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

"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

Preface xi PART 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

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.

#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.