Mistakes are Not the End: Self Deception Might Be

The Chinese culture is about face as children are criticized a lot and need more positive encouragement. That means your Chinese GM or other managers may not be very open to criticism. They also might have self deception.?That's a shame.

Note this quote from The BAM Review

"That’s a key part of learning from our failures:?recognizing the role that we played in bringing them about.?Of course, sometimes we are hapless and innocent victims of chance or someone else’s misbehavior.?But more often than not, we had a hand in the development of the sequence of events which resulted in a painful loss to us."

Self Deception and Unteachability

Mistakes are a great time to learn. Because they are painful, we can remember them and learn from them if we are open. Furthermore, we need to hire leaders for our China work who have the same attitude. People who deny their responsibility are the worst kind of hires.?They distort the truth and often even deceive themselves. That is deep water and very damaging to the work environment. Self deception, I know a great book on that called Leadership and Self Deception. It is a story with a message and explanation.

You might also want to read:

Who is Most Deceptive in Your Organization? Part I

or??Let’s Make This Money. Be a Great Place To Work – in China

We need to accept that our direct reports will make mistakes. Most of us do that pretty well I think. I am not sure that the leaders you have hired under you are doing as well.?If they are deceiving themselves, they might be pretty convincing.??They also might be making people around them miserable while they take care of you pretty well. Guarding the gates against the self deceived is a job we take seriously, and it is deep water.

This is worth sorting out. We can be better leaders and get better leaders for our China and US operations. It does help our work prosper.