Mitch Warner, managing partner of the Arbinger Institute and author of acclaimed leadership books, delves into the transformative power of mindset. He reveals how self-deception hinders effective leadership and promotes misunderstanding. Warner emphasizes seeing others as people, not obstacles, to foster collaboration. He discusses the struggle of personal accountability and the toxic cycle of blame. Listeners learn the value of curiosity and an outward mindset in navigating relationships, especially in today's changing landscape.
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Semmelweis's Handwashing Discovery
Obstetrician Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that doctors' unwashed hands caused high mortality rates in his maternity ward.
Doctors resisted handwashing, highlighting how we resist acknowledging our contributions to problems.
insights INSIGHT
Self-Deception Defined
Self-deception involves denying responsibility for problems and blaming others.
We resist the truth even if it means problems persist.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Collusion and Inward Mindset
An executive gave an underperforming employee a high-visibility presentation, hoping for failure as justification.
This inward mindset created a negative dynamic and exemplifies self-deception.
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Mitch Warner: Leadership and Self-Deception
Mitch Warner is a managing partner of the Arbinger Institute. The Institute has authored three best-selling books and helps leaders transform their organizations by enabling the fundamental shift in mindset that leads to exceptional results. Now in its fourth edition, Leadership and Self-Deception: The Secret to Transforming Relationships & Unleashing Results*, is today one of the top fifty best-selling leadership books of all time.
Shifting behavior in a sustainable way requires us to change our mindset. In this conversation, Mitch and I explore how self-deception gets in our way and how we can take the first step by seeing others as people.
Key Points
In many cases, we are the carriers of the very problems we are complaining about. We often resist this reality.
We often assume we aren’t the cause of problems because of our good intentions.
Mindset drives our behaviors and the effectiveness and influence of those behaviors.
Seeing someone as less than a person causes us to see the world in a way that justifies our judgement.
Too often, conflicts manifest as people provoking another’s behavior in order to justify themselves.
Our own justification is an indicator that we may be wrong to begin with.
Viewing others as either better or worse than ourselves creates justification that prevents awareness and change.
Get outside of yourself by meeting to learn about them. If the relationship has been strained, consider meeting to give.
Resources Mentioned
Leadership and Self-Deception: The Secret to Transforming Relationships & Unleashing Results* by The Arbinger Institute
The Arbinger Institute
Interview Notes
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Help Your Team Embrace Growth Mindset, with Eduardo Briceño (episode 644)
The Way to Handle Oblivious Leadership, with Robert Sutton (episode 667)
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