In Praise of Jesters

April 16, 2007 · Comments

VIolette For several years, I’ve added a responsibility to whatever role I perform for my employer: jester. Now, this doesn’t mean being silly for no purpose (at least not always), but it does mean turning a crazy eye on everything your organization is doing.

Checking the Emperor’s Pants

I hate hate hate “devil’s advocates.” Sorry. I know lots of my friends cherish the role. But what I don’t like about them, so that you know, is that Devil’s Advocates rarely offer you solutions. They’re just there to poke holes in things.

A Jester might start by making a polite jab, pointing out that something is a little off-base, but it’s the DUTY of a Jester to be creative enough to come up with a potential solution, however “out there” the solution might be. Linear thinkers need not apply, because if everyone could see the solution, there probably wouldn’t be a problem to fix.

It becomes important to keep one’s Emperors well dressed, so the sooner in the process a Jester can foresee an issue and fix it, the better.

Absurdity into Creativity into Execution

There are plenty of crazies out there in the world. There are even some who can channel what they do into creativity of one sort or another. It’s the ones who can take that creativity forward even further into something of value that might have a future as a useful Jester. Words aren’t enough. It’s incumbent on the Jester to know some of the craft of their organization, because otherwise they’re simply a critic and an armchair manager.

A good Jester can take abstract thoughts, apply them to the situation at hand, and come forward with a solution that is unlikely to be the A-to-B-to-C path to the answer.

Jokes and Truths

It is often the Jester’s position to engage the visiting dignitaries from other kingdoms. The beauty of a Jester is that they can skirt diplomacy and poise. They are in the position of speaking truth to power, so to say, provided they can do it with a turn of wit. Thus, in several situations, the Jester is in a position to say something to an opposing force or even a tenuous ally that the local Royalty cannot willingly say.

I used this a lot at my wireless tech job. I’d tell the likes of Intel and Sun and HP where their dog died, and in such a way that my employers could feel that I was doing so for the sake of the company, while passing me off as a crazy outsider type. It worked very nicely most of the time.

Outsiders on the Inside

Being able to poke at the innards of the machine is a valuable position. There should ALWAYS be someone at Sony saying, “If you take away those buttons on the outside and force people to use the touchscreen, they’re going to freak! How about three buttons up on top, and that’s it.” Whether or not it’s the right decision in the end, giving the team a jolt of something different is a good thing.

Someone had to decide that all Volkswagen Beetles should have flower holders. Was that a Jester? Because I can’t see the average engineer coming up with that one. Where are the Jesters out there?

Your take

Am I full of it? Is this a bad idea? What’s your BETTER idea for the role?

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  • Chris,
    Thanks as always for making us think. Yes, Jesters are needed... and yes, the corporate "immune response system" may toss them out from time to time... but I do think it's a role that's necessary.
    Thanks,
    Dan
  • Chris,
    This made me think. I am often the jester. Like SpaceyG, it hasn't always paid off in the corporate world. But I hadn't thought about the other side of it. The jester can use the humor and creativity to have a positive impact on the business/task etc. I think that's where many jesters "goof up," myself included. We focus too much on getting the laughs and not enough on saying after everyone stops laughing, "but seriously...." I have been grappling with this issue recently, so this post is timely, thanks
  • I use the jester roll as a parenting tool. Nothing diffuses a cranky preschooler or a sulky teen quicker than a peak at the humor of the situation. There's always something funny about everything, no matter how angry everyone seems, so I try to find it, point it out- once the giggling starts, then subsides- the real conversation (or discipline if necessary) can take place. Works every time!
  • One of the people I used to work with, Alph Bingham (http://tinyurl.com/277mv7), used to have a clown face picture that said "Comfort the disturbed, disturb the comfortable." He was that person at Eli Lilly; knowing the limits of comfort, he would disturb the comfortable and wiggle ideas into the corporate stream of consciousness.

    There is indeed a place for Court Jester. To survive as the Court Jester requires good dodge and weave skills plus a patron providing cover when needed. Alph had that.

    My favorite story about Alph: He rides Harleys and loves to get out on nice days. Lilly has an intranet that has a person look up function. Traditional stuff: name, phone, job, resume, etc. It also had a place for a picture. Lilly, being a conservative Fortune 500 pharma company, had a policy on the pictures. Nothing profane, nothing "out of the ordinary"; there was a picture police. Considering that the pictures were only for internal people, the rules on pictures seemed lame.

    Alph put up a picture of him riding one of his Harleys, the wind in his face, at Sturges. The picture was not meant as a thumb on nose at the "system" but a poke that in order to change and adapt, the company needed to look at itself and have some fun. The picture stayed (he had cover) :)
  • Being court jester type was not exactly beneficial to my career in Big Media or Fortune 100 biz. Guess that's why I'm now an, uh, "entrepreneurial" kinda fool. It's lonely, but I get to perform for the blogosphere every now and then. Not a bad exchange.
  • People often ask us how we came up with our company name, Jester Creative. To be honest, it was originally just a mish mash of our initials (my partner's, JR, and my former initials, ST).

    But as time went on, we realized what our name really means. And you have hit the nail on the head here. We thrive on original thought, not taking "no" for an answer, and creating unique solutions to people's problems. And we're funny, too.
  • bgavin
    I think the Jester (or Fool) has had this role throughout history and I am pleased to see your applying the model to our world today. As always, Chris, sharp insight!

    I also like the distinction you draw between the Devils Advocate and the jester. I know I have been guilty of poking holes without presenting solutions and your story today will help me keep "solutions" front of mind.
  • So true. In an organization like the one I work for (ie, quasi-state agency) a role like this can help bridge the gap between mgmt and staff. In addition, for a conservative agency, it can help cut the proverbial red tape esp. when trying to get your message across to mgmt.
  • As always, Chris, you're an original thinker. I believe that in every successful organization, there HAS to be someone who questions the status quo. I never thought of this role as a jester, but somehow it fits!
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