Synopses & Reviews
We live in a world filled with strangers, and most of us are conditioned to fear or at least avoid people we don’t know or understand, who might pose a threat, force us out of our comfort zones, or challenge us to question the beliefs and habits we hold dear. Most of us assume that strangers are a problem rather than an opportunity to learn, grow, and reach our full potential, and this view translates to our belief that the people we know best are the real keys to our success. But what if this isn’t the case? What if strangers are actually more important than friends, and what if in order to succeed in anything worth doing, we must engage, learn from, and collaborate with strangers in new and compelling ways?
THE NECESSITY OF STRANGERS makes the case for the simple, profound and counter-intuitive idea that strangers are a necessity for both our personal success and the success of our organizations, precisely because of strangers' differences and their ability to challenge us to think differently about ourselves, the problems we face and the very nature of what is possible. Engaging the right strangers makes us--and our organizations--more complete, compelling, innovative, and successful. Any organization striving to innovate and grow can unlock a key competitive advantage--and provide greater value for customers--by developing a clear understanding of strangers and their perspectives. The book does not focus only on people from other cultures, countries, races, or religions, but also our coworkers and people we already work with, whose training, expertise, and outlook are different from our own.
Crucially, the book includes a framework for maximizing encounters with strangers, as well as 7 key principles for developing a "stranger-centric" mindset. The book then goes on to explain how to apply those priniciples to engaging strangers in 5 key areas where strangers are vital to success:
- Driving greater innovation
- Building more collaborative and capable enterprises and initiatives
- Finding and getting the best out of people
- Developing new markets and customer relationships
- Unlocking the real potential of mergers, acquisitions and partnerships
Ultimately, THE NECESSITY OF STRANGERS is about the future of innovation and personal and business success, in a world in which all of us and all of our companies and organizations can--and must--access more new ideas, insights, perspectives and relationships than ever before.
Review
#9 Washington Post Best Seller (Hardcover Nonfiction)
“Will reset your thinking… if being more compelling and innovative in your career or business matters to you.”
—Andrea Kay, USA Today“Is it possible that we are blind to one of the most exciting sources of innovation in our midst? The strangers among us—the UPS driver, the co-worker from a different department, neighbors who are older, younger, or otherwise different from us—could be invaluable allies in our quest for true creativity, if only we knew how to reach out to them. The Necessity of Strangers is a guide to breaking out of the hive mind and forging the connections that can make us better thinkers and better people.”
—Dan Pink, author, To Sell is Human and Drive
“Alan Gregerman has done it once again—making a compelling case for the relatively simple, yet powerful, concept of opening ourselves up to the knowledge and insights of others. The Necessity of Strangers is a provocative, relevant, and practical guide to meeting the challenges facing business leaders today.”
—George Schindler, president, United States and Canada, CGI
“Are you ready to learn about the power of strangers? From the products we buy at the grocery store to the innovations we adopt at the office, strangers shape our behavior in some amazing ways. Get ready for Alan Gregerman to show you how.”
—Jonah Berger, professor of marketing, the Wharton School, and author, Contagious
“The Necessity of Strangers will change the way you think about innovation and collaboration. Alan Gregerman’s powerful stories, clear examples, and practical guidance show us that strangers are more essential to our growth and success than we ever realized, challenging us—and our businesses—to reimagine how we engage and inspire our employees, customers, and partners.”
—Chip Conley, founder, Joie de Vivre Hospitality; author, Peak and Emotional Equations
“The Necessity of Strangers captures the remarkable value and wisdom of learning from people we too often discount or simply pass by. Their different perspectives may serve as the real catalyst for helping us innovate, create better products and services, increase profits, re-energize people, improve our communities, and reach our full potential.”
—Beverly Robertson, president, National Civil Rights Museum
“The Necessity of Strangers bothered me in a good way, making me realize how much time I spend with people who are, quite frankly, a lot like me. Dr. Gregerman’s book is not only thought-provoking, but very logical. After reading it I made deliberate changes to meet and learn from strangers.”
—Joseph (Jody) Giles, Chief Information Officer, Under Armour
“The Necessity of Strangers provides compelling examples and tools to look, listen, and learn from the world around us in order to create amazing opportunities and results. Alan Gregerman challenges us to think in new ways about how individuals and organizations can learn and grow.”
—Kimo Kippen, chief learning officer, Hilton Worldwide
“The solution to the world’s most difficult issues will be found at the intersection of disciplines, not inside disciplines. In The Necessity of Strangers, Alan provides powerful insight and practical tools to accelerate this essential mashing of ideas.”
—Ellen Glover, executive vice president, ICF International
“In a reality that is constantly changing, and where tomorrow's ordinary is today´s unthinkable, The Necessity of Strangers challenges and encourages us to take advantage of encounters with strangers. It’s a humanistic approach and a vision that clearly appeals to me, tied to my belief in international business. Just playing it safe will never lead to success.”
—Jan Fager, managing director, Swedish Marketing Federation
“Alan Gregerman stops you in your tracks and forces you to re-examine your behavior and ways of thinking. A wonderful and inviting read, punctuated by practical, well-founded insights, The Necessity of Strangers shows how to lead organizations that explore, connect, innovate, and grow.”
—Amr ElSawy, president and CEO, Noblis
“Everyone looking to expand their creativity, create innovation, and improve service in the workplace will benefit from reading Alan Gregerman’s insightful book.”
