Leading from the Second Chair
Book Review
Leading from the Second Chair: Serving Your Church, Fulfilling Your Role, and Realizing Your Dreams by Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson
Warren Schuh
Many capable, idealistic, servant-minded people find
themselves in "second chair" management and leadership roles within
Christian organizations and churches across the country. For many, this
is a positive, fulfilling experience while for others it is frustrating
and sometimes even painful.
Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson have done Christian leaders everywhere a
real service by identifying the factors that can make the difference
between frustration and fulfillment for "second chair" managers and
leaders. At the same time, they have provided significant insight for
all who occupy the "first chair" and those who report to "second chair"
leaders. Teams will be stronger and more effective if they understand
the principles identified in this book.
So what is a "second chair" leader anyway? This book defines the role
this way: "A second chair leader is a person in a subordinate role
whose influence with others adds value throughout the organization."
This is a person who reports to someone else occupying the first chair
and is therefore in a subordinate role. But it's a role that in the
context of team significantly influences the overall organization. The
resulting value added by the second chair makes the organization much
better than it otherwise would be.
Through multiple interviews with second chair leaders around the
country, Bonem and Patterson identified three significant paradoxes that
all second chair leaders must understand and learn to balance.
Paradox I: Subordinate - Leader
"The subordinate-leader paradox is challenging to successfully balance
because it is relationally intensive and partially dependent on another
person: your first chair. It deals with how you as a leader are
interfacing with and following the lead of your senior leader. Some
first chairs are a pleasure to work with, and some are not. Some are
concerned about the personal lives and careers of their subordinates,
and others seem detached or self-absorbed. Some give their second chairs
ample room to lead while others are much more controlling. At the end of
the day, the second chair can do little to change the first chair. A
second chair leader's most valuable tool for promoting change is his or
her own attitudes and actions.
This does not mean that the second chair is to be a mindless robot,
obeying whatever commands the first chair issues. Second chairs are
leaders. Our definition makes it clear they are not content to sit back
and wait for someone else to take action. This is the tension of the
paradox. It is not easy to be a subordinate and a leader. We recognize
that some circumstances may not allow a second chair to lead at all. But
in most circumstances, you can discover the genius of the and as a
subordinate and a leader." (quote from page 25)
Paradox II: Deep - Wide
"Second chair leaders live in the deep-wide paradox every day. They have no choice. Their role requires them to see the big picture and make decisions that affect the entire organization. It frequently requires them to delve into the details to solve a problem in some part of the organization, or to launch a new ministry. They move from strategic planning meeting to analysis of why one department is over budget, from a discussion about the church's spiritual maturity to recruiting additional small-group leaders. If a first chair is not well versed in details, it is excused because he or she is the 'visionary leader', a big-picture person. But if a second chair misses either end of the deep-wide continuum, the person's performance might be considered 'in need of improvement'." (quote from page 67)
Paradox III: Contentment - Dreaming
"The third paradox, contentment-dreaming, reaches deep inside each of
us. It stirs up a restless tension in our souls. It makes us wonder if
it is possible to dream great dreams and be content at the same time.
Some people escape from this tension by running to one end of the
paradox or the other. One person might be pushed beyond contentment to
complacency, thinking that dreams are only for dreamers or first chair
leaders who can control their future. Another person is wound tighter
than a spring, intent on seeing her dreams realized now! Yet another
tries to mentally escape from his current reality, spending all of his
time dreaming about the future rather than dealing in the present.
Effective second chair leaders understand and live with the tension of
contentment-dreaming. They know they must avoid these traps. Rather than
crumpling in the tension, they let it drive them toward God, toward a
determination to capture the impossible dreams that He has given them
for their own lives and their ministry." (quote from page 117)
Just knowing that these paradoxes exist and are common to all second
chair leaders is extremely helpful. But learning to live joyfully in
these tensions on a day to day basis is the key to fulfillment in a
second chair role. And the first chair leader who learns to appreciate
the tensions her second chair leader deals with will become the better
leader for it.
Bonem and Patterson are not Pollyannaish about second chair leadership
tenure. It is clear that not all first chair/second chair relationships
are ideal fits. The two must complement each other in order for a strong
team to develop. When there is a change in first chair leadership there
is often a need to evaluate the effectiveness of the match between the
first and second chair leaders. This book provides helpful and wise
counsel to second chair leaders who find themselves in the place of
evaluating whether or not they are the right complement to the new first
chair leader.
While second chair roles have existed in churches and Christian
organizations for a long time, specific help and guidance for those in
this role has been scarce. Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson have provided
significant insight in this new Jossey-Bass release.
Four Instructive Choices made by Second Chair Leader, Joseph
The Old Testament personality, Joseph, became a model of second
chair leadership. In the face of extremely negative circumstances,
Joseph made choices that maximized his God-given talents and abilities.
He served with excellence in every context.
If you want to be a person whose influence with others adds value
throughout the organization, consider these four specific choices:
Choice One: Put on Leadership LensesNo matter what the challenge, step back and look at every problem or
opportunity through leadership lenses. This is the perspective you have
as you look at a given situation and try to see an issue as your first
chair would see it, keeping the overall needs of the organization in
mind.
Choice Two: Maximize Major Opportunities
Much of a second chair's time is spent on routine activities: things
that have to be done, week in and week out. Less frequently, unique
opportunities will arise that will stretch the second chair leader and
can have tremendous benefit for the organization. You may be able to see
these opportunities coming, or they might sneak up without warning. Be
prepared to recognize and act on those unique moments that can shape you
and set you apart as a second chair leader.
Choice Three: Don't Back Down from the Right Decision
Sometimes a major leadership opportunity comes our way and we are
tempted to run. The choice that a second chair must make is to pray
first for God's wisdom, and then to make the right decision, even if it
is not easy.
Choice Four: Decide to Thrive
Some people thrive in the second chair. Others only survive. The
difference is attitude. Essential attitudes for thriving second chair
leaders are submission, service, thankfulness and passion. You can have
the first three attitudes and be a good second chair leader but the
attitude of passion distinguishes you as one of the best.
(from chapter 2: pgs 19-24)
