Second Chair “Shelf Life” (Part 2)

In my previous blog, I began to explore whether second chair leaders have a “shelf life.” You may feel like you’re rapidly approaching your expiration date. But before you reach that conclusion, you should consider ways to extend your longevity. The first two (from the earlier blog) are “focus on your relationship with your first chair” and “choose to do things that give you life.” Three more life extending ideas are:

• Shed things from your “to do” list. Most second chairs are burdened with an ever-increasing list of responsibilities. Here’s a simple exercise to evaluate whether this is true for you. Make a list of all the significant responsibilities that have been added to your plate in the past year. Now make a list of any that have been removed. Compare the time requirements for the two lists.      What does this tell you? Many second chair leaders deal with this reality by either working harder or lowering their standards (e.g., “my staff doesn’t really need to spend individual time with them). The better option is to regularly review your responsibilities and either delegate or delete some.
• Reinvent your role. First chair leaders often reinvent their roles to focus on the things that best suit their gifts and passions. In contrast, second chair leaders often find their roles to be much more stagnant (other than the growing “to do” list). Or even worse, they feel that they’re getting the leftovers of whatever the first chair doesn’t want to do. While you can never fully escape this reality, why not take some initiative? Be clear about your own gifts and passions, and write your own ideal job description. Then have a conversation with your first chair about how you can move toward that ideal, including ways that other people may be able to assume some of the duties that don’t fit you well.
• Voice your concerns. Does your first chair leader know that you’re feeling stale or frustrated? Don’t assume that your concerns are obvious – talk to your first chair about them. In doing so, you may discover new solutions that you never dreamed were possible. It would be a shame for you to leave, if a simple conversation could significantly extend your shelf life.

These ideas won’t give you a “never expires” label. They don’t address some of the other factors that God may be using to point you toward the end of your current chapter. But as you reflect on this list, you may find that your shelf life is longer than you realized. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>