—John Dillon, senior vice president, Morgan Stanley
“The world is changing! The Necessity of Strangers is a must-read to ensure that you are maximizing all of your relationships.”
—Ed Fuller, author, You Can’t Lead With Your Feet On The Desk, and former president and managing director, Marriott International Lodging
“The Necessity of Strangers will open your mind to the importance of meeting strangers and enchant you with the marvelous things that come out of these encounters. Alan Gregerman’s unique gift is his ability to teach all of us how to make this happen routinely as a key to business success.”
—Charbel Tagher, CEO, Specified Technologies Inc.
Synopsis
A counterintuitive approach to fostering greater innovation, collaboration, and engagement Most of us assume our success relies on a network of friends and close contacts. But innovative thinking requires a steady stream of fresh ideas and new possibilities, which strangers are more likely to introduce. Our survival instincts naturally cause us to look upon strangers with suspicion and distrust, but in The Necessity of Strangers, Alan Gregerman offers the provocative idea that engaging with strangers is an opportunity, not a threat, and that engaging with the right strangers is essential to unlocking our real potential. The Necessity of Strangers reveals how strangers challenge us to think differently about ourselves and the problems we face.
- Shows how strangers can help us innovate better, get the most out of each other, and achieve genuine collaboration
- Presents principles for developing a -stranger-centric- mindset to develop new markets and stronger customer relationships, leverage the full potential of partnerships, and become more effective leaders
- Includes practical guidance and a toolkit for being more open, creating new ideas that matter, finding the right strangers in all walks of life, and tapping the real brilliance in yourself
To stay competitive, you and your business need access to more new ideas, insights, and perspectives than ever before. The Necessity of Strangers offers an essential guide to discovering the most exciting opportunities you haven't met yet.
Synopsis
A counterintuitive approach to fostering greater innovation and collaboration.Most of us assume our success relies on a network of our closest friends and contacts, but what if this isn't the case? What if the real key to new thinking and action is strangers? Although we are often taught to look upon strangers with suspicion and distrust, The Necessity of Strangers offers the provocative idea that engaging with strangers who are often very different than us is an opportunity, not a threat. Strangers challenge us to look at ourselves, the challenges we face, and the world around us with fresh eyes and a sense of new possibilities. Engaging with the right strangers is essential to unlocking our real potential.
The Necessity of Strangers shows how strangers can help us innovate in ways that matter, build remarkable teams and energize workplaces, and achieve genuine collaboration. It also shows how to develop a more open and stranger-centric mindset that can enable you to develop new markets, build stronger customer relationships, create more worthwhile partnerships, and become a more effective leader. Finding the right strangers in all walks of life will help you tap the real brilliance in yourself and your organization.
To stay competitive, you and your business need access to more new ideas, insights, and perspectives than ever before. The Necessity of Strangers offers a unique, essential guide to discovering the most exciting opportunities you haven't met yet.
Synopsis
"Is it possible that we are blind to one of the most exciting sources of innovation in our midst? The strangers among us—the UPS driver, the co-worker from a different department, neighbors who are older, younger, or otherwise different from us—could be invaluable allies in our quest for true creativity, if only we knew how to reach out to them.
The Necessity of Strangers is a guide to breaking out of the hive mind and forging the connections that can make us better thinkers and better people."
—
Dan Pink, author,
To Sell Is Human and
Drive"Alan Gregerman has done it once again—making a compelling case for the relatively simple, yet powerful, concept of opening ourselves up to the knowledge and insights of others. The Necessity of Strangers is a provocative, relevant, and practical guide to meeting the challenges facing business leaders today."
—George Schindler, president, United States and Canada, CGI
"Are you ready to learn about the power of strangers? From the products we buy at the grocery store to the innovations we adopt at the office, strangers shape our behavior in some amazing ways. Get ready for Alan Gregerman to show you how."
—Jonah Berger, professor of marketing, the Wharton School; author, Contagious
"The Necessity of Strangers will change the way you think about innovation and collaboration. Alan Gregerman's powerful stories, clear examples, and practical guidance show us that strangers are more essential to our growth and success than we ever realized, challenging us—and our businesses—to reimagine how we engage and inspire our employees, customers, and partners."
—Chip Conley, founder, Joie de Vivre Hospitality; author, Peak and Emotional Equations
"The Necessity of Strangers captures the remarkable value and wisdom of learning from people we too often discount or simply pass by. Their different perspectives may serve as the real catalyst for helping us innovate, create better products and services, increase profits, re-energize people, improve our communities, and reach our full potential."
—Beverly Robertson, president, National Civil Rights Museum
About the Author
Alan Gregerman is an award-winning author, business advisor, and teacher. His writing and consulting work focuses on helping companies and organizations create winning strategies and more remarkable products, services, and customer experiences by unlocking the genius in all of their people. Alan is the author of two previous books, Surrounded by Geniuses and Lessons from the Sandbox. He lives in the Washington DC area with his family.
Table of Contents
Preface xiPART ONE
Frameworks
1 Necessity 3
2 Aversion 18
3 Mindset 40
PART TWO
Practice
4 Innovation 61
5 People 85
6 Collaboration 107
7 Customers 131
8 Leadership 152
PART THREE
Possibilities
9 The Power of Travel 171
Epilogue: Taking the First Step 180
Toolkit 183
Additional Resources 202
Notes 207
Acknowledgments 211
About the Author 214
Index 215