Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict

by William Ury Narrated by William Ury

Overview

The author of the world's best-selling book on negotiation draws on his nearly fifty years of experience and knowledge grappling with the world's toughest conflicts to offer a way out of the seemingly impossible problems of our time.

Conflict is increasing everywhere, threatening everything we hold dear-from our families to our democracy, from our workplaces to our world. In nearly every area of society, we are fighting more and collaborating less, especially over crucial problems that demand solutions.

With this groundbreaking book, bestselling author and international negotiator William Ury shares a new “path to possible”-time-tested practices that will help readers unlock their power to constructively engage and transform conflict. Part memoir, part manual, part manifesto, Possible offers stories and sage advice from Ury's nearly 50 years of experience on the front lines of some of the world's toughest conflicts.

One of the world's top experts in the field, Ury has worked on conflicts ranging from boardroom battles to labor strikes, from the US partisan divide to family feuds, from wars in the Middle East, Colombia and Ukraine to helping the US and USSR avoid nuclear disaster. Now, in Possible, he helps us tackle the seemingly intransigent problems facing us.

In Possible, Ury argues conflict is natural. In fact, we need more conflict, not less-if we are to grow, change, evolve and solve our problems creatively. While we may not be able to end conflict, we can transform it-unleashing new, unexpected possibilities.

Successfully tested at Harvard University with almost a thousand participants from business, government, academia, and the nonprofit sector, Ury's “Path to Possible” proved so valuable that Harvard's Program on Negotiation selected it as its inaugural online daylong in April 2022.

Possible introduces Ury's methods and makes them available for everyone. Combining accessible frameworks and powerful storytelling and offering dozens of examples, it is an essential guide for anyone looking to break through the toughest conflicts-in their workplace, family, community or the world.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

12/11/2023

In this optimistic guide, Ury (Getting to Yes with Yourself), cofounder of Harvard University’s Program on Negotiation, distills lessons on resolving conflict from notable episodes in his career. His framework involves keeping an eye on the bigger picture, imagining solutions that allow both sides to claim victory, and involving third parties affected by the discord to broker agreements. For instance, he illustrates the importance of considering options that appear impossible by explaining that in the early 1980s, U.S. and Soviet officials shrugged off the recommendation made by his Program on Negotiation for the creation of nuclear crisis centers, which the superpowers could use to communicate and deescalate in the case of a nuclear crisis. However, Ronald Reagan’s 1985 meetings with Mikhail Gorbachev changed the political calculus and led to the centers’ establishment. Elsewhere, Ury shares how careful listening helped him convince Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez to let tensions between his supporters and political opponents cool over a Christmas détente in 2003, and how thinking through conditions that would allow the Colombian government and the guerrilla group FARC to see themselves as winners helped the parties agree to end their violent dispute in 2016. Ury’s high-profile personal stories lend credence to his methodology, and his unwavering faith in “our ability to deal with our differences constructively” inspires. The result is a humane and hopeful program for resolving apparently intractable disagreements. Agent: James Levine, Levine Greenberg Rostan. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

For fifty years, Bill Ury has traveled the world, devoting his one-of-a-kind life to helping people with the deepest differences find peace where none seemed possible. In this landmark book, he brings together what he’s learned into one breathtaking volume that is at once highly practical and deeply emotional. I raced through Possible with pleasure and awe and will be returning to its wisdom year after year as I try to live up to his vision that we be not optimists or pessimists—but possibilists!” — Bruce Feiler, New York Times bestselling author of Life Is in the Transitions

“If I were going to war (or to Congress), and I could bring only one book, this would be it. Ury has collected all his hard-earned secrets and most riveting stories in one place. A master class in what is possible, even at the worst of times.” — Amanda Ripley, journalist and author of High Conflict

“Hope is not a strategy, which is why we need William Ury in the world to help us get to yes when others hear only no and find opportunity when others see nothing but conflict. If you want to renew your sense that good is possible, let Possible be your guide.” — Simon Sinek, optimist and New York Times bestselling author of Start with Why and The Infinite Game

“The guru of win-win negotiations shows us how to use the impossible—our seemingly intractable conflicts—to create the possible. Like me, Ury is a great believer in our potential to transform ourselves, our relationships, and our world. And he provides the tools for us to do so.” — Carol Dweck, author of Mindset

“If you care about the divides that are tearing our country apart, this is the book you must read to solve the thorny issues we face today — in every area of our lives. Highly recommended!” — Van Jones, Social Entrepreneur, Author, and CNN Host

“After reading Possible, I understood much better why William Ury’s advice was so useful in my negotiations and why we managed to make possible what everybody thought was impossible. This book is a must for anyone who wants to learn about something so fundamental in life: the art of negotiating and finding solutions.” — Juan Manuel Santos, former president of Colombia and Nobel Peace laureate

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159903730
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/20/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,200,474

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