Second Chair Leaders
I came across an excellent site that is the companion to a book titled, “Second Chair Leaders.” It talks about the challenges we face when we are responsible for leading in an organization, yet not the top leader on the team.
There is a sample article on the site that outlines three paradoxes these “Second Chair Leaders” face:
1. Subordinate-Leader: How do you follow and lead at the same time?
2. Deep-Wide: How do you develop deep expertise in the scope of your project, but maintain a wide “big-picture” view of the organizational goals?
3. Contentment-Dreaming: How do you simultaneously live in contentment with the current direction of the organization and contribute new ideas and dreams to stimulate future growth?
I’m wrestling with these ideas myself and grateful for someone who has articulated these challenges so well. The article on the site is great, but I’m looking at ordering the book once I complete a few on my night stand…