The Healthy Workplace Nudge

Chapter 16Starting a Movement: How Second-Chair Leadership Can Change a Company

Are you paralyzed with fear? That's a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.

—Steven Pressfield

Most of us sit in “second chairs.” We're not in control, not looking for trouble, and don't want to create waves. Most second chairs just want to do a good job and make a living. Second chairs provide safety and predictability. But, when circumstances disrupt that predictability, they often have the best vantage point for viewing the grand adventure coming down the road.

Some who sit in second chairs often imagine, what if? They watch, wait, pay attention, and listen. And we've all seen it happen: at the right time, in the right place, the known world (or an unknown one) will call him or her to a first chair. If she has not been paying attention, she'll miss the call. If he has not been dreaming, he won't see the opportunity.

How to Start a Movement Without Permission

The hashtag #MeToo disrupted the social universe on October 15, 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano posted this request on Twitter: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too.’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

New technology, an army of volunteers, and the historic moment created a spark ...