Worst Enemy, Best Teacher: Learning from Our Opponents, Competitors, and the People Who Drive Us Crazy

Both science and spirituality see the enemy as a teacher – one who holds information critical to resolving common struggles. But learning from one’s enemies, especially in these polarized times, can be a profoundly difficult task. Worst Enemy, Best Teacher integrates spiritual, cultural, and scientific methods to transform adversarial relationships into powerful learning experiences. Here mediator and corporate trainer Deidre Combs expands on the revolutionary philosophy introduced in her first bookThe Way of Conflict. She suggests a cross-cultural elemental typing system – earth, air, fire, water – to identify and learn how best to approach the person or problem that plagues us most – whether it’s a neighbor, a brother-in-law, a new boss, or the factory’s fiercest competitor. The book shows how to apply the wisdom gained from studying the opponent to any challenge, whether within one’s self, with friends or family, or between companies or nations, and offers ingenious tips and techniques for learning from the enemy and converting conflict into resolution.