The value of a naysayer

There are three Star Wars Trilogies. One began in the 70s, one in the 90s and one in the 2010s.  Of the three, I would say that the original trilogy is obviously the best.   Why is it that, despite the advances in technology, star power and available budget, the oldest movies in the franchise are the most well done? 

In Red Letter Media's hilarious 7 part Phantom Menace review "Plinket" suggests that George Lucas may have been a victim of his own success.   By the time 1999 came along George Lucas was the biggest name since... George Lucas and no one would dare tell him he was wrong.  The guy MADE Star Wars!  

As a result,  there was no one to give an honest critique of the movie.    Everyone assumed he knew better and thus Jar-Jar, Midichlorians, and little Annie's "yippie" all entered the Star Wars Canon forever.  

As liberating as complete autonomy on a project can be,  it can also harm your outcome.   We are all creatures of bias and assumption.   When we work entirely alone, our own bias and assumptions are always looking over our shoulders and guiding our hands.  In the worst case, we may come up with a solution that works for ourselves alone, something that the rest of the world may reject.  We might introduce Midichlorians to our project!  

I used to have a co-worker whom I considered to be a mentor.  Where I tended to be impulsive, and always jump to a solution, he would be contemplative and take time to consider all the factors.   Left to his own, he was at risk of "Analysis Paralysis" Left to my own, I was at risk of going off halfcocked and having ideas misfire.   Working together, I felt we had an excellent balance.  

Having him around as a naysayer was far more valuable than it was annoying.  Over time, I learned that if I took the time to "Lynn-proof" my ideas,  they would rarely fail when they came in contact with reality.  Pushing ideas through his cube became part of my workflow, even when he had nothing to do with the project.    It was important to have someone I trusted to say "no" to me.    It was not until he left the team that I truly realized how much I valued his input.   

The value of a trusted naysayer cannot be understated.    I do not recommend that you all go out and find a universally negative personality.  I have worked with those too and it is infuriating and destructive.   No,  the real value is in having a collaborator who is a good counterweight to your own style.   

I am a "starter" and a "solver." When presented with a problem, I jump immediately to potential solutions and, if not checked, I may move straight into implementing the first solution that seems workable.   This is an asset when managing critical incidents, but it can dig you into a hole when you are working on a long term project with a broad scope.   For this reason, a "cautious analyzer" was the perfect foil.   Someone to put the brakes on me and say "yes, but..." 

At the same time, my impulsiveness helped him with a number of efforts, I often would say to him "commit or eat shit" which would usually be followed by a decision being made and advanced. 

We would argue this way for hours. To an outside observer, or the poor guy on the other side of the cubical wall, I am sure it looked like we were wasting time while we went over the finest minutia OVER and OVER again.  But, we were working ideas through our own kind of logic machine.   Pass the idea through,  if it fails, change a small detail, and run it through again.   Sometimes one of us would get fed up and storm out, more often we walked away with a workable solution that often changed the entire department.  

 

I had the benefit of a good naysayer for almost a decade.   Then, for health reasons, he retired.  I no longer have the benefit of running my ideas through the process anymore.  What I do have is that little Lynn-voice in my head while I work on a project that is always willing to say "Yes, but..."

If you find yourself locking horns with someone you respect again and again, you may unknowingly have formed one of these logic engines.   Make use of them, and appreciate what you have.  The right coworkers can make you as powerful as any Jedi.