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Summary: This book is great.
Review: Upon finishing this book, I felt like Ebeneezer Scrooge on Christmas morning.
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Summary: Excellence book!
Review: I recommend this book to all my friends. This is a book everyone should read. It is not only help for work, but also for your life development.
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Summary: There was light at the end of the tunnel
Review: Mind changing outlook of self by understanding the dynamics. THere are no New Year's resolution needed to treat yourself well, no rules to force yourself into..no pun intended! What a perception, what a whole outlook!
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Summary: Life Changing !
Review: This book will change your life. Not only is it an eye opening juggernaut but it will humble you before your friends, family, and coworkers by helping you realize how you deceive yourself. It is an easy read that you will fly through in a matter of hours. Then you will read it again! Buy this book and pass it on to everyone that you know, especially those you work with!
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Summary: Read Bonds of Anguish, Bonds of Love
Review: Although the writing style left something to be desired, Ifound the principles in the book compelling. I, too, was put off thatthe book only covered the first of three parts. Being squarely in thebox, I thought, "Great, now they are going to sucker me into aseminar!" I was wrong...In my humble opinion, the Bonds ofAnguish, Bonds of Love book is far superior (in writing style alone)and offers a more detailed explanation of the principles in thisbook... If you found this book helpful, by all means order the Bondsof Anguish, Bonds of Love.
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Summary: CAN'T GET ENOUGH!!
Review: My husband caught excerpts of this book on-line and got so "hooked" on it, he could not wait for the next chapter to appear, so he special ordered two copies "for the office", sharing one with his boss and co-workers (and me!) and giving the other one to the Plant Manager with his very high recommendations. I am glad to see that it is available for a discounted price from Amazon because I want to give some away -- one to my 24-year old son, for sure! Anyone who cannot find something in this book that changes their lives for the better -- be it personal, spiritual, or professional, is NOT OPEN TO IMPROVING THEMSELVES AND (to quote the book) "IN THE BOX!" -- Julie Lowe
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Summary: Its about who we are and what we can become
Review: The Arbinger Team has done an excellent job of making Terry Warner's concept of self-deception understandable and accessible. A simplified definition of self-deception is when we feel something is right, we don't do it, and we convince ourselves that we are justified in our choice. Examples range from resisting the urge to help a coworker, to withholding needed encouragement and warmth from a child. When we engage in this self-deception, we experience others as objects: as obstacles, stepping stones, or irrelevancies. We are blind to the possibilities beyond this narrow view, and we could call this being "in the box." Perhaps the greatest hope offered by the authors is that getting out of the box is no arduous or monumental or lengthy task, though it often seems so from within our limited perspective. Outside the box, we experience ourselves and others differently, as real people, and our entire world transforms. The applicability of this book goes far beyond management and leadership: it is about who we are, which touches every aspect of our lives. This book will help you to live more true to your deepest sense of right, and more true to others. For those looking for more, additional material on the subject is available through Arbinger, such as an unpublished manuscript and short articles by Warner. The book can be seen as an introduction to these ideas, but can also be applied complete-in-itself. A comparison could be drawn to Stephen R. Covey's writing: though his books point you toward his seminars, you don't have to buy anything else in order to get enormous benefits from the practical concepts.
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Summary: Based on sound principles
Review: I was drawn to buy Leadership and Self-Deception because its sub-title, "Getting Out of the Box," is consistent with my own beliefs about coaching executives. The scholars at Arbinger Institute have based this book on key questions that can trigger significant change: "How can people simultaneously (1) create their own problems, (2) be unable to see that they are creating their own problems, and yet (3) resist any attempts to help them stop creating those problems?" These questions are based on sound psychological principles initialy proposed by Gregory Bateson, and developed further by Chris Argyris and by members of the Mental Research Institute at Stanford -- if we can step "out of the box" and see how we contribute to repetitive problem situations, we can change our assumptions and our behaviors and break the cycle of "more of the same." Peter Senge addresses this same dynamic at a systemic level in The Fifth Discipline when he outlines some "systems archetypes." I have a personal distaste for the way Leadership and Self-Deception is written: the entire book is a story based on rhetorical questions ("Why does the box matter?" "Well...it just... I mean..." "Think about it this way, Tom. When I'm in the box, who or what am I focused on?" "On yourself, I guess.") Nonetheless, I can see how someone unfamiliar with the concepts would find this an easy read, and I can certainly appreciate how someone could be transformed by the notion of being able to step aside and see our own patterns, how we contribute to the status quo. It is an empowering moment to stop blaming others, to break free from our habitual responses, to shift to a new perspective. And this definitely leads to better leadership.
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Summary: Obviously...
Review: I fail to see how anyone can read this and not be in awe of the material they are learning. I am responsible for Utah/Salt Lake City being in the upper ranks of popularity for this book. After I read it, I bought a couple dozen copies and sold them to anyone that could read. Everyone needs to know this material. As for the reader that didn't get it, read it again. That just shows precisely how deep we can get in the box. There are usually support groups or free seminars on this material, as I have attended such already. The further information the book alludes to IS somewhat of an advertisement for how the authors teach this material - mainly through businesses or through the therapy circuit. The book absolutely fulfills any and all claims made.
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Summary: Left Me Abivalent
Review: I read the Amazon reviews before buying this book and was intrigued by the overwhelming endorsement of most readers. Having had a tendency to look for panaceas--the key to solving all my problems in life--I bought it and began reading it with the usual enthusiasm. By the end I thought, "I've been had." After concluding the presentation of ideas that may or may not be substantial, the author(s) reveal that this is only step one of three, and the remaining steps cost more money, probably much more. It's a little distressing to start a book that offers to provide life-changing principles (with endorsements from big-name corportate trainers like Steven Covey), only to find at the end that I've just joined the feeder group for follow-up seminars. One has to wonder if the book contains in full the answers it seems to promise up front, or do I have to cough up the big bucks to find out how to really apply this stuff? I don't dismiss the validity of the ideas the book contains--I have to test them out in the school of life--but I do think it might be more fair to tell the reader at the outset that this is in essence an advertorial. While it's probably reasonable that the author(s) should get some return on years of cogitation, in its present form it comes across as modern sophism, "We can teach you whatever you need to know--for money."
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