

1. Subordinate–Leader: The 2IC has a significant leadership role yet is still a subordinate who must find ways to be successful as both.
2. Deep–Wide: The 2IC needs skills that have both the broad organisation-wide perspective but also can go deep in a narrow area of operations.
3. Contentment–Dreaming: The 2IC needs to be, and be seen to be, content with where they are while still maintaining a sense of a God-given calling for the future.

While balancing these paradoxes rests with the 2IC, other factors can also contribute to a successful leader–second relationship. In his PhD dissertation³, Benjamin Dow looked into the leader–second relationship and noted the following as being key to a successful relationship:

• The bigger the difference between the two leaders of their extroversion and openness, the better their combined performance.
• The bigger the difference between the two leaders of their agreeableness, the more negative their combined performance.
• Differences in the two leaders levels of expertise is not important, provided the wider senior leadership team has a range of skills to complement.

This essentially is saying introverts and extroverts complement each other, but where one leader is tolerant and trusting and the other isn’t, there is a negative impact. These are important considerations when appointing people to either the leader or 2IC roles.

Influence and relationships are key factors in the leader–second partnership, and those involved in the appointment process need to give more attention to getting the mix right.

Photograph: LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash.

1. Deal, N (2015). Is leading from the second chair a new leadership theory: Examining the theoretical underpinnings. MBA research project, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax

2. Bonem, M & Patterson, R (2005). Leading from the second chair. Josey-Bass

3. Dow, B (2019). The leader-second dyad: How complementarity and status impact collective performance. PhD dissertation, The University of Texas, Austin.