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In this article by Kimberly Weisul, “playing dumb” is described as a good business tactic. Weisul thinks playing dumb is a smart way to get ahead. When someone says something we as business people find dumb or misguided, we should do our best to keep trouble from skyrocketing. According to Weisul, this entails not trying to criticize the other person; in other words, playing dumb.

Honestly, when I saw that article title, I mainly read it just to see what in the world it was talking about. Playing dumb goes against our natural business instincts. Being thought of as smart, reliable and with-it is typically the key to business success. Seeming dumb sounds like a, well, dumb idea, for lack of a better word. Dumbness or anything less than intelligence is considered a sign of weakness. Weakness does not lead to success.

Since the phrase playing dumb has a negative connotation, I choose to look at this idea in a more positive way. In the context of the article, playing dumb is simply another method of courtesy and politeness. We should not “play dumb” so much as we should be more respectful and try to do a better job of keeping our egos in check. Rather than be blustery in our attempts to tell the other person what we think is right, we should truly listen to them and consider the appropriate way to respond. Simply put, we should compromise and treat each other as equals. If playing dumb means being less egotistical and trying to be a stronger team player, then this is one area where I wouldn’t mind being considered a dummy!

I’ve had my say, now you have yours. What are your thoughts on the playing dumb mentality? Do you think maybe there is a more appropriate phrase for this mindset, or do you think the author chose the perfect attention-getting phrase? Have you already employed these tactics in one form or another? Let us know in the comments!