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Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box (Paperback)
by Arbinger Institute (Creator) , The Arbinger Institute (Author)
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Leadership |
| Market price: ¥ 168.00
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¥ 158.00
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 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
This is more than a book: It's a powerful key to change - personal and professional. |
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Author: Arbinger Institute (Creator) , The Arbinger Institute (Author)
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Pub. in: February, 2002
ISBN: 1576751740
Pages: 192
Measurements: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA01006
Other information: Reprint edition
ISBN-13: 978-1576751749
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- MSL Picks -
"Arbinger" is the ancient French spelling of the word "harbinger." It means "one that indicates or foreshadows what is to come; a forerunner." The Arbinger Institute is a forerunner, a "harbinger," of change.
Arbinger's change work grows out of the development at the heart of the human sciences that is introduced in this book. Led by philosopher Terry Warner, a team of scholars has broken new ground in solving the age-old problem of self-deception. The result is a striking account of human behavior and human potential. The Arbinger Institute was founded to translate this important work into practical effect for individuals, families, and organizations worldwide.
Arbinger's focus on organizations began when a well-known consultant asked for our help with one of his clients. As a result of Arbinger's work, that company became the industry's profit leader, eventually doubling and even tripling the return on investment of its nearest competitors. Out of that experience Arbinger began to focus on the organizational implications and applications of the self-deception problem and solution - a focus that continues today.
Founded by Terry Warner, Arbinger is led by managing directors Duane Boyce, Jim Ferrell, and Paul Smith. For more information about Arbinger's background, products, and services, please visit our website. – From the author
This is a most unusual book on leadership. The premise here is not about leadership approaches, methodologies for managing employees in the workplace, or other business strategy, but is instead a close and powerful look at how we view others and how that view impacts our ability to lead them.
The first unusual aspect of this book is the manner in which it is written. It is basically a novel. It starts with contextual story written in first person, of a man who has recently joined a successful company as an executive and is called in to meet personally with the Company senior leader.
The concept presented in this book of what leadership is, is also a more unusual one in that the focus is not on "what" we do behaviorally to others, our outward leadership style, as most leadership books focus on, but rather our inward view of these individuals as people. The foundational question is whether we are "in the box" or not. "In the box" refers generally to viewing others as objects through our own biased lens, which often without our knowledge inflates our self-importance while diminishing theirs.
This book is personally challenging, in that the focus is not on how we act in that compartment of our lives called work, but rather who we are in relation to others in our family, our workplace, and strangers in our society.
Simply put, a great book on leadership that would benefit anyone who reads it.
- From quoting Michael
Target readers:
General readers.
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- Better with -
Better with
The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable
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Arbinger Institute is a scholarly consortium as well as a management training and consulting firm. Its members have solved a profound and age-old intellectual problem at the heart of the human sciences - a problem known in scholarly literature as the problem of "self-deception." Arbinger is comprised of scholars, business leaders and professionals who apply their experience and talents to writing about the sweeping implications of this solution for all aspects of organizational, community and family life. Every Arbinger publication and product reflects the contribution of all its members. Arbinger publishes under its corporate identity to communicate this corporate truth about authorship.
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From the publisher
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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Preface
For too long, the issue of self-deception has been the realm of deep-thinking philosophers, academics, and scholars working on the central questions of the human sciences. The public remains generally unaware of the issue. That would be fine except that self-deception is so pervasive it touches every aspect of life. "Touches" is perhaps too gentle a word to describe its influence. Self-deception actually determines one's experience in every aspect of life. The extent to which it does that, and in particular the extent to which it is the central issue in leadership, is the subject of this book.
To give you an idea of what's at stake, consider the following analogy. An infant is learning to crawl. She begins by pushing herself backward around the house. Backing herself around, she gets lodged beneath the furniture. There she thrashes aboutcrying and banging her head against the sides and undersides of the pieces. She is stuck and hates it. So she does the only thing she can think of to get herself outshe pushes even harder, which only worsens her problem. Shes more stuck than ever.
If this infant could talk, she would blame the furniture for her troubles. After all, she is doing everything she can think of. The problem couldnt be hers. But of course, the problem is hers, even though she cant see it. While its true shes doing everything she can think of, the problem is precisely that she cant see how shes the problem. Having the problem she has, nothing she can think of will be a solution.
Self-deception is like this. It blinds us to the true cause of our problems, and once blind, all the "solutions" we can think of only make matters worse. Thats why self-deception is so central to leadership--because leadership is about making things better. To the extent we are self-deceived, our leadership is undermined at every turn - and not because of the furniture.
We have written this book to educate people about this most central of problems -a problem that has been the exclusive terrain of scholars for far too long. But this book is about more than the problem. There is a solution to self-deception as well.
Our experience in teaching about self-deception and its solution is that people find this knowledge liberating. It sharpens vision, reduces feelings of conflict, enlivens the desire for teamwork, redoubles accountability, magnifies the capacity to achieve results, and deepens satisfaction and happiness. We hope that this introduction to the self-deception problem and solution will give people new leverage in all of these areas. In organizations as varied as commercial ventures, neighborhoods, and families, what is needed most is people not just with influence but with influence for good.
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| View all 10 comments |
Don (MSL quote), USA
<2007-07-02 00:00>
This is a fascinating story illustrating a set of principles which, because of the fundimental truths involved, has the power to change lives. This book reminds me of reading "The Greatest Salesman in the World" and though different in style and scope, should be as big as any of Og Mandino's best-sellers. I believe it will be once the word gets out to those who seek inspiration from the worlds best books.
This isn't just another "how to" type book. I personally found that I have been "in the box" of self deception for much of my life. I didn't realize, until it crystalized on the pages of this book, how much I have been blaming others for that which I should have been accepting responsibility.
I don't consider myself a great leader of men, but this book speaks to me personally and applies to all who have relationships within this great human family. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-07-02 00:00>
This is one of those rare, life-changing books. I could not put it down. Initially thinking it was a book on leadership skills, I soon found it applied in all areas of my life. It is a quick read - written in novel form - but is very thought provoking and insightful. The title is somewhat misleading. I think this is a must-read for everyone: boss, employee, teacher, spouse, parent. I especially think it should be read by anyone who does any counseling. It will forever change the way I look at people and the way I interact with them. |
Stuart (MSL quote), USA
<2007-07-02 00:00>
Terry Warner has finally cracked the one riddle that has obsessed philosophers since the time of Thales: How is it possible to get rich from philosophy? Warner takes a handful of ideas from the same college existentialism class that most business majors ran from in terror, and repackages them so skillfully in the language of American corporate capitalism that CEO's now gladly fork over thousands for the privilege of listening to him. Naive philosophy professors everywhere - who actually made their ideas available free of charge, instead of copyrighting them as intellectual property, and setting up consulting firms to manage their distribution -can learn a lot from this book. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-07-02 00:00>
This is an outstanding, easy to read book that I found hard to put down. The lesson is told as a short story in a fashion similar to the works of Dr. Ken Blanchard. The story slowly seduces you into realizing the failure of our own mental models that are hurting our effectiveness at work and at home. The author uses a childhood metaphor of a "box" to represent the mental trap that people fall into when interacting with other people. The key is rather simple in theory, but I find the practice difficult. When one has been in a box for years, it is hard to stand outside of the box. This is doubly difficult when others are still in their box while taunting you to return to yours.
If this doesn't make sense, it will after you read this book. The insight is well worth the small price of it. I highly recommend this book. |
View all 10 comments |
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