Rating: 
Summary: Hard to Read
Review: I had to force myself to stick with it until the end and the secret is revealed. Long, weak stories aren't really necessary. Why not use short, interesting anecdotes to make your point? It's such a wonderful point. I bought this book and Shar McBee's "To Lead is to Empower" and found her's delivered WAY more than promised. This book left me a little disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A Must for Lovers of Platitudes and Nice Sounding Banalities
Review: This very thin book's premise is that we are mostly trapped in "the box". This is a state of mind where we think of ourselves and not of others. By objectifying others and by filtering our perceptions to protect our self image, we get locked into couterproductive interactions with other people.It reminded me of two other similar books "Who moved my cheese" and "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". All three books feel life changing and inspiring, but they fail to change lives. The common element is the simplistic notion that one simple thing (or 7 things) is the magic bullet that is going to change everything. The 'religious' flavour is consistent with the reviews that say "this stuff is all in the bible". There is no practical advice about how to deal with abusive and exploitative people, how to balance your own needs with the needs of others etc. I don't dispute the need for everyone to be self aware and aware of their effect on others, to question their assumptions about themselves and to look at themselves as part of a social system. But there are plenty of better books about that. For example "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work" by John Gottman - which has much wider applicability than just marriage. The Arbinger group runs courses and seminars to fill in the blanks. However given the cost of the book it should have more practical detail to deminstrate that this is not just a bunch of nice sounding words.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing new, but good nonetheless
Review: The way this book presented the idea of in-the-box and out-of-the-box is what makes this book's ideas seem new and cutting edge. However, look deeper into the meaning of the book, and you'll see that you really get nothing more out of this book than if you had read something like the Bible, which has been around a bit longer than the "Box" theory. I am not pushing for everybody to read the Bible, but just to present a perspective on the kinds of ideas you can learn from reading such a widely available religious book that you may already have lying around the house. For instance, according to this book, you're only really out of the box when you examine yourself and view other people as people and not as mere objects. And looking at the faults of others is of no benefit while examining yourself with a more critical eye can help you get out of the box. "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye." Luke 6:41-42 In the box, you're forgetting about the plank in your own eye and only noticing the speck in the other person's eye. Therefore, you're not seeing clearly. Because the whole purpose of this book is to allow people to perceive correctly, I believe what this book is trying to say is very simple. As a result, there are any number of ways you can achieve the aims of this book without necessarily following the exact steps laid out in this book to get out of the box. And the other major precept in this book? Genuinely care enough about others to see them as people, not as objects. As it turns out, the Bible's greatest commandment is to love God and to love people. To me this means seeing people as they really are and correctly providing for their needs, in essence truly caring for them and not caring for them for your own sake as the book points out. Understandably, this book took some principles from well-known literature that most are familiar with and repackaged it in a way that seems more profound and applicable to the corporate world. The methods with which Tom the everyman tries to poke holes in the "Box" logic and the way Bud adeptly answers all of them also gives this book an air of scientific and socratic methodology that completely separates this book from any ties to religious literature. Same ideas. Different model. Don't get me wrong. I agree with what the book is trying to say in that you shouldn't see people as objects, but as people with real needs, hopes, and fears. And perhaps because of the very way it was packaged to reach people who may not otherwise read a more complete book on the "Human Sciences" than the Bible, I think this book did its job and even got its ideas out to people who have a disdain for any religious literature and believe that the Bible is a waste of time for them. Therefore, I laud the Arbinger Institute's marketing strategy of packaging well-known ideas into this product and getting it out to the right people, and I give it 3 stars as a result. All I'm saying is, as far as profound and ground-breaking ideas, you didn't see it here first, folks.
Rating: 
Summary: Masterful
Review: I have read "Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box" and think it would make the old Sophists of ancient Greece proud, in that it is a masterful quick-fix-remedy and learning experience that provides the subscriber with immediate practical help. I highly recommend this great "how to" get out of the box book. And, if you are really interested in leadership, you "have to" go on to read Remick's "West Point: Character Leadership.." to understand the philosophical basics of leadership, put into plain-speak.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Covey-like cult book
Review: I was encouraged to read this book by my boss. I did not enjoy it. Instead coming across as a book that encourages you to improve leadership skills and interpersonal relationships, it came across to me as religious propaganda for some sort of strange "anti-box" cult. The parables read like they are something out of the New Living Bible. If you've read this Leadership book, you'll understand this: Lou is Jesus, Kate and Bud are disciples and Tom is "everyman". To paraphrase a line in the book: Just knowing the word isn't enough, you have to LIVE it! Now does that sound familiar to you who have a religious background? And now that a fellow customer has pointed out that Covey and the Arbinger Institute are Mormon, it's all clear to me. Anybody read Jon Krakaur's "Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith"?
