The Tenth Man - Being a Positive Disruptor

Organisations are constantly challenged to stay relevant and agile. However, very often leaders can become bogged down by the weight of tradition or the convenience of maintaining the status quo.

Where processes have been in place for years, it’s easy to keep doing things the same way, safe, predictable, and familiar. However, this approach does not always lead to progress, innovation, or meaningful impact.

This is where the concept of being or adopting a ‘Positive Disruptor’ comes in

As a leader, adopting the position of the positive disruptor means stepping outside of the usual patterns, challenging assumptions, and pushing for progress when it might be more comfortable to maintain what’s familiar. Disruption, in this sense, is not about creating chaos for the sake of change, but about asking the tough questions, listening to the sometimes difficult answers and using this information to identify gaps, and encouraging action to create meaningful improvement. It’s a philosophy that can bring about significant cultural shifts and drive better performance across the board.

The ‘Tenth Man’ Rule

The Tenth Man Rule is a principle that emerged from the Israeli military during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Israel was unprepared for Egypt’s attack, primarily because decision-makers assumed it wouldn’t happen. Several factors contributed to this belief. At the time, it was Ramadan, and the Egyptian army reportedly faced shortages in parts and training, and Israel had recently achieved military successes. These strands of information combined to create a strong consensus that an attack was very unlikely.

However, when the assault did in fact occur, Israel was very much caught off guard, suffering significant setbacks in the early stages of the war. This failure to anticipate the attack led to serious repercussions, including political instabilities where the resignation of then-Prime Minister Golda Meir happened following an election defeat.

In response to this failure, the ‘Tenth Man’ Rule was developed. The idea behind it is simple. If ten people are involved in making a decision, one of them is tasked with challenging the prevailing consensus, regardless of how credible the majority view appears.

The purpose of this role is to ensure that every possible angle and risk is considered, avoiding the dangers of ‘groupthink’. The Tenth Man’s job is not to be a contrarian for the sake of it, but to probe deeply into the assumptions being made and explore potential flaws.

This concept is in actual fact very similar to the role of a Devil’s Advocate, an official position once held within the Catholic Church, where a designated person was assigned to argue against the canonisation of a saint in order to uncover any character flaws or misrepresentations.

The Benefits of the Tenth Man Rule:

• It helps to prevent conditioning to responding to situations, complacency and overconfidence in group decisions, forcing the team to consider all angles, especially the less likely ones.
• It encourages critical thinking and offers a structured way to ensure that dissenting opinions are heard, making the decision-making process more robust.
• It can reveal blind spots or risks that might have been overlooked in the initial consensus, leading to better-prepared strategies

The Need for Careful Execution:

• The role of the tenth man must be balanced carefully. While their job is to challenge, they should not act merely as a contrarian. Their focus is to genuinely explore alternatives and ensure the decision is the best possible one, rather than derailing the process.
• The team must have psychological safety in place for the tenth man’s objections to be taken seriously, without being seen as disruptive for its own sake. This requires a culture of respect and openness to challenge.
• The Tenth Man Rule is a potent tool to ensure rigorous decision-making, but it must be applied in a thoughtful, constructive way to be effective.
• It must be applied in a conscious way, in that it doesn’t present as decision hesitation, nor a stumbling block for effective decision making, but rather as a stepping stone into reaching a solution through positive challenge.

This system of challenge ensures that even in the face of consensus, someone is always thinking critically, looking for flaws, and suggesting alternative perspectives. This approach prevents complacency and ensures that all potential risks or opportunities are considered.

A Positive Challenger

Of course, you don’t have to form a group of 10 to use this concept. Having consciousness of this system by a team, allows that team to nominate their own ‘Tenth Man’ (should they be comfortable carrying out that role) or that person may present themselves naturally through their personality or methods of thinking.

Adopting this mindset in leadership practice can offer healthy challenge and transform an organisation’s culture. Very often, we see leaders or managers agree to plans simply because it’s easier or more comfortable than rocking the boat, or simply they don’t have the psychological safety in the team to afford a challenge into an idea.

However, by embodying the role of the tenth man, by questioning, challenging, and offering alternative perspectives through an expected challenge process, leaders can foster an environment where constructive dialogue leads to proactive solutions. This shift moves teams and organisations away from passively accepting the status quo, towards a culture where innovation and improvement become the norm.

As a leader with ADHD, I find this difference in thinking helps align naturally with the role of the tenth man, as the ADHD brain thrives on seeing patterns others might overlook and challenging conventional ways of thinking.

Leaders with ADHD often approach problems from unique angles, driven by curiosity and an innate resistance to routine. This ability to think divergently and spot overlooked risks or opportunities makes us perfectly suited to challenge that ‘groupthink’, ensuring that decision-making is thorough and not swayed by consensus alone. We as ADHD leaders tend to disrupt not for disruption’s sake but to push teams to consider alternative perspectives and better solutions, ensuring innovation and resilience in leadership.

Challenging the Status Quo in Practice

In my experience, being the positive disruptor is about identifying where systems, cultures, or processes have become stagnant, and finding ways to challenge them constructively. For example, when I was the Governor of safer custody at Channings Wood Prison, I introduced peer support as a pilot project at HMP Channings Wood to combat the rising rates of self-harm and suicide. This was a significant ‘disruption’ to the existing culture, where the engrained macho attitude among prisoners and staff discouraged open conversations about mental health.

