The executive committee meeting of the 5 star hotel was finally moving forward. The mood was upbeat; the chemistry collegial. And the ideas were amazing! Everyone seemed to be operating at full steam and as the excitement grew, one could actually feel the energy and enthusiasm in the room.
As the facilitator of the group which had been grappling with the question of strategic direction, I was pleased that they had finally come to grips with the core issues and progress was being made. At one point, the General Manager actually said, “We’ve been working on these questions and issues for over three years and never seemed to make any progress. What have you done to make this meeting different? We’re actually making decisions that make sense for the future of our property.”
Wow what great kudos for me to have helped this group have such a ‘break through’; a sense of accomplishment! And then it hit me, I had very little to do with their ‘break through’. I smiled and said, “You’re doing the work and all the time you put in over the past several years has been part of the process; it just took that long for it all to come together.”
Shaking his head, he turned back to the primary discussion, listening intently to his team as they continued to plan, set goals, and work out details of new initiatives. And then it happened.
One of the members of the team said, “Let me play devil’s advocate for just a minute.” He began to ask questions based on assumptions that indicated he didn’t believe in the path they had chosen; he didn’t want to accept the challenge of new opportunities and the risks that might be incurred.
Almost, as if someone had waved a magic wand over the group, the mood changed, the excitement and enthusiasm decreased, much like a balloon being deflated. ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ had struck again.
The first thought that always pops into my head when I hear those infamous words “Let me play devil’s advocate” is, I didn’t realize the devil needed an advocate, especially right here, right now in our meeting. Having grown up in the preacher’s house, I was pretty well-assured, from the time I was small, that the devil didn’t need any help – he was a pretty powerful force. Yet, here it was, once again, someone in a leadership position wanting to be the ‘devil’s advocate’.
Now, regardless of one’s religious beliefs or preferences, it is hard for me to understand why anyone would want to be an advocate of ‘the devil’. I know, it’s “just a figure of speech.” Well, that may be true, but I can tell you that the proverbial ‘devil’s advocate’ has quashed more ideas, more enthusiasm, more opportunities for moving forward than almost any other single input to a conversation.
To help deal with the devil’s advocate syndrome, a strategic planner colleague of mine has a ground-rule called the Four for 4 Rule. Whenever anyone comes up with an idea, a ‘what if’ scenario, a suggestion of ‘why don’t we try’, the entire group must be for it for 4 minutes. The idea is that everyone must come up with positive reasons that this idea may work rather than give into ‘the devil’s advocate’ at the outset.
The results of using this rule are not only positive, but often liberating, as it gives the entire group ‘permission’ to continue to be enthused, innovative, and excited about the possibilities. More often than not, the outcome is that ‘the devil’s advocate’ becomes just as excited as the rest of the group and the ultimate goal, as well as the initiative, is even better than it might otherwise have been.
Will ‘the devil’s advocate’ ever be eradicated from the board rooms, executive suites, task forces, or work teams of our organizations? Probably not; nor should they be (every new idea needs to be tested against the hard realities of the environment, the market, the situation). The opportunity of ‘converting’ the ‘devil’s advocate’ to an enthusiastic, supportive member of the group is, however, enhanced by implementing this simple ‘rule’ or technique. No one is singled out for being negative, and every idea is given a chance to be discussed, modified, and/or integrated.
As a leader in your organization, at this point in the challenges being felt around the world, what simple rules have you implemented that contribute to innovation, idea generation, moving forward? What methods or techniques can you install that are ‘safe’ and promote collegiality, creativity, and enthusiasm? What experiences from your career can help you to overcome some of the common pitfalls teams fall prey to as they grapple with ideas and opportunities?
