Do you ever find yourself thinking or saying something like: If I could play the role of Devil’s Advocate, I would like to call attention to…? For many this role has evolved into the infamous Yeah Butt. Yeah, I could have done this, but I cannot because. Success will not happen if you are embracing this role.
Everyone needs to hear both sides of the story when making a decision. The pros and the cons need to be constructively weighed before taking action that will direct you closer to being able to master success.
Yet, if you are always embracing the role of Devil’s Advocate, you may be taking actions that are contrary to your goal to master success. For when individuals takes this position of Devil’s Advocate, they are potentially putting limitations on their thought processes. The Yeah Butts are all about self imposed limitations.
Thoughts like this will not work because begin to creep into their brains. The focus shifts from what is possible to what is not possible. And let’s be honest, the word devil is about negative behaviors and not positive ones.
What would happen if you began to embrace the role of Angel’s Advocate where you look at both sides and determine what would work better instead of looking at both sides to determine what will not work? Since the word Angel is considered positive, would this new position or role of Angel’s Advocate create a different way of thinking?
One of my favorite quotes is by Marcel Proust who said that: The true voyage of discovery is not seeking new landscapes, but seeing with new eyes.
Tags: advocate, coaching