Newsletter archive for The Surrounded by Idiots Brief
Stress doesn’t change your personality. But it sure can turn up the volume.
September 23rd, 2026
Why perfectly reasonable people completely misunderstand each other
September 16th, 2026
Your greatest strength may be what people dislike most about you
September 9th, 2026
You’re probably not coming across the way you think you are
September 2nd, 2026
You are not avoiding conflict. You are postponing it.
August 26th, 2026
What silence actually means to Red, Yellow, Green and Blue
August 19th, 2026
The colleague who agrees in the meeting but resists afterwards
August 12th, 2026
The most costly sentence in leadership
July 29th, 2026
Why does everybody want to speak—but nobody wants to listen?
July 22nd, 2026
Have we forgotten how to forgive?
July 15th, 2026
Is convenience making us weaker?
July 1st, 2026
Why do smart people believe obvious nonsense?
June 24th, 2026
Have we confused being informed with being wise?
June 17th, 2026
It’s not gender. It’s colour-coded chaos.
May 27th, 2026
Why your boss now writes like a serial killer
April 29th, 2026
Why two Reds in a room is not teamwork but rather a cage match
April 22nd, 2026
When the machines got smarter, we somehow got quieter
April 15th, 2026
When Green meets Yellow and both leave the meeting confused
March 25th, 2026
Why digital life makes us worse at being human
March 18th, 2026
How to argue with someone and still stay friends
March 4th, 2026
Why is this so detailed? vs. Why is this so vague?
February 25th, 2026
When did “seen” become scarier than “said”?
February 18th, 2026
When two Yellows collide… 🟡
February 11th, 2026
Don’t talk to people like you’re writing a policy update
February 4th, 2026
More screens, less attention: the cost of constant multitasking
January 28th, 2026
“You’re not difficult. You’re just … Red.”
January 21st, 2026
AI wrote this message. Now that you know… will you still trust it?
January 14th, 2026
Why people don’t get you – and what you can do about it
January 7th, 2026
Why you feel like nobody’s listening
December 31st, 2025
The real communication crisis is already here
December 24th, 2025
You left me on read – and that’s communication too
December 17th, 2025
AI can write a letter. But it can’t mean it.
December 10th, 2025
Zoom fatigue isn’t about meetings. It’s about mirrors.
December 3rd, 2025
You’re not a brand. You’re a person.
November 26th, 2025
You can’t hug someone in a comment section
November 19th, 2025
Is the world actually more divided — or just more online?
November 12th, 2025
The body reacts before the brain does
October 29th, 2025
The sigh is never just a sigh
October 22nd, 2025
The passive-aggressive note writer
October 15th, 2025
The person who answers their own questions
October 8th, 2025
The spotlight effect: no one’s looking at you (relax)
October 1st, 2025
You’re not mad – you’re just hungry
September 24th, 2025
Confirmation bias: why you’re not as open-minded as you think
September 17th, 2025
The problem with people who always need to be right
September 10th, 2025
Cognitive dissonance: the mind’s way of lying to itself
September 3rd, 2025
Why we interrupt the people we love the most
August 27th, 2025
The unbearable burden of being right (all the time)
August 20th, 2025
The science of being (un)likeable
August 13th, 2025
The halo effect: why charming people get away with murder
August 6th, 2025
The awkward art of small talk
July 30th, 2025
Yellow wants adventure. Green wants dinner at six.
July 16th, 2025
“I edited your slides …”
July 9th, 2025
If you always need to be right – you’ll be lonely
July 2nd, 2025
When blues meet blue… nothing happens
June 25th, 2025
When order meets chaos
June 18th, 2025
When crossed arms don’t mean go away
June 11th, 2025
The feet never lie (and neither should you)
May 21st, 2025
‘I’m fine’ – most dangerous sentence in the world
May 14th, 2025
The red profile
The dominant
Read about Red personsThe yellow profile
The influential
Read about Yellow personsThe green profile
The stable one
Read about Green personsThe blue profile
The compliant
Read about Blue personsTake the DISC Assessment
Understand how you respond to the people around you, and how they respond to you.
You will receive a detailed 20-page report that will reflect your balance across the four DISC types – Dominance, Influence, Stability and Compliance. Or, the four colours red, yellow, green and blue – if you prefer those.
The Surrounded by Idiots Brief
Every Wednesday, the latest issue is sent to you. Each message includes an aha-moment and possibly an oh no-moment about human interaction, and one example of behaviour for you to reflect upon.
No spam. No fluff. Just the highest quality input about how to better get along with everyone.