I begin most of my mornings writing comments to Tracy Reynolds and reading comments from him. Though miles apart, our early thoughts and words draw us together. Thoughts and words can do that.
In Second Chair Leadership: Thriving from Where You Sit in the Organization, Tracy Reynolds offers his thoughts and words to you, to me, to us. And they draw us all together.
Haven’t we all sat in the second chair in some season of our lives? Don’t we each have a boss? Whatever our role or title, wherever we serve, someone somewhere is there to guide our journeys. How we respond to those leaders can help us lead well from our chairs of opportunities and responsibilities.
We might not hold a title. We might not be applauded. We might not get recognized.
But Tracy—through his lifestyle, his friendship, and his wonderful words in this book—reminds us how to live without titles or applause or recognition. He reminds us that it is not uncommon for the better players to be hidden lower in the section. He argues that the best first chair leaders realize that none of us are as smart as all of us.
Tracy believes part of the frustration in leading from second chair is the realization that we cannot control many of the issues that contribute to organizational health or dysfunction. He contends that what we can control, however, is our mindset and our attitude.
I hope we allow Tracy’s words to lead us into a better life, whatever our role.
I thank Tracy for living that way. I thank him for writing this book. I thank him for being my friend.
