How to be an effective deputy without seeming over-anxious to replace the boss

Good practice demands that a leader appoints one or more deputies. A deputy is the “principal assistant of the top dog, and their role is not only to carry out the duties their boss delegates to them but to be “a bullet away” from taking over in the event of him or her no longer being available.

All very logical and reasonable. But too often the relationship between a chief and their deputy is filled with tension.

Their styles may not only be different but incompatible; one or the other may be too casual with sharing information, or even downright possessive of it; and most serious of all, the deputy may be in a very great hurry to succeed their senior.

As I’ve been reflecting on the subject of being a deputy, I have realised that just about all of us has been one at some time in our careers. And it’s rare that it’s been the best of times.

There are so many areas of possible differences: it can be over the vision and values of the organisation; over how the two approach customers, staff and others; over differing appetites for risk; over the extent to which they believe systems and processes are necessary; or over other irritating incompatibilities.

One may be punctual, the other always late; one may like to joke, the other to be serious; one to lead an organised and predictable life, the other naturally more impulsive and intuitive.

A further challenge for the deputy can arise from the fact that as they are so close to the centre of power others can easily imagine they have more power than they actually do, and more access to resources than is the case.

They can also be seen as the bottleneck to reaching the highest level. Then, in some situations it is assumed that the word “deputy” is enough for the person to know what their job entails.

Yet unless they are allocated a specific range of duties, with specified expected results for which they are accountable, they can end up being little more than glorified personal assistants, at the daily beck and call of their masters.

The bigger challenge to align lies with the deputy, and this calls for great patience and tolerance on their part. The Number Two must grin and bear it, showing a common stance with Number One, both internally and externally.

The deputy must develop the strength to handle the frustrations that come with the role, knowing that the less others know about their problems the better. You can’t be seen as a moaner, however much there may be to moan about.

The best that can be said is what I recently heard a wise elder advise: do unto your boss what, when you reach that position, you will wish your deputy to do unto you.

Perhaps the biggest frustration comes from often having to hold back. For if you shine too much, if you are seen to be getting more credit than the one for whom you are deputising, you’ll most likely find yourself in hot water.

Deputies who do well — and for sure such cases exist —have managed to carve out meaningful roles that complement those of their bosses.

Each is doing what they’re best at, within a trusting and mutually supportive relationship and in support of a common vision. They give each other space; they protect and inform each other; and they share credit and blame equally.

They respect each other, even if they do not always agree; and they live with a decision once it has been made. Oh, and the boss does not over-rule a decision made by the deputy — never mind without consulting before doing so.

It is in politics that the plight of the deputy is at its most precarious, as we have seen with most vice-presidents — whether in America or Kenya.

In an American President’s first term, the prospect of their deputy challenging them next time round can make them ensure the holder of that position has little of substance to do. And even in a second term they are so concerned with building a personal legacy that again the deputy is forced into the shadows.

The very fact of regular competitive elections, in which only the utterly determined and ambitious engage, implies tension between political leaders and their deputies.

Perhaps the most vivid example from recent history of a deputy being after the job of their boss is that of Britain’s Gordon Brown, who for years plotted to displace his Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Brown became increasingly convinced that his turn had come to occupy the highest office in the land, as a result of which his pairing with Blair became utterly dysfunctional.

Brown’s impatient and ostentatious ambitiousness was unambiguously bad for his personal brand. Never mind that when he finally became Prime Minister he turned out to be quite unsuited for the job.

While it can be argued that he was a very successful Finance Minister, history shows that when he was put to the ultimate test of leadership he was found to be sadly wanting.

Brown provides a sobering lesson for deputies who are over-anxious to replace their bosses: however successful and celebrated you may be as the deputy, do not automatically assume you will shine equally once you have climbed that final rung of the ladder.

My wish is that this reflection on deputies provides equal food for thought, both to those in that often unenviable position and to those whose deputies they are.

Let it give each the inclination to sit and talk about how their partnership can work better, to the benefit of both.
   By Mike Eldon,