1.5 - About University

H OW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL“The further down the scale of health you go, the greater the dislike people feel towardschange of any sort, because it’s much more painful for them to face their defects.”—Robin Skynner and John Cleese, LIFE AND HOW TO SURVIVE ITSelf-awareness is a critical aspect of leadership success, yet it’s exceedingly difficult to lookobjectively at one’s own defenses. After all, defenses, by their very nature, are usually outsideof a leader’s conscious awareness. One suggestion is to sit down with a coach or trusted colleague,someone who will be frank and completely honest with you, and use this tool to discusswhich defenses you tend to use and when. Think of concrete situations or incidents inwhich you have used some of these defenses. In what way have these defenses been appropriateor limited your effectiveness? Think of and plan alternative behaviors that will serve youbetter in the future.In the workspace provided here, circle the defenses that you use on the job, then plan afew action steps to improve your responses and to avoid, or at least minimize, your use ofunhealthy defense mechanisms.Healthy defenses Midrange defenses Unhealthy defensesAnticipationSuppressionSublimationAltruismHumorRepressionIsolationIntellectualizationDisplacementReaction FormationFantasyProjection, ParanoiaMasochism, HypochondriaActing OutSteps you can take to make appropriate use of healthy defenses:Steps you can take to minimize your use of midrange defenses and avoid using unhealthy defenses:R ELATED LEADERSHIP TOOLS6.1 Logic Errors 12.7 Dealing with Conflict 13.6 Attribution Theory8.7 Active Listening 13.1 Coaching 15.3 JoHari WindowF OR FURTHER ASSISTANCESkynner, A. C. Robin, and John Cleese. Life and How to Survive It. W. W. Norton & Co., 1996.SECTION 15 TOOLS FOR TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF 471