Issue No. 382 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting (April 18, 2018) recommends a bestselling book on leadership and self-deception. I just bought 10 more copies. And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies) and click here for my Top 10 Book Recommendations of 2017, and my Book-of-the-Year pick.
Leadership and Self-Deception
Maybe…this might be my most important book recommendation for you this year.The title…timely. The contents…convicting. Last week, while reflecting on issues of leadership character and humility, I found not one, but two copies on my bookshelf of Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box. I had never read the book (to my chagrin).So my wife, Joanne, read it first this weekend—and her praise was effusive. Then I read it. Am I the only leader that missed this gem? I should have read it years ago (and my former staff and family would agree). If you haven’t read the book—or leveraged the insights for your organization or family—drop everything and read Leadership and Self-Deception. Here’s why:Reason #1: Self-deception is rampant. You don’t need this book to recognize how other leaders are blind to their own self-deception—but it will give you handles (and a practical metaphor) for understanding the blindness.Reason #2: I am blind to my own blindness. Whew. (Did I mention “convicting” and serious gut-checking?) While trying to figure out the sin and self-deception in other leaders, I wondered, how did the authors insert mirrors on every convicting page? And as Scott Rodin reminds us in The Steward Leader, “If I could put one Bible verse on the desk of every pastor and every Christian leader in the world, it would be this: ‘If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us’ (1 John 1:8).”Reason #3: The “box” metaphor. Powerful. Trust me—read and study this book with your team (and family) and you’ll be using the “box” metaphor within an hour. The second edition of Leadership and Self-Deception includes a short section on how to maximize the book’s impact. The authors list stunning (stunning!) examples of how the principles have transformed organizations (nonprofit and for-profit) and even police departments. In Japan, a word-of-mouth movement has launched “out-of-the-box” clubs.The business novel/fable/story format makes for an easy read (about three hours) with memorable characters, but—warning—it’s not a comfortable read. Reason #4: Faith-based alignment. While the principles of Leadership and Self-Deception are not faith-based per se—they actually are. For my readers who are Christ-followers, you’ll salivate at the opportunity to integrate Leadership and Self-Deception with biblical wisdom.And speaking of alignment, you’ll appreciate how Leadership and Self-Deception enhances the insights, especially, of The Cure, The Advantage, Leaders Eat Last, Broken and Whole, Leading Me, Serve Strong, and What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There (to name just a few).Reason #5: Refreshing humility—no author names! Really! Published by The Arbinger Institute, these leaders practice what they preach—and share the credit for this book with all of their team members, including non-writers. Hence—author names are not revealed. (And note: the book has sold over one million copies.)So, could this book help you and your leadership team? Yes! From the authors: “…the myriad ways in which people have used this book and its ideas fall within five broad areas of application: “1) applicant screening and hiring, 2) leadership and team building, 3) conflict resolution, 4) accountability transformation, and 5) personal growth and development.”Special thanks to Jim Canning for sending me this book several years ago.To order from Amazon, click on the title for Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box (Second Edition), by The Arbinger Institute. Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
1) In the “how to use this book” addendum, the authors note that “Many organizations utilize the book in their hiring practices. Prospective employees are required to read the book as part of the application process.” What’s the upside of inspiring applicants to understand and buy into your organization’s culture before they join the team?
2) Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (30 million sold), highly recommends this book. Pop Quiz! Habit 5, from Covey, is: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Now…write down the other six.
ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance
Hot-off-the-press [2019]! A new resource from Dan Busby and John Pearson, ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance: Time-Saving Solutions for Your Board.
It includes 22 tools including a CEO’s monthly board report template, a Board Nominee Orientation Binder table of contents, a board retreat trend-spotting exercise, a rolling three-year strategic plan one-page template, options for the CEO’s annual performance review, and much more.
The book, originally created in binder format for the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust’s board enrichment programs, is 266 pages and includes a password to a webpage with downloadable templates.
For more resources from the Board Bucket, including more than a dozen resources (one size doesn’t fit all), visit the Board Bucket webpage.
NOTICE! Effective Oct. 1, 2025, all 657 eNews issues, previously archived on Typepad.com are slowly (!) being moved to a new website here. New book reviews will also be archived at John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. Or, click here for John’s recent book reviews on Amazon. |
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