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Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 658
EAN: 9781576751749
Edition: 1st
ISBN: 1576751740
Label: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: February 09, 2002
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Studio: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
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Editorial Review:
Using the story/parable format so popular these days, Leadership and Self-Deception takes a novel psychological approach to leadership. It's not what you do that matters, say the authors (presumably plural--the book is credited to the esteemed Arbinger Institute), but why you do it. Latching onto the latest leadership trend won't make people follow you if your motives are selfish--people can smell a rat, even one that says it's trying to empower them. The tricky thing is, we don't know that our motivation is flawed. We deceive ourselves in subtle ways into thinking that we're doing the right thing for the right reason. We really do know what the right thing to do is, but this constant self-justification becomes such an ingrained habit that it's hard to break free of it--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 it and stay in touch with our innate sense of what's right--is at the heart of the book. We follow Tom, an old-school, by-the-book kind of guy who is a newly hired executive at Zagrum Corporation, as two senior executives show him the many ways he's "in the box," how that limits him as a leader in ways he's not aware of, and of course how to get out. This is as much a book about personal transformation as it is about leadership per se. The authors use examples from the characters' private as well as professional lives to show how self-deception skews our view of ourselves and the world and ruins our interactions with people, despite what we sincerely believe are our best intentions.
While the writing won't make John Updike lose any sleep, the story entertainingly does the job of pulling the reader in and making a potentially abstruse argument quite enjoyable. The authors have a much better ear for dialogue than is typical of the genre (the book is largely dialogue), although a certain didactic tone creeps in now and then. But ultimately it's a hopeful, even inspiring read that flows along nicely and conveys a message that more than a few managers need to hear. --Pat McGill
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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Just wonderful!!!
This is a wonderful book to read. If you happen to get the audio version, its the best.
Rating: - Life changing
I was given this book to read as a member of our church leadership. It had such an impact on me and how I view others, I bought a copy for every one of my employees. It has been amazing to hear others find so much in such a small book. The information in this book may have been written for business, but can be applied to all aspects of life. I highly recommend it.
Rating: - This Book has changed my Husband's, and now my life!
He has read this book once alone and is now reading it together with me. He is a different man than he was just three months ago partially due to this book and how it's written.
I am a mental health therapist so I often stop reading self help books because they are often too simplified and shallow for my taste. This book is written in a "novel" flavor, lots of dialog. It is using very simple language to express empowering and deep concepts of how we can so easily treat others as objects ... Read More
Rating: - Leadership and Self Deception
A fascinating book--an absolute Must Read for anyone in the work force, especially those in management or leadership. Excellent too, for anyone in a significant or difficult relationship. Readers come away with a new outlook on the effects their management/relationship style has on others, and what drives and motivates people, and the prices we pay along the way, sometimes without even realizing it. Learn the secret of how to relate to others and change difficult relationships for the better. I highly ... Read More
Rating: - Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box
I have read over thirty books on leadership and management. This book gives tremendous insight into relationships. It is by far one of the best, most eye opening books I have ever read.
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