This is Work in Progress, a newsletter about work, technology, and how to solve some of America’s biggest problems. Sign up here. You’re at home on a work night. Your partner had a brutal day and needs to vent. “My boss was a jerk,” your partner says, “and I feel like none of my colleagues like me.” “I have an idea,” you respond. “Maybe you should organize a happy hour to clear the air.” “You’re not listening. My boss is just a jerk, plain and simple. I’ve tried being nice, and it’s impossible with her. Nobody in the office gets this kind of treatment.” “I hear you. I’m just trying to help. And if you organize that happy hour, you might—” “Stop trying to help me fix the problem and please just listen to me,” your partner says. And now it’s your turn to get upset. Because you are listening, you think. To every word! Isn’t that what good partners do? And somehow, all you’ve done is start a fight. In his new book, Supercommunicators, …