The Leadership Blog
This leadership blog, looks at the value of a Devils Advocate in every team.
Leadership Coaching - Do You Have A Devils Advocate?
Seth Godin posted this very interesting blog the other day, which caught my interest. Seth had this to say...
''If you want to get things moving at a meeting or in an online forum, start discussing what to order for lunch.
Even the most reticent attendee has something to contribute. Same thing when you start discussing the logo for your new venture, or what to call the subcommittee on committees... Have you noticed how many people are willing to weigh in on redecorating your office?
It's so easy to speak up on the things that are trivial, defensible, matters of taste. So easy to imagine that you're a valuable contributor because you're willing to share your personal taste on a matter that's beyond reproach.
If I want your opinion, I'm going to want it for something where you might be wrong, for something that actually makes a difference and most of all, for something where you are putting yourself at risk. Not lunch.''
All of this is true. Emphatically so. But as a leader, do you create the 'atmosphere', that allows your people to say whats on their minds. Even if they might be wrong?
Do you have a Devils Advocate in your team. The individual who has explicit permission to challenge convention. Say the unsayable?
If not, why not?
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