Whither the Second
Banana?
sec′ond banan′a
n. Slang
1. One, such as an assistant or deputy, who is subordinate to
another.
2. One who serves as the straight man opposite the leading comedian
in a burlesque.
Does being the “Second Banana” enhance or detract from your
chances of snagging the top slot? While
“conventional wisdom” promotes the view that the second in command for an
organization is the best candidate to replace the current leader, in practice,
it’s often not the case. Sometimes,
being a “good” second banana is the reason the number two doesn’t get the top slot.
The Psychology of the Second Banana
Fact: The skill set
for a good second in command is different from the skill set of the
leader. The second definition of second
banana has applications outside of show business. A good second banana in the corporate world
is often the “straight man” to the top dog.
The second in command is the yin to the leader’s yang, and will be
called on to balance or ameliorate the top dog’s message, if it is too
controversial.
Job one for the second banana is to support the boss. The top bill only gets to innovate when he or
she has a support person, usually the second banana, tending to all the
administrivia, paperwork and staff work.
While the second banana may have to improvise in the course of getting
the mundane out of the way, it still, well, mundane.
While those above may praise the deputy as the one who
“makes things run,” or doing the “dirty work,” rarely is this acknowledgment a
factor in considering the second banana as a viable candidate for the top
position. In the cases where the second
banana is a contender for the top slot, three likely scenarios may influence
that view. Either:
- The person in the top slot
is leaving unexpectedly and management has not had time to think about a
replacement,
- Management has known the
person in the top slot is leaving, but frittered around, hoping for a
change of mind and ran out of time. Or,
- Management wants a
successor to maintain the status quo, and/or be pliant to upper management
demands.
The bottom line is the second banana brings zero innovation
to any of the above scenarios above. He
or she is getting the job not because of what they can bring to the position,
but because of their ability to keep the organization in “suspended animation,”
maintaining the status quo.
There is nothing wrong with transitional leadership, and in
cases of scenario A, and sometimes B, the second banana is more often than not
best suited to step in and provide continuity after an unexpected
departure. What the second banana must
keep in mind is transitional leadership is, well, transitional. Whatever crisis or lack of foresight that
thrust you into the job will be over sooner than later and then it’s time to
capitalize on the situation and cement your move to the top spot with a
decisive move away from the status quo.
When it comes to scenario C, read the handwriting on the
wall, update your resume and do what they tell you until land another job.
The takeaway is a deputy should devote a percentage of
effort toward innovation, independent of what the head banana may
prescribe. Spend some time examining
policy, trends and the bottom line and project what you would do if you were #1
on a regular basis. Many unprepared
second bananas get overwhelmed during leadership transitions and take
themselves out of contention for the top spot.
In the fast-paced business leadership game, having a personal plan for
succession is the key to showing management you’re more than a support player.
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