It Takes 2: Who Is Helping You Lead?

Knowing the answers to these questions is important for you to determine what type of leader you’re following, because as a 2, your ultimate goal is to complement the 1s, providing help in the areas where they may be weak or covering areas they don’t want to cover. If you aren’t sure who your leader is and what role he or she will play, or if your leader isn’t sure, then you might not be the 2. If you’re clear on the direction and your so-called leader isn’t, then that may be a sign that you should be driving.

Second, in your role as a 2, 3, 4, or whatever your role may be, you need to know who you are. William Shakespeare said, “To thine own self be true.” You will need to find out who you are and what God called and purposed you to do before you can successfully work in your role as a supportive leader. By understanding your unique gift mixes and personality traits, you can better understand how God made you. If you’re still trying to explore who you are, complete a spiritual gifts assessment and personality test to help give you better insight.

When I was called to serve my first pastor in 1999, I asked God to help me understand the role I was being called to and to discover what biblical character most related to my role. God took me on a journey that led me to read about Joseph. Once I saw his life—not just when he was the prime minister of Egypt, but his entire life journey—then it resonated with me. He was a dreamer that God turned into an interpreter. I saw character traits, gift mixes, and personalities in him that matched my own. Then I saw his ability to interpret others’ dreams and to help make their lives easier.

The name Joseph means “to add” or “to bring increase,” so I thought I had it. But then God said, “No, study all the Josephs in the Bible.” I read about Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. Another Joseph, Joseph of Arimathea, was a rich man who loaned the tomb that Jesus was buried in. The last Joseph in the Bible is Barnabas, the “son of encouragement.” He was a generous man who sold his property and laid it at the church leaders’ feet so that the mission could continue.

God showed me that there was a common thread running through all of the biblical Josephs. They were willing to come alongside others and give up their gifts and talents to help increase someone else’s. They didn’t need the spotlight. They were comfortable playing the background and riding in the second chariot. They led from their spot and made a major impact for the kingdom of God.

That was my journey. You may find people in your field who can serve as a compass for your path, but I encourage all Christian leaders to read Scripture and consider the biblical characters to whom they can relate. There are many executive support people in the Bible, including Eve, Joseph (Jacob’s son), Aaron, Hur, Joshua, Jonathan, Joab, Nathan, Deborah, Daniel, John the Baptist, Peter, Barnabas, Timothy, and Priscilla and Aquila, just to name a few.

As I was preparing to write this book, I searched the Bible and identified key 2s and executive support staff persons, the qualities that made them special, their spiritual gifts, their personality traits, and the type of 2men they were. The profile of key 2s developed from my research is available for free at www.2mansupport.com, but I encourage you to take time to study these persons and discover which characters you most closely relate to. Understanding these biblical characters has helped me to relate to them and have some form of identity in how God wanted to use me to help my #1.

In his book Consiglieri: Leading From the Shadows, Dr. Richard Hytner says there are various roles that a 2man (or a “C,” as he calls it) plays: Lodestones, Educators, Anchors, and Deliverers. I conceptually agree with these categories and the outcomes that these roles define. Hytner also says, “There are four feelings that we should make our leader feel: liberated (Lodestones), enlightened (Educators), authentic (Anchors), and decisive (Deliverers).”1

For the sake of this book, I am going to use a similar concept but change the names of these roles to Armor-Bearer, Consultant, Friend, and Executioner. I am also going to add the roles of Interpreter, Partner, and Successor. As a 2, you may find that you cross over into more than one of these roles as the need arises. But for the most part, 2men bend in one of these directions as a default to their gift mix or dependent on the type of 1s they work with and what the circumstances were at the time they assumed the role.

The Armor-Bearer is one who brings relief and lightens the load for his or her #1. Terry Nance’s book God’s Armor Bearer: Serving God’s Leaders is the best resource ever written on this role. I would do this role an injustice in trying to describe it when he has done such a marvelous job, so I recommend that you stop reading now and order his book.

When most people hear the term armor-bearer, they think of the person at church carrying their pastor’s Bible and driving him around. Or they think of a personal assistant in the corporate world who serves as an administrative assistant but who doubles as a nanny or a house-sitter as well. Because the focus of this book is on 2men executives, I am not referring to those roles, even though a 2man may do all of that at times. Instead, my focus on the role of Armor-Bearer is on how he or she brings relief or lightens the load for a 1.

An Armor-Bearer looks at the projects the 1 has and asks to handle some of them so the leader can focus on the things that only leaders can do. Armor-Bearers say, “I can handle that meeting for you. I will make that call. Let me deal with that unproductive staff member or disrespectful client.”

The Consultant is one who advises a leader on decisions. Discussion of this role is the essence of Richard Hytner’s book Consiglieri: Leading From the Shadows. When most people think of the term consigliere (singular), they think of the term made popular in the movie trilogy The Godfather. In the mafia, the consigliere, or “counselor,” is the man who advises the mob boss, sits in on meetings, and negotiates deals on the boss’s behalf. The consigliere is not considered a threat to the boss’s position because he serves to gain his boss’s best interests through his role as chancellor or counselor.

In the same way, a Consultant is not a yes-man but is often the only person who is able to challenge a leader’s decisions and play devil’s advocate to make sure the best decisions are made for the organization. This role can be seen in the biblical personalities of Priscilla and Aquila. They brought pastors into their home and served as consultants to advise them on how to properly handle the Word of God. The Christian preacher Apollos and the apostle Paul were a few of those who benefited from their work.

The Friend is the 2man who serves as a trusted confidant and friend. One of the clearest illustrations of a Friend can be found in the relationship between the biblical Jonathan and David. Jonathan was the son of King Saul and heir apparent to the throne by birth. Although he was next in line to become a 1, he befriended a young man named David, who at the time served as an armor-bearer to the king.

We see a few qualities in Jonathan’s relationship with David that may apply to the role of a 2. First, Jonathan looked out for his #1 despite the odds. He was willing to spare his own job security in order to secure David’s well-being. Second, David could confide in his #2 about anything and trust that his secrets would go to the grave. Third, Jonathan loved David as if he were his own flesh and blood. Finally, Jonathan made his friend’s success his top priority, even at the risk of not being as successful himself.

Of all the roles I’m listing in this book, I identify most closely with that of Executioner, and I think that all the leaders under whom I have served would agree. I learned my role from trial and error and much practice, and I honestly believe God anointed me for it.

An Executioner’s job is to execute strategies developed by the 1, and he or she typically takes responsibility for delivering results on a day-to-day basis. As an Executioner, I like to describe my role in two ways: I execute the vision of my leader, and I execute all resistance to that vision. Like Hytner’s “Deliverer,” I know when to set the ambiance in the room so my leader can feed off my energy and thrive. I know when to be a fixer who is not concerned about how others feel but who is there to lay the hatchet down and remove the bodies that stand in resistance.

On many occasions, I am the one...