Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box
by: The Arbinger Institute
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Amazon.com Review:
Using the story/parable format so popular these days,Leadership and Self-Deception takes a novel psychologicalapproach to leadership. It's not what you do that matters, say theauthors (presumably plural--the book is credited to the esteemedArbinger Institute), but why you do it. Latching onto the latestleadership trend won't make people follow you if your motives areselfish--people can smell a rat, even one that says it's trying toempower them. The tricky thing is, we don't know that our motivationis flawed. We deceive ourselves in subtle ways into thinking thatwe're doing the right thing for the right reason. We really do knowwhat the right thing to do is, but this constant self-justificationbecomes such an ingrained habit that it's hard to break free ofit--it's as though we're trapped in a box, the authors say.
Learning how the process of self-deception works--and how to avoid itand stay in touch with our innate sense of what's right--is at theheart of the book. We follow Tom, an old-school, by-the-book kind ofguy who is a newly hired executive at Zagrum Corporation, as twosenior executives show him the many ways he's "in the box," how thatlimits him as a leader in ways he's not aware of, and of course how toget out. This is as much a book about personal transformation as it isabout leadership per se. The authors use examples from the characters'private as well as professional lives to show how self-deception skewsour view of ourselves and the world and ruins our interactions withpeople, despite what we sincerely believe are our best intentions.
While the writing won't make John Updike lose any sleep, the storyentertainingly does the job of pulling the reader in and making apotentially abstruse argument quite enjoyable. The authors have a muchbetter ear for dialogue than is typical of the genre (the book islargely dialogue), although a certain didactic tone creeps in now andthen. But ultimately it's a hopeful, even inspiring read that flowsalong nicely and conveys a message that more than a few managers needto hear. --Pat McGill
Product Description:
The "disease" of self-deception (acting in ways contrary to what one knows is right) underlies all leadership problems in today's organizations, according to the premise of this work. However well intentioned they may be, leaders who deceive themselves always end up undermining their own performance.
This straightforward book explains how leaders can discover their own self-deceptions and learn how to escape destructive patterns. The authors demonstrate that breaking out of these patterns leads to improved teamwork, commitment, trust, communication, motivation, and leadership.
Using the story/parable format so popular these days,Leadership and Self-Deception takes a novel psychologicalapproach to leadership. It's not what you do that matters, say theauthors (presumably plural--the book is credited to the esteemedArbinger Institute), but why you do it. Latching onto the latestleadership trend won't make people follow you if your motives areselfish--people can smell a rat, even one that says it's trying toempower them. The tricky thing is, we don't know that our motivationis flawed. We deceive ourselves in subtle ways into thinking thatwe're doing the right thing for the right reason. We really do knowwhat the right thing to do is, but this constant self-justificationbecomes such an ingrained habit that it's hard to break free ofit--it's as though we're trapped in a box, the authors say.
Learning how the process of self-deception works--and how to avoid itand stay in touch with our innate sense of what's right--is at theheart of the book. We follow Tom, an old-school, by-the-book kind ofguy who is a newly hired executive at Zagrum Corporation, as twosenior executives show him the many ways he's "in the box," how thatlimits him as a leader in ways he's not aware of, and of course how toget out. This is as much a book about personal transformation as it isabout leadership per se. The authors use examples from the characters'private as well as professional lives to show how self-deception skewsour view of ourselves and the world and ruins our interactions withpeople, despite what we sincerely believe are our best intentions.
While the writing won't make John Updike lose any sleep, the storyentertainingly does the job of pulling the reader in and making apotentially abstruse argument quite enjoyable. The authors have a muchbetter ear for dialogue than is typical of the genre (the book islargely dialogue), although a certain didactic tone creeps in now andthen. But ultimately it's a hopeful, even inspiring read that flowsalong nicely and conveys a message that more than a few managers needto hear. --Pat McGill
Product Description:
The "disease" of self-deception (acting in ways contrary to what one knows is right) underlies all leadership problems in today's organizations, according to the premise of this work. However well intentioned they may be, leaders who deceive themselves always end up undermining their own performance.
This straightforward book explains how leaders can discover their own self-deceptions and learn how to escape destructive patterns. The authors demonstrate that breaking out of these patterns leads to improved teamwork, commitment, trust, communication, motivation, and leadership.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Absolutely insightful
After reading this book, I had to read it again. I was reading it for a training and I explained to my Trainer that this book is a "good ouch".If you want to change your way of being in relationships, if you want transformation in your company, applying the principles from this book will definately bring a transformation.I recommend this book to everyone from student, husband, wife and executive. Cheri
Rating: - Awesome Book!
This book was such an easy read and very motivating. It will cause anybody to self-reflect and want to make changes in their lives. Anyone who reads this book will not be disappointed.
Rating: - Jorth's view on Leadership and Self-deception
This book is exceptional in regard to understanding the inner workings of our perceptions and the effect our personal character influences what we see and hear.Highly recommended.
Coach Charles Powell
Rating: - Read it. Then read it again.
If you're looking for something a little different in a book on leadership, then look no further than LEADERSHIP AND SELF-DECEPTION by The Arbinger Institute. This is different from other leadership books in that it reads in the form of a story (not a parable) about a man who has just landed a job with a company he has long coveted. He is about to learn exactly why the company, Zagram, has achieved such greatness.
Follow the journey of Tom Callum as he is introduced to the principles ... Read More
Rating: - The next generation
A great read. If your organization is a learning organization and is interested in finding a book that is a page turner for those who do not normally read then this is a book for you. The authors found a way to present the concepts of the next generation of leadership in an easy to understand easy to follow dialoge. The next generation of leadership in my opinion is idea that empathy and social understand are crucial to being a leader. This book will help give an organization a common vocabulary to ... Read More
- Absolutely insightfulAfter reading this book, I had to read it again. I was reading it for a training and I explained to my Trainer that this book is a "good ouch".If you want to change your way of being in relationships, if you want transformation in your company, applying the principles from this book will definately bring a transformation.I recommend this book to everyone from student, husband, wife and executive. Cheri
- Awesome Book!This book was such an easy read and very motivating. It will cause anybody to self-reflect and want to make changes in their lives. Anyone who reads this book will not be disappointed.
- Jorth's view on Leadership and Self-deceptionThis book is exceptional in regard to understanding the inner workings of our perceptions and the effect our personal character influences what we see and hear.Highly recommended.
Coach Charles Powell
- Read it. Then read it again.If you're looking for something a little different in a book on leadership, then look no further than LEADERSHIP AND SELF-DECEPTION by The Arbinger Institute. This is different from other leadership books in that it reads in the form of a story (not a parable) about a man who has just landed a job with a company he has long coveted. He is about to learn exactly why the company, Zagram, has achieved such greatness.
Follow the journey of Tom Callum as he is introduced to the principles ... Read More
- The next generationA great read. If your organization is a learning organization and is interested in finding a book that is a page turner for those who do not normally read then this is a book for you. The authors found a way to present the concepts of the next generation of leadership in an easy to understand easy to follow dialoge. The next generation of leadership in my opinion is idea that empathy and social understand are crucial to being a leader. This book will help give an organization a common vocabulary to ... Read More
