Q. I work with a guy who always needs to be right, finish the argument, and drown out his opposition. I’ve tried everything and nothing gets through to this guy. How can I be effective when I’m working with an arrogant idiot?

A. You can be effective when you’re working with an arrogant idiot by not trying to get through to this guy. When you give up the fight to be right, you get to use reality as your ally. Nothing is more persuasive than reality.

Most of us are tempted to engage in a right fight because not fighting feels like losing our self-esteem. Try to keep in mind that no one ever enhanced their self-esteem by getting into arguments with idiots.

Imagine spending a day at the beach with your co-worker. You tell him a wave is coming and he brashly declares there’s no wave. You c

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