Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nathan Young. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nathan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

At the heart of How to Be Second is a story not just about defining a role but about understanding and embracing a profound aspect of identity. It’s about recognizing that being ‘Second’ is less about the rank and more about the distinctive value and fulfillment derived from supporting, guiding, and amplifying the efforts and visions of others.

The mission behind How to Be Second springs from my personal journey, where I’ve discovered that my most rewarding moments come not from standing in the spotlight, but from being the one holding it steady. It’s a realization that the essence of leadership isn’t always about being at the forefront; sometimes, it’s about being the keystone that ensures the arch stands tall and strong.

This realization was both liberating and daunting. Liberating, because it clarified my purpose and the kind of impact I want to make. Daunting, because embracing this identity challenges conventional narratives around success and leadership. Yet, it’s a mission that resonates deeply with me, as it underscores the importance of roles that are often undervalued or misunderstood in traditional leadership paradigms.

Why is this mission meaningful to me? Because it’s about giving voice and value to the unseen and uncelebrated. It’s about advocating for the power of support, the strength of collaboration, and the beauty of finding fulfillment in the success of others. It’s a mission that champions the notion that being ‘Second’ isn’t a consolation prize but a chosen path for impactful, purpose-driven leadership.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Nathan, and my journey to establishing How to Be Second as an organization is both personal and professional. It’s the culmination of years spent in the trenches of various leadership roles, experiencing firsthand the dynamics between Firsts in Command and the integral support players who make the visions of those FiCs a reality. I unpack my story much better in the book I think, since my editor got her hands on that and helped me tell it all with clarity, but I’ll try again here!
All my life, I’ve found myself gravitating towards positions that supported leaders at the top levels of authority, whether those were division leaders or CEOs or even Pastors.
Whether as a COO, an advisor, a right-hand person, or even as a drummer, I thrived in translating big ideas into actionable strategies, creating harmony within teams, and ensuring the engine of the organization ran smoothly. This knack for being the “glue” or “the keeper of the bear” led me to a deeper exploration of Second in Command type roles and their critical (and often overlooked) value.
How to be Second started out as just writing a book as a means to learn how to be a great COO/Integrator/General Manager/Everythinger/whatever you want to call those roles. It evolved into a discovery and exploration of the type of PERSON who seems to gravitate into those roles. We call them “Seconds”, and it’s become an Identity rather than a role, and it absolutely does not mean “coming in second”.
After publishing the book and getting a shocking amount of response from people resonating with the message, people finishing the book in a single day from non-stop reading and people literally crying while they read it, I was convinced that How to Be Second could do more work for this community of people who were identifying themselves as “Seconds.”
Where we are today is completely focused on that – Our Mission, our WHY, is to Champion and Support Seconds.
We help Seconds understand who they are, how that’s valuable, and how it’s THEIR responsibility to own that… then we point Seconds in the direction of resources and tools so they can take the next step, some of which are things we’ve developed.
Some things I’d love to be true by 2027 are that H2B2 (what we in the community call How to be Second) is the place Seconds can reliably find community BEYOND the confines of a particular role – it is not exclusively for those who are currently in the Integrator or COO seats; you could be in the CEO seat, or NO seat. It is not for business, it’s for people, specifically for those who identify as “Seconds”, the person.

H2B2 is the FIRST place people think to point Seconds towards, and the first place a Second SHOULD go, when considering how to find their next job.

H2B2 consistently gets the feedback that it helped a Second to own their value and clearly explain it to others, professionally and personally.
Services We Provide
Everything we’re building out to provide at How to be Second is aligned with our mission, so we have some free resources and some paid services:
Some things we do for Organizations are:
MatchMaking: This is fundamentally different than Recruiting or being a Search firm, we really are positioning ourselves as elite matchmakers. Both the organization AND the Second we’re placing pay us – they are BOTH our clients. We’re vetting on both sides to see whether the relationship is a good fit, and we’re not delivering a standard hiring process either – we’re facilitating relationship building. We’ll expect you to go out to lunch and TopGolf together, not do a panel interview.
Organizational Awareness Workshops: Tailored sessions for companies that focus on explaining what Seconds are, how the company probably already has several “Seconds” within the ranks, and how to recognize and optimize their collaboration and deployment. Seconds make incredible generalists, managers, and systems creators.
Operating Model Installation/Refinement: Often Firsts and Seconds don’t know how to get on the same page on how the machine of the organization works, and they need someone to come in from the outside who does know how all of those systems and components work, and facilitate them through building that operating model out. Almost ANY Second can run an operating model once it exists, they’re just not all trained on what they are or how to create one. (And it’s typically a bad idea for the internal Second/Second in Command to try and sit in the facilitator seat – natural conflict of interest)
And Some things we do for Seconds more specifically are:
How to be Second – The Book : Helps you understand if you’re a “Second” by identity, and which of the (two) types of Seconds we’ve identified. Helps you understand your value as a person beyond the role, and which specific types of issues you might encounter inside teams based on the core of who you are. (Available in all forms)
Coaching for Seconds: Personalized coaching for Seconds to refine their leadership style, strategic thinking, and problem-solving capabilities, and for Firsts to understand how to best empower and leverage the strengths of their Seconds.
How to be Second – The Email & Community : I send out a weekly email for the H2B2 community for Seconds and those who want to understand them more.

How to be Second – Monthly Meetups: Seconds gather together once a month to talk about something relevant for Seconds, with Seconds, and get to know fellow Seconds. It’s about community, not the job. (In March, we’re talking about operating models like EOS and many Others)

We have other things in the works like our recently launched BROAD workshop centered on Finance, which we have scheduled next for June of 2024 and we expect to build out even more BROAD Workshops.
Solving Core Problems
For Seconds, the primary challenges often revolve around recognition, role clarity, and professional development tailored to their unique position. We address these by providing a platform for advocacy, tools for effective leadership and influence, and strategies for career growth within their archetype.
For Firsts, understanding how to effectively partner with, empower, and leverage their Seconds can be elusive. Our services help Firsts appreciate the value of their Seconds, communicate effectively, and establish a leadership rhythm that magnifies their combined impact.
What Sets Us Apart
Something that differentiates How to Be Second, aside from our radical focus on the Identity and not the role (which is already pretty substantially different) is our foundational belief in the power and potential of supportive leadership roles.
We use the word “Followership” as something to be championed and as Seconds, we take our followership seriously; we believe it’s a superpower. Our approach is rooted in real-world experience, empathy, and a deep understanding of the subtleties that define successful leadership duos.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

The community we serve value those who have done the work, and also people who recognize that they don’t know what they don’t know. (Since no one knows everything) Seconds take our work and offerings seriously because I’ve lived in their role myself, as well as my co-author, and of course because we’ve published a book that speaks to them. Aside from that, everything we talk about, we do so in partnership with the community, not just as experts. In our Monthly Meetups, half of the time is focused on Q&A throughout the community, not just on a talking head.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

We’re really still just getting started, but it’s obvious that our dedication to picking a specific people to serve, picking a lane for our own services, and then building partnerships, is working. People have a pretty easy time picking up on the flavor of “Seconds” and whether someone is talking about “Needing a Second” or needing a right hand, and it’s already easy for them to point people to us for matchmaking or whatever. Someone says “I need processes and someone to do all of that stuff in my business” and our friends and partners go “Oh, you should talk to Nathan at How to be Second, they can help you.”

Just being crystal clear about who and how we serve (including narrowing it down) is at once terrifying, and it’s been like stepping on a gas pedal, it seems.

Contact Info:

• Website: howtobesecond.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-s-young/