Leading from the Second Chair
Review of Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson, Leading from the Second Chair: Serving your Church, Fulfilling your Role, and Realizing your Dreams (Jossey-Bass, 2005). I had heard much about this book before I read it, and it did not disappoint. This is a common sense and helpful approach to being a leader when you are not in the position of power and control in an institution. As an account of leadership, it recognises the leadership of an individual, is responsible in terms of the needs of the organisation and intentional in helping people to own what they are doing. As a second chair leader in two different roles within the Church, and as a former first chair leader, I found this helpful. As someone responsible for the development of clergy, I will often turn to this as a resource. Bonem and Patterson organise their reflections around three paradoxes. Each reflects some of the tension of being a leader but not being i...