Self-Deception Sabotages Your Strategy
Jan 18, 2026
Have you ever been blindsided by feedback that everyone else saw coming?
Were you shocked when your brilliant strategy failed because your culture rejected it?
You have a self-awareness crisis that undermines your leadership, and research shows 95% of people think they are self-aware while only 10-15% actually are.
The First Person You Lie To
Think about how deeply self-deception infiltrates your leadership:
You tell yourself the change is "not that bad" when it clearly is.
You convince yourself it will "pass soon" while everyone else prepares for the long haul.
You separate "Professional You" at work from "Personal You" at home as if humans work that way.
Nicole L. Turner dropped this truth bomb on the Work Positive Podcast: "The first person we lie to is ourselves." That lie kills your work culture from the inside out.
Shift from Self-Deception to Self-Awareness
The traditional approach to leadership said, "Project confidence and never show weakness."
Self-aware leadership says, "Know yourself honestly so you can lead others authentically."
The Stanford Business School Advisory Council ranked self-awareness as the most important trait leaders must have. Above intelligence. Above technical skills. Above everything.
Nicole's research revealed leaders who lack self-awareness exhibit destructive leadership behaviors, cause high turnover, absenteeism, and decreased productivity. Leaders with high self-awareness have better job satisfaction, stronger relationships, and improved organizational performance.
"We do not become better people until we do that," Nicole told me about seeking honest feedback from others.
The Strategy-Culture Alignment
What does aligning strategy with culture look like in practice? Dr. Anthony Wade shared this insight: "Be the last one to speak."
Here is the crucial insight: When you are the leader in a room, put the question on the floor. Then shut up. Everyone tailors their opinions to match yours if you speak first. But when you flip the script? Your team tells you what they really think.
Research shows when leaders speak first, it reduces alternative solutions by 42%. Organizations that align culture with strategy before implementing change are 3.7 times more likely to achieve objectives. Seventy percent of change initiatives fail because of cultural resistance, not strategic flaws.
Your Self-Awareness Challenge
Try these three actions this week:
- Ask Five People: Pick five people in your personal life. Ask them your good and bad traits, your strengths and weaknesses. See if they see you the way you see you. Listen without defending. Look for patterns.
- Speak Last: In your next significant meeting, put the question on the floor. Invite everyone else to share first. Take good notes. Resist responding. Once everyone has spoken, summarize what you heard before sharing your perspective.
- Create Safe Space: Schedule a conversation with one team member specifically to hear frustrations. Allow for angst. Value the emotion and find the truth underneath it. What one thing would build trust?
The Work Positive Bottom Line
The best leaders today cultivate self-awareness and align strategy with culture rather than forcing strategies onto resistant cultures.
Stop lying to yourself first. Start knowing yourself so everyone can thrive with Change @ Work.
Got some burning questions? Ask Dr. Joey here.
Taken from Dr. Joey's newest book, Change @ Work: T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M. Negative Chaos into a Positive Culture.
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