Start building bridges instead of barriers! This essential guide offers a simple 5-part framework that will help you have honest and enlightening conversations despite deep and fundamental disagreements.

Divisions are on the rise around the world, and 2024 may well be a peak year. We’re losing the ability to disagree without dehumanizing. There is a deep need for this practical and accessible guide to having challenging conversations in any situation, from the workplace to the classroom to the dinner table.

It’s not about saying the right words at the right time but something vastly deeper. In this book, you’ll discover the 5 pillars of respectfully disagreeing:
  • Challenge your perspective
  • Be the student
  • Cultivate your curiosity
  • Seek the gray
  • Agree to respect

But this is not a weighty tome. Each chapter features a cartoon, and Justin Jones-Fosu tackles this serious subject with a playful and compassionate tone. For example, he writes “I have become more and more intentional in my desire to respectfully disagree with others (except those who think putting ketchup on eggs is wrong…there is no hope for respect there).”

With a wide range of examples and exercises throughout, this is a timely and reader-friendly handbook to disagreeing with someone’s ideology while passionately pursuing their humanity.
“This book is a must-read, particularly for organizational leaders seeking purposeful insights.”
—Calvin Banks, Senior Vice President of People Development and Culture, Pyramid Global Hospitality

“Jones-Fosu’s work is a call not just for leaders to better communicate with their teams but for the everyday person to humanize those they disagree with.”
—Cy Wakeman, New York Times bestselling author of The Reality-Based Rules of the Workplace

“Justin’s book is an amazing read and should be a staple in any organization’s leadership library. I’m excited to put what I’ve learned from reading this into action!”
—Toby Atkinson, National Director of DEI and Management Programs, Cintas

"I Respectfully Disagree is a timely, heartfelt, and actionable guide for anyone seeking to engage in deeper, more constructive conversations. It’s ideal for professionals, families, and anyone striving to connect across differences with empathy and respect. If you’ve ever found yourself dreading confrontations or unsure how to disagree without damaging relationships, this book will give you the tools to navigate those challenges with confidence and care. Highly recommended!"
—Literary Titan

“I was very impressed by how the arguments in this book were so solidly grounded in reality. This isn’t some wishful plea to “play nice,” Rather, it’s a thoughtful analysis of how humans make assumptions about others, and how to move past those assumptions to create better outcomes. I particularly appreciated the book’s focus on individual choice. This applies to seeking to understand others, deciding when to delineate and enforce personal boundaries, and differentiating between debates about ideology versus personal attacks, among other aspects. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to heal wounds in their relationships with others. Even if we disagree strongly about things, each step we take to build bridges rather than erect barriers between us can lead to greater possibilities to solving seemingly intractable problems.”
—Nonfiction Book Awards

"One of the key strengths of Justin Jones-Fosu’s writing is his ability to blend personal anecdotes with actionable advice, making the guidance relatable. The “5 Pillars of Bridging the Divide” offers a structured approach to improving dialogue. These include challenging one’s perspective, being a student in conversations, cultivating curiosity, seeking the gray areas in discussions, and agreeing to respect."
—Readers' Favorite
Justin Jones-Fosu is CEO of Work. Meaningful., a firm focused on workplace engagement and inclusion that he founded in 2007. He consults with, speaks to, and trains 10,000 to 20,000 people per year. He is a former radio host and former workplace contributor to NPR’s The Takeaway and is known for his ability to connect to a broad range of people in a down-to-earth, humorous way. He is the author of The Inclusive Mindset and Your Why Matters Now.

About

Start building bridges instead of barriers! This essential guide offers a simple 5-part framework that will help you have honest and enlightening conversations despite deep and fundamental disagreements.

Divisions are on the rise around the world, and 2024 may well be a peak year. We’re losing the ability to disagree without dehumanizing. There is a deep need for this practical and accessible guide to having challenging conversations in any situation, from the workplace to the classroom to the dinner table.

It’s not about saying the right words at the right time but something vastly deeper. In this book, you’ll discover the 5 pillars of respectfully disagreeing:
  • Challenge your perspective
  • Be the student
  • Cultivate your curiosity
  • Seek the gray
  • Agree to respect

But this is not a weighty tome. Each chapter features a cartoon, and Justin Jones-Fosu tackles this serious subject with a playful and compassionate tone. For example, he writes “I have become more and more intentional in my desire to respectfully disagree with others (except those who think putting ketchup on eggs is wrong…there is no hope for respect there).”

With a wide range of examples and exercises throughout, this is a timely and reader-friendly handbook to disagreeing with someone’s ideology while passionately pursuing their humanity.

Praise

“This book is a must-read, particularly for organizational leaders seeking purposeful insights.”
—Calvin Banks, Senior Vice President of People Development and Culture, Pyramid Global Hospitality

“Jones-Fosu’s work is a call not just for leaders to better communicate with their teams but for the everyday person to humanize those they disagree with.”
—Cy Wakeman, New York Times bestselling author of The Reality-Based Rules of the Workplace

“Justin’s book is an amazing read and should be a staple in any organization’s leadership library. I’m excited to put what I’ve learned from reading this into action!”
—Toby Atkinson, National Director of DEI and Management Programs, Cintas

"I Respectfully Disagree is a timely, heartfelt, and actionable guide for anyone seeking to engage in deeper, more constructive conversations. It’s ideal for professionals, families, and anyone striving to connect across differences with empathy and respect. If you’ve ever found yourself dreading confrontations or unsure how to disagree without damaging relationships, this book will give you the tools to navigate those challenges with confidence and care. Highly recommended!"
—Literary Titan

“I was very impressed by how the arguments in this book were so solidly grounded in reality. This isn’t some wishful plea to “play nice,” Rather, it’s a thoughtful analysis of how humans make assumptions about others, and how to move past those assumptions to create better outcomes. I particularly appreciated the book’s focus on individual choice. This applies to seeking to understand others, deciding when to delineate and enforce personal boundaries, and differentiating between debates about ideology versus personal attacks, among other aspects. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to heal wounds in their relationships with others. Even if we disagree strongly about things, each step we take to build bridges rather than erect barriers between us can lead to greater possibilities to solving seemingly intractable problems.”
—Nonfiction Book Awards

"One of the key strengths of Justin Jones-Fosu’s writing is his ability to blend personal anecdotes with actionable advice, making the guidance relatable. The “5 Pillars of Bridging the Divide” offers a structured approach to improving dialogue. These include challenging one’s perspective, being a student in conversations, cultivating curiosity, seeking the gray areas in discussions, and agreeing to respect."
—Readers' Favorite

Author

Justin Jones-Fosu is CEO of Work. Meaningful., a firm focused on workplace engagement and inclusion that he founded in 2007. He consults with, speaks to, and trains 10,000 to 20,000 people per year. He is a former radio host and former workplace contributor to NPR’s The Takeaway and is known for his ability to connect to a broad range of people in a down-to-earth, humorous way. He is the author of The Inclusive Mindset and Your Why Matters Now.

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