This astonishing book is a MUST-read for every executive or personal and professional coach.” —Laura Whitworth. The work of moving from self-deception to fierce acceptance of truth and reality may not be easy, but it’s well worth it. In the process, we’ll start trusting ourselves again and develop our self-acceptance as well as our authenticity.

From Berrett Koehler Publishers: Leadership and Self-Deception

Self-deception limits your capabilities as a leader. But self-awareness is the key to overcoming these limitations, and you can develop that self-awareness through continuous self-discovery and learning. Self-awareness in leadership and the need to actively work on developing it is critical in leadership. It encourages leaders to be open to new ideas, reflects on their behavior, and actively build self-awareness to eliminate limitations and achieve success. Recommended Reading - Conclusion The first part of the book introduces the concept of self-deception and explains how it can prevent you from being an effective leader. It also discusses what they call the “Box,” which is a metaphor for how self-deception can trap you in a cycle of negative thoughts and behaviors. How do We get in the Box? You might be self-deceived if you’re not aware of the adverse effects that self-deception can have on businesses.If ever a person A deceives a person B into believing that something, p, is true, A knows or truly believes that p is false while causing B to believe that p is true. So when A deceives A (i.e., himself) into believing that p is true, he knows or truly believes that p is false while causing himself to believe that p is true. Thus, A must simultaneously believe that p is false and believe that p is true. But how is this possible? [7] Living in the Box. With time, some boxes may become so innate to us that we carry them with us, and we constantly see things through our biases and self-justifying lenses. These models call into question how one can simultaneously hold contradictory beliefs ("static" paradox) and deceive oneself without rendering one's intentions ineffective ("dynamic/strategic" paradox). Attempts at a resolution to these have created two schools of thought: one that maintains that paradigmatic cases of self-deception are intentional and one that denies the notion— intentionalists and non-intentionalists, respectively. [3]

Leadership And Self deception | PPT - SlideShare Leadership And Self deception | PPT - SlideShare

Additionally, self-deception can also lead to rationalization, which is the process of justifying bad decisions by convincing yourself that they weren’t your fault. This can prevent you from learning from your mistakes and making better decisions in the future. If leaders rationalize their errors and refuse to learn from them, they are likely to make more mistakes in the future. Leaders can change and improve their surroundings through their actions and judgments. They may generate positive change by defining a clear vision, inspiring and motivating others, and adopting effective ways to attain their goals. A good leader also looks for methods to empower people and create possibilities for growth and development. Through their leadership, individuals may create a pleasant and productive environment for themselves and those around them. 2. They Know Their Team and Themselves Well - What is Leadership? Where does our self-deception come from? It has many potential origins. For example, it can come from:

When you are in the box, you likely are engaging in self-deception (thoughts), which leads to the problem of self-betrayal (actions)

Leadership And Self-Deception Summary - Four Minute Books Leadership And Self-Deception Summary - Four Minute Books

Self-deception can be used both to act greater or lesser than one actually is. For example, one can act overconfident to attract a mate or act under-confident to avoid a threat such as a predator. If an individual is capable of concealing their true feelings and intentions well, then it is more likely to successfully deceive others. make us feel exhausted from all the mental gymnastics of lying to ourselves and trying to cover it up lead to unethical decisions and behaviors, including justifying poor behavior, such as intimidation, harassment, or bullying Self-deception is often a defense mechanism used for self-protection, and it can be used for self-enhancement. But it often becomes a form of self-sabotage and betrayal because it denies reality. When we deceive ourselves, we become our own enemy posing as a friend. Self-deception can involve denial of hard truths, minimization of painful matters, or projection of fault onto others. “ We do not deal much in fact when we are contemplating ourselves.” Self-deception blinds us to the true causes of our problems, making it impossible to make wise decisions.Provide mental health training to all employees, including managers and supervisors, to help them identify and support employees struggling with their mental health. Leaders with a positive outlook can recognize opportunities even when confronted with challenging circumstances and convey this perspective to their team members. They are also typically easier to approach and more receptive to input, both of which can assist in the development of deeper connections with the members of their team. Good leaders create a positive culture within their team by promoting a sense of teamwork and mutual respect among team members. Show vulnerability by admitting when you don't know something or make a mistake. Being vulnerable can help to build trust and inspire your team.

Leadership and Self-Deception summary - Blinkist

Offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides employees with confidential counseling, resources and referral services. Trivers, Robert (2002). Natural Selection and Social Theory: Selected Papers of Robert Trivers. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 978-0-19-513062-1. reduce cognitive load (the amount of information we can hold at one time in our brain’s working memory) in some circumstances, thus helping to conserve cognitive resources** David Buller - 2005 - Adapting Minds: Evolutionary Psychology and the Persistent Quest for Human Nature You might be self-deceived if you have a mistrustful relationship with your employees or are burned out from work.In addition, in a 1979 study, researchers noted that depressed people tend to assess their strong and weak points and recall negative criticisms more realistically (with less self-deception), while nondepressed people typically view themselves favorably and underestimate how often others judge them unfavorably. It makes sense that, if self-deception leads to more favorable self-assessments, that can lead to positive feelings that contribute to wellbeing. Self-deception can be dangerous because it prevents you from seeing the truth. If you’re not aware of your shortcomings, you’ll never be able to improve upon them. Additionally, self-deception can lead to poor decision-making. If you convince yourself of something that isn’t true, you’re more likely to make bad choices that could hurt your team or organization. Collusion. When we’re in the box, we focus on blame and justifications, which trigger others to also get into their boxes; A downward spiral begins and we basically collude to stay in our respective boxes. People respond to how you’re feeling about them, not what you say or do to them. When you’re self-deceived, you see people as threats, nuisances, and problems. When you’re not, you see them like yourself with hopes, needs, and desires. Evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers has developed a theory of “self-deception in the service of deception”—a dangerous loop in which people like deceptive and toxic leaders can be so good at deceiving themselves about things that it makes them more effective in deceiving others, because they don’t show the telltale signs of lying. They’re so good at lying to themselves that it makes them adept at lying to others and remaining somehow credible to them. “… if a liar can deceive himself into believing he is telling the truth, he will be far more effective in convincing others.”