Surrounded by Idiots (The Surrounded by Idiots Series)

Absolutely loved Surrounded by Idiots! It’s a brilliant, eye-opening look at human behavior and communication styles. The book is both insightful and entertaining, and it really helps you understand the different personality types around you. A must-read for anyone looking to improve their interactions and get a better grasp on how people think!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson, but it turned out to be one of the most insightful books I’ve read on human behavior. The way Erikson breaks down personalities into four color-coded types helped me see my own interactions in a whole new light.What I loved most was how practical the book is. It made me reflect on my own communication style and why I sometimes clash with certain people. Instead of just feeling frustrated, I now have a better understanding of why people react the way they do—and how I can adapt my approach to connect more effectively.That said, some parts felt a bit simplified, and I don’t think people fit neatly into just one category. But as a tool for better relationships, whether in work, family, or friendships, it’s incredibly valuable. I’ve already started applying what I’ve learned, and I can see a difference!

To be completely honest, I decided to read this book, titled Surrounded by Idiots - The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and Life), after a particularly difficult day of teaching high school students. I saw the words “Surrounded by Idiots” in the list of options and thought, yup that’s the one. Every teacher can relate to those difficult days sometimes, but the ideas Erikson writes about in this book can be relatable to anyone at any time. He starts off explaining that we, in fact, are not surrounded by idiots. We are simply surrounded by people who are different than us and who think differently than us. Everyone has a tendency to think people who are different than us are idiots, but that is not necessarily the case.Perhaps if I was having a better day when I chose to read this book, I would have looked at the rest of the title – “The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and Life).” This is a little more descriptive of the ideas Erikson touches on. The four types of human behavior, as Erikson explains it, is broken down into four different colors. This is just his way of organizing the information, but I find it clever and easy to follow. Erikson says on page 13, that most of the population is a combination of two colors, while few are purely one color or a mixture of three colors. He starts off with just describing personality characteristics of each color and how to recognize if someone in your life is a red, yellow, green, or blue. I very much enjoyed this, because I could pin point exact people in my life and what color they are. My sister is a dead on Red for instance. Throughout all the chapters of Surrounded by Idiots, I could confirm my sister is a Red in the way she handles conflict, in her body language, in how she sends emails (my sister and I are also coworkers), and in what “makes her mad as hell” as Erikson puts it.I am a self-proclaimed Green. My Red sister and I get along great in social situations, but when it comes to making plans… that is a different story. Erikson talks about how the different colors work together and what challenges they may face starting on page 193. This got me thinking more about work related relationships, and I’ve got to say, Erikson is completely right in his assessment of collaborating colors. I won’t spoil all the details for you, but again it brought up situations I’ve been in with coworkers, etc. You may be able to tell from what I’ve written so far, but it was extremely difficult for me to not think of every single person in my life (work or social) and how they match up with the different colors in this book and the relationship I have with people of each personality type. This was enjoyable to me.Erikson touches on many character traits, in work and social situations, of all four colors and how they communicate with the other colors – hence the more descriptive part of the title. He also gives plenty real life examples of coworkers of his or friends of his and their interactions. This made it realistic or relatable to me. I will say, it is kind of hard not to get defensive or think “nu uh, you’re wrong Erikson!” when he describes the weakness of the color(s) you identify with most. But keep in mind, and Erikson will remind also remind you, we are all human and no one or one personality color is perfect or superior. Overall, I very much enjoyed reading Surrounded by Idiots even though it was not the book I thought it was when I hit “buy with one click” on Amazon. As a teacher, I would highly recommend this book to other teachers because you will think of certain students or coworkers who are Red, Yellow, Green, or Blue as you read and get insight on how to work with them in a productive and empathetic manner. I’d give the book a 4.5/5. (I’d give it a 5, but it touched on some of my Green insecurities). The book is $14.99 here on Amazon and is 270 pages in length.

It was a good read. Until I figured out I was the idiot that surrounds people.

Of course this is all an opinion, I thought the book had great insight and good information about different types of people. The only way I’m going to look at people from now on in color. That being said my particular reading style found it difficult to get through the stories that were told from personal experiences. All that to say, the information was very insightful and I would recommend this book. Especially if you work with different groups of people, it will be a good read.