Followership and Looking Out for #2 |
A Key Differentiator for Success |
Followership is an essential element to being a highly effective and high performing organization. Healthy followership is a real, genuine employee response to healthy, sincere leadership, especially if that leadership is clear about the vision for the organization and a good plan is in place to achieve that vision.
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How a #2 makes a company #1While analyzing our most effective clients at the Big River Group, we discovered that their key differentiator was the presence of a strong and effective #2 person.
A #2 is the backbone of a business. It is the person you rely on when you cannot or do not have the personal resources to attend to business yourself. You trust and rely upon them to manage your business as if it were their own. These are the people that can:
plan
Most #2 employees stand out from day one. They ask how high they should jump and they regularly jump without being asked. They are at the office early and they stay late. They anticipate issues and develop solutions, frequently on their own time.
There is always a high demand for outstanding #2s. The economy does not affect their ability to be approached by another company. Good leaders know the importance of their second in command and they must understand what it takes to make #2 employees productive and happy – beyond a salary. |
Recent session participants had this to say:
“Information gave clear direction and tools for use to improve the results from our #2s. The Chainsaw Planning tools will assist me in many ways, and I am anxious to implement them.”
“Got a lot of good ideas, now on to get Jamie and Jeff moving forward instead of running in place. Some of the items I think can be used for individual ‘projects’ that we have coming up.”
Equipping #2s
To better understand #2s and followership, Big River staff spent hours interviewing successful #2s in business. The #2s shared what makes them happy and, more importantly, what makes them stay at their place of employment. Some of the #2s started out in the #2 position, while others naturally transitioned up due to their drive and personality.
The findings and analysis are discussed in the book Looking Out for #2. We have also developed a unique training session that helps both #2s and #1s better leverage their skill sets and influence to deliver the best results for the organization.
Looking Out For #2: Training AgendaMorning: Session for #1s on How to Work Smarter through Your #2 Lunch: #1s and #2s together Afternoon: Session for #2s on How to Get Employees To Do What You Need Them To Do When You Do Not Have the Power of the Owner or CEO
Participants are encouraged to ask questions throughout the training session. Handouts detailing every strategy, tool and research summary are distributed. |
Training DetailsHow to Work Smarter through Your #2 Who Attends: Business owners, CEOs, VPs, COOs, etc.
This session helps owners and leaders get the most out of their most important asset: their #2 employee. This is the person you rely on when you cannot attend to every facet of the business. You trust and rely upon them to manage the place as if it were their own. Participants receive information and training on:
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Leading Without all of the Power - The Art of InfluenceWho Attends: vice presidents, managers, supervisors, etc.
This session helps #2 employees learn to be the most effective leader possible for their organization. Participants discover new strategies and learn:
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