Plan More Efficiently With the Tenth Person Rule
When it comes to planning, you need to cover all aspects as much as possible. The Tenth Person Rule always assumes that someone else is playing the opposite role, no matter how robust your plan looks, to make it even more effective.
No plan is perfect, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to plug as many holes as possible. The Tenth Person Rule works the same way as companies hiring people to find weaknesses in their systems and security. Instead of having a company, you are asking someone to deliberately point out that they might not work in whatever plans you make. Matthew Sharp of ITS Tactical explains:
… if nine people strongly agree that the strategy or plan is correct, then the tenth should take the opposite point of view to avoid the groupthink pitfalls where the fatal flaws of the strategy are overlooked in favor of group consensus … If, in life, you are deciding whether to move to a new location, choose a new career path or make some other important decision, come up with a plan based on your observations and collected data. However, before acting on this information, ask an outsider to review your plans.
Taking advantage of your inner conflict can be a powerful tool , but sometimes outsiders can pinpoint problems much more easily. You can use the tenth person rule in any situation you like, when you plan too; you don’t really need ten people. Planning a trip with a couple of friends? Assign someone to the tenth person position. Getting ready to make an important life decision? Ask someone you trust to become your personal “tenth person” and poke holes in them. Effective planning comes down to strategy and repetition. Keep finding and closing holes until your plan is solid.
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