Why Being Number Two Is Second to None

For some people, being called “Number Two” would not necessarily be super exhilarating. Not Christina Matteucci. Also affectionately known as TeucciMama: The Mother Hen of the Number Twos, the Executive Director of David Beahm Experiences, former actor, speaker, and opening keynote for this year’s Catersource + The Special Event, Matteucci thrives in her position as second in command—or as she puts it, “number-one-adjacent”— to the legendary visionary, David Beahm.

Christina Matteucci puts on the final touches. Photo courtesy Shawn Connell

Via Special Events magazine, we caught up with Matteucci to learn more about why she believes being second really makes a person second to none. For the full interview, click here.

Special Events: For the number-ones among us, what are some of secrets your number-two will never tell you? 

Matteucci: One secret that your number two will never tell you is that we challenge you because we believe in bettering what we already have, like how a diamond doesn’t come out of the earth perfectly polished—it needs abrasion. Part of that abrasion is being able to manage up and mentor your number one, but also being receptive as a number two to the mentorship that your number one is bringing you.  

The other big secret is that you might have invented the next best thing since sliced bread, but that’s not your legacy. Your legacy is the team that you build, because that team is going to not only carry your vision through to fruition, but also carry it forward.  

The greatest achievement is if you can build a team that thinks like you but challenges you and fights for you and pushes through for you in the most difficult times because every person working there shares the same ethos and values. It’s the “why” of what you do is what matters. And if the why is to create an amazing community that’s about legacy and about teaching and about developing and moving forward, then that’s the team that’s going to be a success.  

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