How to be a Great Sidekick to a Leader
Calling someone a sidekick seems like a diss.
I would argue that it’s the exact opposite.
When you really understand the sidekick’s role in a project, you’ll see they are a different type of leader.
They are mastering a different type of skill.
For you to go forward in life, you need to control your ego.
Learn how to take second place so you can win first place.
Why The Sidekick Exists
Every now and then, there will be a project where something means way more to one person than another person.
We saw this a lot in school.
When the students assemble for a group project, one student clearly seems the most interested.
They are taking up the role of the leader.
This student is:
- Emotionally intelligent.
- Knowledgeable in the field.
- Gives clear & concise instructions.
If all the other students followed this student’s lead, then the project would go smoothly.
Unfortunately, there is one unruly student in the group.
This unruly student raises the concern of who should be the leader.
The unruly person wonders why this group member automatically appointed himself as the leader.
So, the unruly person begins making a fuss.
It would be one thing if the person making the fuss was equally qualified to lead or saw someone who was equally qualified.
But that’s not the case.
This guy just wants to make a fuss for title reasons.
He has an ego attachment to the “leader” label.
Now the whole group is in disarray.
What could’ve been a smooth project experience turns into a bumpy one.
How to be a Great Sidekick
In the group project scenario, it would have been wise of the unruly member to acknowledge:
‘This project seems way more important to the self-proclaimed leader than me. He’s taking initiatives that I’m too lazy to take. I will be his sidekick.’
This is the first step to be a great sidekick:
- Acknowledge your role.
Play your position homie!
The next step is to ask the leader:
- ‘What do you need from me to make your life easier?’
The leader will give a series of action items.
A lot of times, when we take up the role of a sidekick, we will get action items that we like doing.
When we try to force ourselves to be the leader, we’ll get action items that we are not congruent with.
Just like that, synergy is born.
The leader gets to do the tasks that he wants to do.
- Solve the big problems, organize the team, and review the progress.
You get to do the tasks that you want to do.
- Create a GroupMe, create a PowerPoint, and present the PowerPoint.
Famous Example of a Leader & Sidekick
One of the best examples of a leader and sidekick dynamic was with Bill Gates and Steve Balmer.
Bill Gates was the CEO & founder of Microsoft.
He was a software engineering prodigy and business mogul.
As he scaled his company, he became stressed.
One part of the job that he hated was managing people.
Each hour managing people was each hour spent away from coding.
Steve Balmer was fresh out of an MBA.
When he came to Microsoft, he immediately acknowledged his role as a sidekick.
He wasn’t trying to one-up the Bill Gates.
Once Steve acknowledged his role as a sidekick, he asked Bill:
‘What do you need from me to make your life easier?’
Bill responded, ‘Manage people.’
This was music to Steve’s ears!
He was an extrovert who loved managing people.
Suddenly, a synergistic relationship was born.
Imagine if Steve was secretly conspiring to outdo Bill Gates in coding.
Would that have been smart?
Heck no!
Steve wasn’t a coder, while Bill Gates was a prodigy.
Why compete with the man when you can work with him?
Steve adopted the role as a sidekick and made history with Bill Gates.
Steve became one of the rare few men in history who became a billionaire while working a 9-5 job.
Avoid the Following Mistake
If someone shows the maturity to be a sidekick to you, avoid calling them a sidekick.
Something about the phrase “sidekick” makes someone feel small.
It’s wiser to call them an “amplifier.”
The amplifier is an electrical engineering component.
In electrical engineering, the more powerful devices are way more expensive.
So, the electrical engineer gets electricity running through a system.
When the electricity is on, they amplify it with the amplifier.
The amplifier makes the device way more powerful while saving a lot of money.
In this case, the electricity is the leader.
Without it, nothing happens.
The amplifier is the sidekick.
- It turns a house into a home.
- Ingredients into a meal.
- Raw electricity into a harmonic music experience.
Plus, an amplifier sounds like an empowering phrase.
When acknowledging someone’s hard work in relation to your life, say:
‘You are the ultimate amplifier. You turn me from a 1x being into a 10x one.’
They will feel proud.
Don’t Make This an Ego Issue
Just because you’re a sidekick in one part of your life doesn’t mean you’re not a leader in another part of your life.
- The guy who is a sidekick at work may be a boss at home.
- The wife who is a sidekick to her husband, is a boss with her kids.
- The kids who are sidekicks to their mom are leaders at school.
If you can understand your role and fully embrace it, then the entire transaction will be a net positive.
It’s fine when we are competing with those who are in a different team than us.
But it’s a big mistake when we compete with those who are on the same team as us!
Play your position.
There is nothing wrong with being a sidekick.
Know when to take a step back, so you can propel forward.
If you enjoyed this talk, then be sure to get more insights into social skills in my book, Charisma King
– ArmaniTalks 
