How to be successful as the second banana.

Comedians often leverage the power of the secondary role to get laughs, like Tommy Smothers did while playing the naive one compared with his brother Dick.

But being a second banana in higher education is no laughing matter. Whether you find yourself in the job that you've always coveted, or are simply using it as a steppingstone to bigger things, the role of second-in-command brings a variety of challenges and opportunities.

Dr. Penelope Walters Swenson, associate professor and coordinator of curriculum and instruction in the school of education at California State University Bakersfield, offered some life lessons learned as a second banana at the Women in Educational Leadership held in at the University of Nebraska in September 2002.

Second chair, not second best

Swenson has been on both sides of the fence. She's currently a professor supporting her department chair as a program coordinator. Previously she was assistant superintendent in a K-12 school district for 15 years, director of a school within a psychiatric hospital for adolescents, and principal of both middle and high schools.

As a high school principal, Swenson worked with a vice-principal who had competed for her position and lost, whom she credits with teaching her some valuable lessons about occupying the second chair.

Playing second chair doesn't mean you're second best. The metaphor of a dance best describes the relationship between the top two positions. There's a leader and a follower. Positions can change depending upon the activity; both parties need to tango.