--- title: "Book: Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance" description: "Book: Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance" --- [![Main-Logo-01-1](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Main-Logo-01-1.png?width=250&height=43&name=Main-Logo-01-1.png "Main-Logo-01-1")](https://www.thebusinessofgood.org) # Tim McCarthy and the Business of Good ## [Book: Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/articles/book-better-a-surgeons-notes-on-performance) ** Jul 1, 2010 6:36:00 AM / by [Tim McCarthy](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/author/tim-mccarthy) ![](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/july10_AtulGawande_Better-2.png)Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance Written by Atul Gawande [more] Preface: This is a fascinating but disquieting book. Perhaps it means more to me, the son of a surgeon, but its story is compelling to anyone who seeks excellence. Dr. Gawande dives deeply, for example, into the seemingly simple concept of diligence, which he calls "both central to performance and fiendishly hard." The book's strength, in my view, is that he takes real examples to demonstrate how his own medical experience applies to all who seek to perform well. A favorite quote: "Betterment is a perpetual labor. The world is chaotic, disorganized and vexing, and medicine is nowhere spared that reality. To complicate matters, we in medicine are human ourselves………The question is not whether one accepts responsibility. Just by doing this work, one has. The question is, having accepted the responsibility, how one does such work well?" [http://www.amazon.com/Better-Surgeons-Performance](http://www.amazon.com/Better-Surgeons-Performance) Tags: [Creativity & Favorites](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/topic/creativity-favorites) ![Tim McCarthy](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Tim-square%20edit-1.png?width=100&height=100&name=Tim-square%20edit-1.png) #### Written by [Tim McCarthy](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/author/tim-mccarthy) ### Subscribe to Email Updates - Recent - Popular - Categories ### Lists by Topic - [Creativity & Favorites (686)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/creativity-favorites) - [Monthly Newsletter (232)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/monthly-newsletter) - [Learning and Knowledge (209)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/learning-and-knowledge) - [Organizational & Operational Excellence (34)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/organizational-operational-excellence) - [Personal Well-Being (30)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/personal-well-being) - [Communication & Relationships (29)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/communication-relationships) - [Professional Growth and Development (29)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/professional-growth-and-development) - [Business & Entrepreneurship (27)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/business-entrepreneurship) - [Social Impact & Responsibility (9)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/social-impact-responsibility) ### Posts by Topic - [Creativity & Favorites (686)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/creativity-favorites) - [Monthly Newsletter (232)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/monthly-newsletter) - [Learning and Knowledge (209)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/learning-and-knowledge) - [Organizational & Operational Excellence (34)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/organizational-operational-excellence) - [Personal Well-Being (30)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/personal-well-being) - [Communication & Relationships (29)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/communication-relationships) - [Professional Growth and Development (29)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/professional-growth-and-development) - [Business & Entrepreneurship (27)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/business-entrepreneurship) - [Social Impact & Responsibility (9)](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/tag/social-impact-responsibility) [See all](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/articles/book-better-a-surgeons-notes-on-performance#) ### Recent Posts --- Listen to Tim's Monthly Favorites on Spotify --- See Tim's Library at GoodReads ## [Tim's Book of the Month Library](https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/16122954-tim-mccarthy?shelf=books-of-the-month&utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) [![The Hunter](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1692131625l/174156145._SX50_.jpg)](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602634062?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) [The Hunter](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602634062?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) by [Tana French](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/138825.Tana_French) [![Man’s Search for Meaning](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535419394l/4069._SY75_.jpg)](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602636003?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) [Man’s Search for Meaning](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602636003?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) by [Viktor E. Frankl](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2782.Viktor_E_Frankl) [![New Seeds of Contemplation](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348656473l/1145854._SY75_.jpg)](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602636488?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) [New Seeds of Contemplation](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602636488?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) by [Thomas Merton](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1711.Thomas_Merton) [![Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1284082691l/27533._SY75_.jpg)](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602638191?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) [Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6602638191?utm_medium=api&utm_source=custom_widget) by [Muhammad Yunus](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1254841.Muhammad_Yunus) [![goodreads.com](https://s.gr-assets.com/images/widget/widget_logo.gif)](https://www.goodreads.com/) Share [book reviews](https://www.goodreads.com/) and ratings with Tim, and even join a [book club](https://www.goodreads.com/group) on Goodreads. ### Sign Up for Monthly Thoughts # Contact Tim Email me or connect on LinkedIn ** [tim@thebusinessofgood.org](mailto:tim@thebusinessofgood.org) [ Click the Icon to Connect ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-mccarthy-97869790/) [![Share on facebook](https://7528309.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528309/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/facebook-color.png?width=24&name=facebook-color.png) ](https://www.facebook.com/TimMcCarthyBoG/) [![Share on linkedin](https://7528302.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528302/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/linkedin-color.png?width=24&name=linkedin-color.png) ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-mccarthy-97869790/) Copyright 2026 | Designed with ** by [the Business of Good](http://thebusinessofgood.org) [**](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/articles/book-better-a-surgeons-notes-on-performance#)