Surrounded by idiots - Book Review

Today’s book review is a guest article of Maximilian Brenner

Table of Contents

All just idiots!!!

This thought has certainly crossed some people’s minds after a meeting or group work, but is everyone else really an idiot or am I the idiot in the room?

The author Thomas Erikson thinks it is simply a matter of communication. In his book” Surrounded by Idiots” he describes four different types of behavior.

To understand which behavioral type my counterpart has and therefore also understand his way of thinking is according to Erikson the key to a successful communication.

Because the so-called “idiots” in our environment are mostly people who have a different behavioral pattern and communication style and thus process the information different than they were intended.

4 Behavior Types

The book divides the four behavior types into red, yellow, green and blue which is based on the DISC system.

The red type represents people who are dominant and controlling, yellow represents people who are social and optimistic, green represents people who are relaxed and friendly, and blue represents people who are analytical and precise.

In addition, Thomas Erikson explains how to recognize and deal with each personality type. This simple four-color system allows you to quickly identify a friend or co-worker and adjust the way you talk and interact with them in different situations. It also shows how certain types can be combined or simply not 🙂

Conclusion

I often think that everyone else in the room is just an idiot, so the title spoke directly to me.

By reading the book you will understand why some people in certain situations behave differently than you had expected or in other words behave idiotically.

Of course, this technique is not an all-purpose miracle cure to have a good relationship with everyone. Sometimes someone is just an idiot no matter what type.

But: By being able to recognize the type now and to know how to approach these people in order to work with them successfully is not only a great skill but also one that saves you a lot of time and nerves.

I think that Surrounded by idiots is well written. From time to time you have to either laugh about yourself or you immediately think of a familiar person when the author describes a character.

Some chapters could have been spared because you feel like you’re told the same thing over and over.

All in all, everyone benefits from reading the book and can reflect on his behavior and that of others.

I can only recommend everyone to pack the book for the next vacation.

Surrounded by Idiots on Amazon.com (Affiliate Link)