Second-In-Command (2ic), First in Excellence: An Organization’s Secret to Achieving Phenomenal Success

Why do some departments, divisions, and organizations soar while others struggle? Watching another team achieve the success you feel yours more rightfully deserves can be incredibly frustrating. However, they might have something you don’t: Seconds-in-Command.

Given how many Seconds-in-Command exist in the workforce, it is stunning that there are so few books about them. Organizations can and often do have more than one 2iC; large ones may have hundreds. KP Powers focuses on essential skills that individuals in these positions already possess and can enhance to become an organization’s key to achieving phenomenal success.

This book introduces the groundbreaking concept of linking multiple 2iCs to form a Second-in-Command chain. This game-changing technique increases the positive impact that 2iCs can have on organizational and leader success.

In today’s world, leaders no longer have the luxury of hiring more people to keep up with a growing workload. The labor shortage and the need to cut costs because of looming economic issues make that impractical. It makes more sense to consider a new organizational framework that includes 2iCs, thus multiplying existing team members’ contributions. This is especially critical in highly regulated fields such as higher education, finance, and health care, where the stakes and penalties are high and unforgiving.

Second-in-Command, First in Excellence invites readers to think differently about this critical role. Geared toward leaders who have or want a 2iC as well as 2iCs themselves, this book both demonstrates the value of the 2iC position and serves as a tool for professional development.

Dr. Kristina ’KP’ Powers is the Owner of KPPowers.com and President of the Institute for Effectiveness in Higher Education. Under her KPPowers.com brand, KP offers professional development programs for ambitious leaders committed to achieving phenomenal success for their organizations. She is obsessed with building on existing infrastructure to achieve phenomenal client results. Dr. Powers combines data along with information to tap into an organization’s hidden superpowers. KP has an insatiable appetite for learning, analyzing data and information, and synthesizing content for actionable success. So, it comes as no surprise that she has spent her career working in colleges and universities and higher education organizations - understanding how these complex ecosystems work, the people in them, and how to help them achieve phenomenal success.

Under the Institute for Effectiveness in Higher Education (IEHE) brand, KP focuses on elevating forward thinking that accelerates colleges and universities, primarily through collaborative efforts. For example, Dr. Powers is the founder of the Accreditation Liaison Collaborative - an online community created for accreditation liaisons by accreditation liaisons (of colleges and universities).