Operations Unpacked: Nathan Young on How To Be Second
🎙️Episode 9 of Operations Unpacked is a transatlantic extravaganza all about How to Be Second! 🎙️
Thanks to the magic of the LinkedIn algorithm, I discovered Nathan Young, David Hartman, Ph.D. NCC, and their brilliant book “How to Be Second”. I was hooked from the start, even taking the book into the pool on holiday because I simply could not put it down 🏊 It’s a book that helped me learn more about myself; a book I wish I’d written ✍
Although being a Second is rare - around 4% of the general population - my hunch is that a lot of us reside in operational roles owing to our traits: notably having a high willingness to serve, possessing the ability to spot what’s missing, and wanting to get things built.
For this reason, I knew I had to get Nathan onto Operations Unpacked to ask him all the burning questions I had stored up, alongside those from fellow co-host and CISI Operations Forum member Rachel Clark Chartered MCSI. In a quick 60 minutes we covered:
🤵♀️ What a ‘Second’ is and how it feels like slipping on a bespoke jacket made just for you
👬 The two types of Seconds, their traits, similarities, and differences
🙏 The concept of followership and the distinction between healthy and unhealthy followership
🏗️ The distinction between risk aversion and change aversion. Seconds LOVE change – we build things all the time. Uncertainty? Not so much!
📖 Resources people can explore to learn more about Seconds, such as the H2B2 assessment
💎 The rarity of Seconds and the impossibility of becoming one
🥳 Why Seconds aren’t more celebrated – and why they should be!
✨ How Seconds can double down and get better at being themselves
🐶 Examples of Seconds – my favourite being Gromit
Massive thanks to Nathan for taking part in this episode all the way from Minnesota, while I sat in the Surrey Hills and with Rachel in Glasgow. Don't you just love technology?! We would love to hear from other operations professionals from around the world, so do get in touch with me if you’d like to feature on the pod 🌍
🎧 Listen now: this podcast is available on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and CISI.TV. You'll find the links in the comments.
🚀 We’ve got a whole host of brilliant episodes in the pipeline including Exam Preparation, Data Integrity, and the role of Non-Executive Directors.
❓Do you have any operational topics you'd like us to unpack? Send me a DM...
✨Creator credits✨
Presenters: Victoria Sena and Rachel Clark Chartered MCSI
Editor: Ollie Murphy
Platform: The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (The CISI)
---
👋 I'm Victoria Sena, Founder of Cherrybank Consulting and host of the CISI's Operations Unpacked podcast. I simplify the complicated, get stuff done, and support start-ups and scale-ups as a consultant and Non-Exec.
🎧 Listen now: