A big reason organizations make poor strategic decisions is the leader, Too often leaders engage in autocratic, leader-centered decision making rather than harnessing the power of the group.

Consider how every-day leaders with bad or misplaced intentions lead us and the business and civic organizations we care about astray. A first step to improving how we make the big decisions necessary to get better outcomes in our organizations and our lives is to recognize how we are being played, kept in the dark and misrepresented. Here's a list of some ways leaders use mental flaws, traps and fallacies to mislead us. (If you are the leader and see elements of your own behavior in this list, please change now!)