The secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one’s own infallibility with the power to learn from past mistakes. ~ George Orwell As much as we'd like to believe that we're rational human beings, we can all too easily mislead ourselves. Self-deception is a process that encourages us to justify our false and invalid beliefs. Individuals, organizations and communities experience self-deception — the root of most problems, according to the Arbinger Institute, a Utah-based consulting … [Read more...]
A Manager’s Recurring Nightmare: Conflict’s Complexity
Charlie Sheen may be our new “model” for how to effortlessly embarrass yourself and undermine your career by instigating turmoil and conflict (and he made over $1 million per episode). As he and others are publicized, it’s no wonder the concept of conflict is associated with something that is inevitable and invariably bad. On the company front, managers spend an inordinate amount of time putting out fires, particularly interpersonal ones. In my executive coaching practice, I’d guess that at … [Read more...]