Number twos WAKE UP!

“Behind every great leader lies an even greater enabler”

Think of all of the great leaders in our society, politicians, and chief executives. How effective are they as leaders?

But why are they great leaders – well the good ones anyway?

Is it to do with their knowledge? Probably. What about their skills? Possibly. How about personality? Definitely. But what differentiates a good leader from a great leader?

I believe it is their number two, the person who enables them to lead well.

So who are these number twos?

A number two is the right hand man or woman of the leader. It could be an assistant leader, a personal assistant or a wife/husband. What these number two’s may not be aware of is their own potential and power.

Number twos are commonly defined by someone else’s role: their boss’s, their partner's. Although they have immense power, they are not always recognised as individuals within their own right.

If we consider the potential of a leader to lead: a good leader will rely on his own skills, his own effectiveness and his ability to motivate the performance of his followers. A great leader will increase the overall level of his effectiveness by delegating whatever he can to a partner. A brilliant leader will not have to delegate, he will have a number two who will proactively remove any responsibilities from the leader which prevent him from being greater than 100% effective! With the added bonus that he gains the recognition for his success.

Another interesting factor of the number two is their potential for remaining in the shadow. They never lead, but always enable the leader to lead in the most effective way possible.

So what skills has the number two? More or less than those of the leader?

As an assistant manager, PA or wife, the number two’s value is rarely commensurate with their effectiveness or unperceived power. How rare is an animal whose number one concern is the success of another (leaving parenthood aside for a moment!). A leader’s main priority is to lead. A number two’s is to enable the leader to be a great leader by proving support, fielding and prioritising demands on that leader, proactively solving problems before they arise, managing the time of both the leader and themselves, championing and protecting the reputation of the leader, and fielding the day-to-day issues to determine which should reach the leader, which can be resolved without the leader and which can be ignored. So a number two can in effect have the stress of a key decision maker, without the glory of being recognised for it.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to find out:

1. How many leaders appreciate the effectiveness of their number two’s contribution to their own overall success?

2. How much are number two’s recognised and rewarded within corporate cultures?

3. How many number two’s appreciate and value their current skills and their massive potential.

4. How many organisations realise the potential of these number two’s and allow them to exploit it for the benefit of themselves and the organisation?

If you are one of these number two’s what are you doing about your potential? Because in reality you aren’t only a wife/husband, a PA or an assistant manager – you are much, much, more.

Copyright Lynn Shaw 2005. Not to be republished without express permission of the author and references to Win At Life.