Summary of Adam Kahane's Collaborating with the Enemy

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 I was tasked with creating a workshop for 33 national leaders to find solutions to their country’s most critical problem: the devastating nexus of insecurity, illegality, and inequality. However, I was terrified that the project would not live up to its expectations, and so I became suspicious, distrustful, and rigid. #2 We all do it. We think and act as if the people we are dealing with are our enemies, because that is how we justify not being at peace with ourselves or our surroundings. #3 Enemyfying is a way to understand and deal with real differences. It simplifies the complicated reality into black and white, and thereby allows us to clarify what’s going on and mobilize our energies to deal with it. But, as journalist H. L. Mencken said, There is always an easy solution to every human problem. #4 The central challenge of collaboration is that in order to make progress, we must work with others, including people who may not share our values or opinions, while at the same time not collaborating with them, as that would be treasonous.