Being an associate dean means living in the space between vision and reality, where strategic goals meet daily fires that demand quick action. You are expected to lead without always having formal authority, to support the dean without losing your own voice, and to build trust across faculty, staff, and students while translating ideas into results. Using curricular changes as a "case study," this session will explore what it means to lead from the second chair. We will talk candidly about navigating conflict and change from the middle seat, which means managing difficult personalities and sometimes impossible timelines, and protecting your credibility while serving as the dean’s proxy. We will also discuss how to use the role as a platform for your own professional growth, finding the right balance between leading, serving, and when it's time to step aside. Our goal is to empower participants with practical strategies, survival tools, and the confidence to succeed in one of the most demanding but least defined roles in legal education.