The Necessity of Strangers: The Intriguing Truth About Insight, Innovation, and Success

The Necessity of Strangers: The Intriguing Truth About Insight, Innovation, and Success

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. #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 challeng