Dana Cox

The Arbinger Institute. “Leadership and Self-Deception”. San Francisco. Berrett-Koehler, 2010. Print.

Summary:

Leadership and Self-Deception is a book that outlines principles for leaders of all organizations to follow in order to achieve results and therefore success. The principles can be applied in a company, family or organization. The main points are given in the form of a story, of a person named Tom who just began working at a company called Zagram. Tom is pulled into a special meeting with an executive named Bud, who teaches him about “the box” and how self-deception and justification hinders ones goals.

Main Points:

What is the box and how do people act when they are in the box?

Self-deception is the way that one gets into the box. When you’re in the box, you have a closed perspective, are deeply resistant to any suggestions and are blind to the fact that you have a problem.

How do you get into the box? Self betrayal= self justification

We get into the box from self-betrayal. We betray ourselves with decisions and behaviors in our lives. Once we betray ourselves, we seek justification in our decision by blaming others and finding flaws in them. When you’re in the box, you blame others. And when you blame others, you invite them to be in the box.

How do you get out of the box?

“In the moment we cease resisting others, we’re out of the box---liberated from self-justifying thoughts and feelings”. The book explains that once you have the thought to be “outside the box” towards someone, you’re already out. You have to honor the people right before your eyes as people, not as objects.

I think the author does an awesome job of communicating the main points about “the box” where any reader can comprehend them. The storyline also made it an interesting read. The examples that were used such as with their spouses, the children and with their co-workers are situations that anyone could relate too. The author(s) also do a good job of providing diagrams to explain certain principles. This also makes it easy to use the book as a reference tool because you can flip back through the book to find certain diagrams and main points.

I think the book directly correlates with the MBO management model we’ve learned about in class. It focuses on not just doing and saying things because as a leader you have to, but communicating and creating tasks that will keep the organization or company out of the box. They completely believe that the best way to see results and keep motivated employees is by treating the employees like humans, and not like objects. When they are objects, it relates to the scientific management theory, seeing everything as a system or assembly line.

I would definitely recommend that any student read the book, PR major or not. Some students may not think that it is applicable at this time in their lives, but when in a workplace it would definitely be beneficial. All student leaders would be able to relate and put into practice the management strategies explained in the book.