Please, stop playing devil’s advocate… contribute something!!!!

The multiple exclamations show the frustration… I’ve had it up to here with people whose idea of intelligence is shooting holes in potentially creative solutions. It is amazing: we’ve developed an entire work culture based on playing devil’s advocate… people make a living doing so, mostly on politically-oriented television news shows – and come to think of it, maybe the constant drone of democratic and republican apologists all predicting dire consequences if we say ‘yes’ to expanded healthcare or a balanced budget, whatever, is the impetus behind the idiotic belief that criticism equals intelligence.

First, let’s be clear on how this all works: the devil’s advocate will immediately jump to some worst-case scenario in the attempt to show how logical, how forward thinking, how smart s/he is. Using this spurious tactic, anything… ANYTHING… can be turned into a potential disaster.

“Let’s all go to church on Sunday,” I say.

“No, what if there’s a freak snow storm, who will clean the roads… what if the power goes off in all the churches, we’ll all be in the dark, what about parking, what about parking!!!!!!!”

Now let’s all pat ourselves on the back for being so prescient, so insightful. Aren’t we smart.

My experience: almost 100% of the time, the devil’s advocate is using improbable what-if scenarios to stop change, to stop what’s new, to stop what s/he is afraid of (or just too lazy to embrace).

OK, so what should we do instead? Their preferred answer is “nothing.”

Here’s what I’m doing about it. In any meeting where ideas, new marketing concepts, new ways to improve how a company works are being discussed, I make it clear that we cannot criticize without offering an alternative solution.

“I don’t like the idea of everyone going to church at the same time, perhaps we can stagger participation, or offer online services to keep the buildings from becoming too crowded.” OK, I’ll give you that; at least you’ve shown some intelligence, you’ve moved the ball forward, so to speak. Good on you!

Those who play devil’s advocate should be avoided and, because I am vindictive, they should be shunned.

Don’t ask these people to come to meetings until they have something to offer and never ask their opinion on anything creative… and stop, I repeat, stop trying to convince them that your solution is viable, they don’t want to hear it (and they secretly love being courted, as if their approval is worth something).

Devil’s advocates are fearful, lazy little snipes who fight to maintain the status quo with a constant barrage of no, what if this happens, no, no, no, no, no, no……………

Learn a lesson: criticism from devil’s advocates equals fear, not intelligence! They are anchors not balloons.