Have you ever thought to yourself, “Why do you behave differently or feel that you know it all’? All of this is due to one reason – Self-deception or self-betrayal. You choose to behave differently when the matter involves you instead of others. For example, you talk about “time management” with others with great energy. However, you deceive yourself with your own time management issues.
Later, you end up blaming others for the mistake you make. It is not uncommon for human beings to shut their eyes to the facts and realities of life, especially when it comes to themselves. It might not be a shame to be deceived. However, it definitely turns into a crime to stay in the deception while being aware of it.
Self-deception has become one of the greatest issues people in all professions face. Whether you are a doctor, actor or businessman, you might have this dominant human trait. However, now you must be wondering what kind of role self-deception plays in leadership. Is it a leader’s strength or weakness to be self-deceptive? Read this article to know all about it!
Impact of Self-Deception on Effective Leadership
Imagine you are sitting inside a closed box. The box contains only one hole for you to see outside. All the people you work with – your team members, colleagues and business partners- are outside the box. You assign tasks, review work, give feedback and set goals from inside the box. Does this make you an effective leader?
If you live in your own self-made world of false beliefs and feelings, you will not be able to demonstrate your leadership capabilities efficiently. Self-deception is exactly like being inside the box. When one false belief is reinforced constantly, it will create a world within you that is not real at all. You will start deceiving yourself to the extent that it will eventually become your defence mechanism to fight with the world.
Effective leadership is all about thinking out of the box and taking up new challenges. When you face challenges and rise from them, it will instantly strengthen your ego and boost your self-confidence. Therefore, when you are outside of the box, it will definitely make you an effective leader.
Take a look at our latest blog: Leadership vs Management: Tips From Seth Godin
5 Symptoms of Self Deception
Many business leaders are self-deceptive without even knowing about it. Therefore, they are unable to lead their teams efficiently. Now, you must be wondering how to tell whether a business leader is self-deceptive or not. To help you understand better, here are a few symptoms of leaders carrying self-deception as a personality trait:
Your Statements are Extreme
When you are self-deceptive, your life has little to no balance. Either you will be the world’s best leader or the worst mentor to work with. Do you wonder why? Your extreme statements. Your extreme statements might make you some employees’ favourite, but others will always be scared of you, creating a communication gap between you and your team.
You Will Think You are Never Wrong
If you have years of wisdom and knowledge and are in a position of experience, you might be right most of the time. However, you are a human being, after all, and every human being has a tendency to make mistakes. Therefore, you cannot be right all the time. Smart business leaders understand that and acknowledge their mistakes.
However, self-deceptive leaders find it hard to accept that they can also be wrong at times. They will always keep thinking that it’s not their fault and will try to find someone to blame. By doing so, they are not only lying to their team members but also lying to themselves somewhere.
You are By the Book Only
Self-deceptive leaders are often strict and portray themselves as if they always stick by the rules. Keeping a moral code is good. However, being by the book in any way does not always guarantee to provide you with the correct answers. The leaders that have self-deception remain strict to the point of near obsession.
They might think that by showing this behaviour, their employees will remain productive and loyal to the business, making it successful. However, that is not true at all. In today’s world, there is not much place for strict and rigid leaders. Employees want to work under the mentorship of a friendly and flexible leader.
You Have Imposter Syndrome
Another common symptom of self-deception is overestimating yourself. Self-deceptive leaders are often insecure and understate their skills. If a leader feels insecure, they will not be able to interact with their employees confidently as well as manage their conflicts
You will Always Justify Your Behaviour
Self-deceptive leaders have a habit of justifying their behaviour no matter how bad it is. Every time they do something questionable, they work overtime to devise justifications to cover the mess up. On top of that, they will trick themselves into believing they have a good reason for even the most harmful things.
Conclusion:
Strong leadership always empower the employees they lead. However, it is impossible without looking at your limitations and potential self-deception. If leaders ignore their harmful personality trait – self-deception, it will eventually affect their ability to see their employees’ needs. A leader’s out-of-the-box actions always play an important role in boosting employees’ morale and making them better team members.
Learning Leadership Through Sport And Business Is The Best Way
Do you feel you have the symptoms of self-deception? ActionCoach can help you overcome it. We provide entrepreneurs with the tools and know-how to become inspiring leaders in their industries. By equipping business owners with our innovative strategies, they can thrive in a competitive marketplace while living out their leadership aspirations.
Contact us today at 01442 773310 or email westherts@actioncoach.co.uk for a business coaching session on how to overcome self-deception!
