Wow, that’s a serious question. The most famous book to explore the topic of justice is Plato’s Republic. It’s also the first, at least in the West. Socrates (the central character) is a hoot, and the book contains a provocative analysis of democracy. Plus, it has been said Plato is the only philosopher that people read for fun, as literature. So, do I recommend it? Yes! Glad you enjoyed Being Logical. Thanks for the note!

I appreciate your point, B.C., and I invite you to play along with me here. Imagine this: you come out of a grocery store to find that a cart has rolled into your car and dented and scratched the door. It wasn’t your fault that the cart hit your vehicle, but the damaged vehicle is now your responsibility. What will you do? Fix it? Ignore it? Speak with a store manager and see if they have an insurance policy that covers such incidents? Yell curse words in the parking lot and complain to friends? Regardless of who’s to blame, the responsibility now lies in your world. Resisting it will likely lead to resentment and reaction. Accepting it allows us to seek solutions.

I suggested Blindsided take responsibility because even if the boss is at fault, the problem is Blindsided’s. Our research shows that the best communicators take ownership for interpersonal conflict, and that a lot can be resolved through dialogue. It’s not to suggest that effective communication can solve every problem. But when it can’t, having embraced the problem as our own improves our ability to see and seek other solutions. I hope this makes it a little more clear why I gave the advice I did. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Keep doing it.

Thank you, Dennis. 🙂

Good points, C.P. Thank you.

Nice!

Moods frequently determine reputation, productivity, and success. Anger is a choice. As a family business psychologist with 40+ years of experience, I found Ryan’s article to be packed with practical wisdom and new insights. Ryan was masterful in the art of refocusing mood on changing self instead of getting mad when others don’t change. This single rule alone is game changing in life. Thanks for your thoughtful work, Ryan!

My comment is not in regards to applying “Crucial Conversation” methodology. The boss in my opinion is the problem. He has already demonstrated that he is not able to communicate authentically, so he needs coaching for how to give employees feedback.