Why Advocate For the Devil, When There Are So Many Good Things to Advocate For?

Hey, sorry, man, I'm just playing the devil's advocate...

Ever heard that?  Of course you have.  Devil's advocates are everywhere.

You know why?

Because it's easy to say no.  It doesn't take much thought, and it sure doesn't take much work.  The devil's advocate is the person that kills action for the sake of killing action.  He takes that stance because he is too lazy to find solutions, too stupid to come up with his own ideas, or too selfish to share the glory.

It takes courage to say yes.  It's takes perseverance to make a good idea good in reality.

A true leader sends the devil's advocates out of the room, and lets the collaborators, the thinkers, the dreamers, the magicians and composers turn their wildest imaginations loose to create something beautiful, powerful and original.

That's not to say we need sycophantic yes men.  But, champions know that any idiot can say no. It takes real guts to embrace an idea and make sure it grows.

Comments

[CK]

"A true leader sends the devil's advocates out of the room, and lets the collaborators, the thinkers, the dreamers, the magicians and composers turn their wildest imaginations loose to create something beautiful, powerful and original."

What a terrific post Paul. You're never afraid to tell it like it is while inspiring us. Don't go changin' Hee-Haw.

[Richard Cosgrove]

A good Devil's advocate - one that aims to use an argument to thoroughly examine a point of view or an idea, even if they agree with it - are extremely useful. They force you to think and re-examine your ideas, processes and proposals, and strengthen your reasoning.

The poor kind - those that argue for the sake of arguing - are nearly useless. Unless you recognise that they just want to argue, and use them to sharpen your debating skills.

And don't take this the wrong way, but I find it impossible to take article seriously, if the opening statement is incorrect.

'The devil's advocate is the person that kills action for the sake of killing action.' You're thinking about 'naysayers'.

Devil's advocates argue - they don't just say 'no'.