A Different Way of Thinking Outside the Box: A Book Review of The Arbinger Institute’s Leadership and Self-Deception
Written by Jen Dawson under Melanie’s direction This is not a new book. Published in hardcover in 2000, the four pages of glowing reviews found inside the front cover, gathered from corporate heavy-hitters like Fed-Ex and anonymous readers from across North America, give a sense that the book has been around long enough to gain quite a following. The concept of self-deception is also not new. “Know Thyself” was inscribed over the entrance to the Oracle at Delphi. More recently, the psychoanalytic theory of Freud and co. could be described as the study of the many ways humans lie to themselves. In fact, the concepts explored in Leadership and Self-Deception are the Arbinger Institute’s take on the psychoanalytic concept of ‘resistance’ as applied to the world of business. The book is engagingly written, following the popular business book format of the likeable but imperfect main character who learns a life-altering lesson from a selection of gentle and inspiring gurus. At 168 pages, it’s a quick read. The concepts are clearly presented, the dialogue believable, and the take-away lesson profound. We journey along with Tom Callum, a fictional new employee at a highly successful company where the secret weapon–being “out of the box” in relations with others–has revolutionized the way business is done. Over the course of two days, Tom learns that all people, including his mentors, have a tendency to see others as objects rather than people. It all starts when we deny an initial impulse to do something for another person. This act of denial is labelled self-betrayal. In order to continue seeing ourselves as good people, even though we didn’t follow through on our own impulse to help another, we have to rationalize our inaction. The other person’s character and behaviour is vilified, while our own deeds and needs are elevated in our perception. Both are distortions of reality. At the fictional company where the book is set, this place of distorted reality is given the label “being in the box”. Simple...
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