Ratings26
Average rating3.2
Do you ever think you're the only one making any sense? Or tried to reason with your partner with disastrous results? Do long, rambling answers drive you crazy? Or does your colleague's abrasive manner get your back up? You are not alone. After a disastrous meeting with a highly successful entrepreneur, who was genuinely convinced he was 'surrounded by idiots', communication expert and bestselling author, Thomas Erikson dedicated himself to understanding how people function and why we often struggle to connect with certain types of people. Originally published in Swedish in 2014 as Omgiven Av Idioter, Erikon's Surrounded by Idiots is already an international phenomenon, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide, of which over 750,000 copies have been sold in Sweden alone. It offers a simple, yet ground-breaking method for assessing the personalities of people we communicate with - in and out of the office - based on four personality types (Red, Blue, Green and Yellow), and provides insights into how we can adjust the way(s) we speak and share information. Erikson will help you understand yourself better, hone communication and social skills, handle conflict with confidence, improve dynamics with your boss and team, and get the best out of the people you deal with and manage. He also shares simple tricks on body language, improving written communication and advice on when to back away or when to push on, and when to speak up or indeed shut up. Packed with 'aha!' and 'oh no!' moments, Surrounded by Idiots will help you understand and influence those around you, even people you currently think are beyond all comprehension. And with a bit of luck you can also be confident that the idiot out there isn't you!
Reviews with the most likes.
I wish that this book hadn't been as propped up by anecdata. There is interesting stuff here and it was so masked by all the “stories.”
I went in not knowing the book was about the DISC system. Because I had briefly studied the system as part of my coaching training I was already familiar with the concepts. Nonetheless I thought it was a good idea to get a refresher.
Overall the book made it easy for anyone to understand the DISC system, but for all the mentions of people being most likely multicolored, I think the author didn't do enough of explaining instances of multicolor and how that affects their behavior. How does a green-blue differ from blue-green? What determines their “base” color and does a person's palette ever change? Does being aware of the colors shift people's behavior?
Overall I think the book is too superficial to give the DISC system justice, if it's worth any. The 4-grid system seemed too simplistic in this painting, and becomes too vague when everything can be explained away by “case-by-case basis”.
I learned a little, but not enough. Maybe that's proof that I'm a true blue with a dash of red.