Rating:
Summary: Light on Content
Review: I rarely take the time to write reviews. I'm taking the time to write one for Leadership and Self-Deception because it was such a poor book. The content in this book could have been contained in a pamphlet. The author takes a story line approach that's excessively long and becomes tiresome. The illustrations should be shortened significantly. There are only a handful of concepts covered; the rest is fluff and a waste of space (and my time). I would have much preferred a book detailing concepts backed by concise illustrations and supporting examples. Rather then using bloated anecdotes, I would have appreciated a more engaging and intellectually stimulating approach. I can't imagine Stephen Covey, who endorsed the book, reading every page cover to cover. There's just not enough content to warrant it. If you have access to this book free of cost, it's worth a skim. Otherwise, I recommend looking elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Can change your personal relationships
Review: I was given this book by my mom of all people. At first I didn't want to read it because I thought I wasn't a leader. But this book can change how you look at yourself and other people. Do you see them as pawns in your game or as people with hopes and dreams like you?
I would recommend this book to anyone trying to get along with others, even if they are not the "leader" of a company. It can improve any relationship.
Rating:
Summary: The essence of true leadership is revealed
Review: This is a most unusual book on leadership. The premise here is not about leadership approaches, methodologies for managing employees in the workplace, or other business strategy, but is instead a close and powerful look at how we view others and how that view impacts our ability to lead them. The first unusual aspect of this book is the manner in which it is written. It is basically a novel. It starts with contextual story written in first person, of a man who has recently joined a successful company as an executive and is called in to meet personally with the Company senior leader. From the first few pages I was anticipating and wanting to know what would happen next. It is within this method that the leadership principles are revealed. This is an extremely important way to deliver a message. I know a few people who do not read novels, but stick to non-fiction types of books. This is a tremendous loss, as truth is most eloquently and powerfully conveyed within the context of a story. In the New Testament for example, Jesus taught most powerfully in parables, weaving truth into a common story people could relate to. In that manner this book weaves some powerful messages about leadership into a modern day parable of a business executive. The concept presented in this book of what leadership is, is also a more unusual one in that the focus is not on "what" we do behaviorally to others, our outward leadership style, as most leadership books focus on, but rather our inward view of these individuals as people. The foundational question is whether we are "in the box" or not. "In the box" refers generally to viewing others as objects through our own biased lens, which often without our knowledge inflates our self-importance while diminishing theirs. When reading this story I couldn't help but draw parallels to companies I have worked for, like GE, where the culture of leadership was in place, but despite all the tools most managers were not effective delivering them. This book will give one explanation on why. This book is personally challenging, in that the focus is not on how we act in that compartment of our lives called work, but rather who we are in relation to others in our family, our workplace, and strangers in our society. I think that the message here should be experienced, so I will not lay out all the components of the book, but rather encourage you to read to be likewise challenged about your own leadership and approach to others. One other review here I noticed was titled "could be life changing". I agree. While the basic concept is not new, the packaging of this idea is so eloquently and powerfully done, that I would guess you may also experience some awareness bursts as I did while reading it. I found myself re-examining many aspects of how I lead my team at work, how I interact with peers and co-workers, and how I related to my wife. Simply put, a great book on leadership that would benefit anyone who reads it. Well done.
Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff--Not For the Timid
Review: Don't read this book if you're not willing to confront yourself about how you see, feel about and treat others in your life--spouse, boss, children, co-workers, subordinates, the janitor. It's a short and simple book with a surprisingly simple message. You'll find yourself constantly stopping throughout the book to reflect upon some situation you could have, and should have, handled differently by thinking about those involved in a different manner. This is a truly fresh and human approach to leadership and performance. Read it!
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Summary: Mormon connection (almost) ruined it for me...a rebuttal
Review: (rebutal to a posting from "A Reader in St. Louis") The arguement that because the Arbinger Institute is connected somehow with Mormon Culture should make it somehow distasteful is absolutely absurd and immature. Would one avoid staying in a Marriott Hotel simply because Bill Marriott is Mormon, or argue that Stephen Covey's revered "7 Habits" book is distasteful because Stephen Covey is also Mormon? I must seriously question the intelligence of any person who holds these childish and blatantly prejudiced views. Of course, St. Louis has a long history of people who were blatantly prejudiced against Mormons, doesn't it?
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