At first, there was pushback, especially from the wing staff, who were resistant to introducing what they saw as a ‘soft’ intervention, also assuming it would bring them more work to do. But by taking the stance as the ‘Tenth Man’, I challenged the ingrained assumptions that the traditional approach to managing mental health was the only viable solution.

By encouraging dialogue and creating a space for vulnerability, we were able to significantly reduce incidents of violence and self-harm, ultimately reducing incidents meaning less paperwork and trauma. Our culture shifted from one of silence and repression to one where openness and psychological safety became part of the norm.

This experience taught me that positive disruption often begins by asking, “Why are we doing things this way?” and not being afraid to challenge the answers. The result is often a more humane, more effective, and more engaged workplace, and one where people feel empowered to speak up, challenge themselves, and contribute to a collective sense of improvement.

For my own leadership journey and where I find myself most comfortable and effective, being the ‘Tenth Man’ has become an identity I have formed my leadership style around. As a leadership coach and mentor, this is such a powerful stance to take to empower other leaders to, as Ted Lasso would say, Be Curious.

Moving from Describing Problems to Taking Action

In my consulting experience, one of the most common traps organisations fall into is the tendency to convene committees or working groups to ‘explore’ problems, but rarely to action them. We spend many emotive hours analysing, discussing, and documenting the challenges we face, with varying degrees of consensus but when it comes to implementing any actual solutions, progress stalls. This is often because it’s easier to describe the problem than to take the bold steps necessary to fix it.

Positive disruptors like me are those vocal entities who will push teams and indeed, organisations out of this cycle of endless deliberation and into one of action. We are the leaders who not only identify issues but also present solutions and drive their implementation.

This shift towards action is not just about ticking boxes or moving through the motions, it’s about creating and normalising a culture where problems are addressed head-on, with credible and proactive measures. It’s about building an authentic culture of accountability, where leaders and teams take ownership of both the challenges and the solutions, and can feel empowered to take these to success.

Promoting Healthy Challenge and Visible Leadership

An important part of being the positive disruptor is creating a culture of healthy challenge. This means ensuring that people at all levels feel empowered to question, challenge, and contribute without fear of reprisal or judgment. It’s about moving away from a hierarchical model where decisions are made by a select few and everyone else is expected to fall in line. Instead, it promotes a more inclusive and dynamic environment, formed on an ‘adult to adult’ conversational grounding where new ideas are welcomed, and where everyone has a voice.

When leaders encourage healthy challenge, they not only promote innovation, but they also demonstrate visible leadership. This kind of leadership is about being present, engaged, and open to feedback. It’s about being seen to take action, not just from the top down, but in collaboration with teams across the organisation.

That visible leadership creates trust, and trust, in turn, drives engagement. When people see their leaders acting on feedback, challenging norms, and taking decisive action, they are more likely to feel motivated and connected to their work.

In one of my previous roles within Employability, I led a cultural shift within a team that had become too comfortable with maintaining the status quo. We were regularly convening meetings to discuss ongoing issues but rarely saw any follow-through. By stepping in as the positive disruptor, I encouraged a new approach, one where we didn’t just describe the problem but took immediate action to resolve it.

This shift in culture didn’t happen overnight, but as we began to implement small, tangible changes, I noticed a marked improvement in team morale and performance, and also retention. People became more engaged because they saw that their contributions led to real results. This level of engagement and empowerment led to a much higher level of job satisfaction across the team.

The Benefits of Proactive, Credible Action

When we as leaders embrace the role of a positive disruptor, the benefits are significant. By moving from description to action, organisations can expect to see improvements in performance, engagement, and overall job satisfaction. When people feel that they are part of an organisation that values innovation, action, and inclusivity, they are more likely to stay committed to their work, perform at higher levels, and contribute to a positive organisational culture.

One of the greatest benefits of positive disruption is its ability to foster organic leadership. As people see that disruption leads to real, credible action, they are more likely to take ownership of challenges themselves. This leads to a culture where leadership is not confined to those at the top but is distributed throughout the organisation. In my work with peer-led support groups, I’ve seen first-hand how giving people the opportunity to lead and take action fosters a sense of ownership and pride in the work they do. When individuals feel empowered to take action, they become leaders in their own right, which benefits the entire organisation.

Be the ‘Tenth Man’

Being a positive disruptor is about more than just shaking things up for the sake of it. It’s about fostering a mindset of curiosity, questioning assumptions, and driving meaningful change. The Tenth Man Rule serves as a reminder that even in the face of consensus, critical thinking and alternative perspectives are essential.

By embracing this role, leaders can move organisations away from the inertia of the status quo and into a space where credible, proactive action becomes the norm. This culture of action not only promotes innovation and engagement but also leads to better performance, greater job satisfaction, and more empowered teams.

So, the next time you find yourself in a meeting where everyone seems to agree, ask yourself:-

Am I acting as the tenth man?

If not, step into that role. Challenge the assumptions presented, propose new ideas, and help move your team or organisation from description to action.