Photo by Johnny Delos Santos
( Thank you, Mr. Raymund
Miranda for the tip on this subject. )
The most annoying person in a
meeting is the one who “sounds so negative” about anything. The wet blanket thinks that the group’s idea
will never work and they cast doubt on a big project that’s launching in a matter
of days !
We become suspicious of them.
We would think they’re trying to compete with us, they’re threatened by us,
they want our position or they’re just a natural born contrarian. So, we avoid
them in the cafeteria, talk behind their back and don’t invite them to the next
meeting.
But the devil’s advocate
could actually be the guardian angel who will save our lives !
In the history of nations at
war, business and politics, countless disasters have happened because people went along with the wrong decision.
Losses have been in billions of dollars and thousands of lives.
Mistakes are often a result
of a team habit called groupthink. It’s when people easily agree on an idea
because they probably believe in one another too much, love another too much or
tomorrow is the deadline for submission.
Believe it or not, the
devil’s advocate actually came from a holy place called the Vatican. In
1578, the Vatican created the Devil’s Advocate office in which a canon lawyer
was tasked to contradict every proposal to canonize a candidate for sainthood.
The office’s job was to investigate miracles attributed to the person making
sure there were no frauds. It was
Vatican’s way of keeping the process of sainthood beyond reproach.
So, I suggest we make it a
sacred rule to have a devil’s advocate in every meeting. Designate someone. Take
turns to play the role. Let us sacrifice harmony for the sake of better ideas.
Almost everyone likes
meetings to be easy, short, fun and “productive.” Many of us hate debates.
Well, let us try to challenge ourselves
a bit more because it will be worth it.
Of course, no idea is 100%
foolproof. It is also not a totally bad thing to take risks and fail. But it can be hard to forgive ourselves if we
knew that we were too haphazard with our decisions.
If you’re the boss, don’t be
an intimidating dictator. Remind everyone that your ideas can be questioned
without risk to their career.
If you’re the designated agent
of evil, remind the others that you are just playing a role…especially when you
start getting those dagger looks.
By the way, anyone is free to
disagree with this article !
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