Better, Not Perfect: A Realist's Guide to Maximum Sustainable Goodness

*** Distinguished Winner for the Responsible Research in Management Award ***

Negotiation and decision-making expert Max Bazerman explores how we can make more ethical choices by aspiring to be better, not perfect.

Every day, you make hundreds of decisions. They're largely personal, but these choices have an ethical twinge as well; they value certain principles and ends over others. Bazerman argues that we can better balance both dimensions--and we needn't seek perfection to make a real difference for ourselves and the world.

Better, Not Perfect provides a deeply researched, prescriptive roadmap for how to maximize our pleasure and minimize pain. Bazerman shares a framework to be smarter and more efficient, honest and aware--to attain your "maximum sustainable goodness." In Part Two, he identifies four training grounds to practice these newfound skills for outsized impact: how you think about equality and your tribe(s); waste--from garbage to corporate excess; the way you spend time; and your approach to giving--whether your attention or your money. Ready to nudge yourself toward better, Part Three trains your eye on how to extend what you've learned and positively influence others.

Melding philosophy and psychology as never before, this down-to-earth guide will help clarify your goals, assist you in doing more good with your limited time on the planet, and see greater satisfaction in the process.

About the Author
Bazerman, Max H.: - Max H. Bazerman is the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, where his research focuses on negotiation, behavioral economics, and ethics. The author of over 200 research articles and chapters, his previous books include The Power of Noticing, The Power of Noticing, Blind Spots, Negotiation Genius, and a bestselling textbook, Judgment in Managerial Decision Making. An award-winning scholar and mentor, Bazerman has been named one of Ethisphere's 100 Most Influential in Business Ethics and a Daily Kos Hero. His consulting, teaching, and lecturing includes work in 30 countries. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.