Why Playing second fiddle is so crucial for success?

There is a famous proverb that “there is a woman behind the success of every man”. What does this mean? In simple terms it means that to achieve any goal what one requires is a good and selfless subordinate. Successful people pick their parents, better-half, fiancée, lover and so on as the reason for their success. Given below are some examples (both from History as well as mythology) where people achieved stupendous success because of the role played by selfless subordinates-
1) Lord Ram was ably supported by his brother Lashman and Hanuman in his conquest of Ravan in Ramayana.
2) Pandavas were guided and goaded by Lord Srikrishna in their fight with Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war in Mahabharata.
3) Chandragupta Maurya was guided and supported by his able minister Chanakya in his fight with Nandas and the subsequent establishment of Mauryan Empire.
4) Akbar was able to stabilize his rule after securing it from a group of warring nobles due to the able support of his mentor Bairam Khan.
5) Chatrapathi Shivaji drew inspiration and the trait of fearlessness from his mother Jijibai.
6) Srikrishnadevaraya defied several attacks from Bahmani kingdoms and Gajapati rulers due to the timely interactions of his minister Timmarusu.
7) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, was able to unite the country into one nation at the time of Independence from a group of 525 princely states and British ruled territories due to the untiring efforts of his Home Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
8) Cricket matches were won like in the case of India versus Australia match in Kolkata in 2001, when Rahul Dravid deliberately played second fiddle to a rampaging V.V.S.Laxman which finally turned out be an epic encounter and Indian victory.
9) The India versus Germany hockey match in Germany was another example where India was trailing behind Germany 1-5 and Pargat Singh, the Indian back, after defending the Indian defense valiantly for some time, launched himself into an attacking mode and scored a goal by dribbling it from his position in the back, which finally inspired the Indians to first equal and then overhaul Germany.

The list will go on but the most important thing to understand from the above examples is that when any project is sought to be completed successfully then someone has to play the second fiddle invariably. It is not that people will themselves volunteer to play second fiddle. It is either the circumstances or the role defined in the job or willingness of a superior to deliberately play the second fiddle in the best interests of the organization that will catapult any person to play the second fiddle. Therefore playing second fiddle is important for the successful completion of any project because
1) It ensures the timely achievement of the stated goals.
2) The jobs will be done with clinical precision as there will be two complementing heads thinking about a single task in unison.
3) Any thing in the universe needs a spark to ignite. So even though the mind is exceedingly sharp and intelligent it needs a spark or a catalyst to kick start the thinking process and widen the horizon and this can be done only with the help of a trusted confidante who is willing to play the second fiddle.
4) It gives ample rest and relaxation to the number one of an organization so that he can feel sufficiently recharged for the next part of the task.
5) It ensures a smooth transition in times of an emergency arising out of the sudden disappearance of the number one of an organization.

The above readings do not mean that all and sundry can play second fiddle to perfection and organizations should be wary of certain things like
1) The person playing the second fiddle almost invariably volunteers himself into that position and therefore it is very difficult to ascertain the motives. These motives include the fear of non-acceptance of his action of assuming the number one position by the majority of the people, possibility of leaving that organization in the near future and because of the unflinching love towards the organization a burning desire arises to see that some one has to be groomed. So it is necessary for the number one in an organization to ascertain the motives before starting to allow anyone to play the second fiddle.
2) The person allowed to play the second fiddle must have a calm temperament and sound health as both of them are essential attributes for a positive thinking.
3) As in any other situations honesty, integrity and a wise head are the other essential features.
4) In some situations the person playing the second fiddle must be reminded of his role very curtly and also to limit himself within that. So broad minded ness is essential and they should not be sensitive.
Thus it can be seen that it is a great thing to be number two also.