Try an experiment. Start a conversation on any topic with your spouse or best friend. After you’ve been talking together for a few minutes, interject with something along the lines of: “Hey, what are you talking about? You’re a real idiot!”
Next, hasten to explain to your partner that of course, you didn’t  mean what you [...]

In an article on creativity, I once wrote about the “secret weapon” of the president of a company known for its rapid growth rate, its excellent relationships with customers and suppliers, and for being a very pleasant place to work. Whenever a staff member approached him with an idea [...]