The Hindu Business Line : Lessons from a surgeon

Atul Gawande’s Better www.penguinbooksindia.com) is a collection of ‘a surgeon’s notes on performance’. People often look to great athletes for lessons about performance, writes the author in the intro. Athletes do indeed have lessons to teach — about the value of perseverance, of hard work and practice, of precision, concedes Gawande. “But success in medicine has dimensions that cannot be found on a playing field.” He then lists the special characteristics of his profession: “Lives are on the line. Our decisions and omissions are therefore moral in nature. We also face daunting expectations… The steps are often uncertain. The knowledge to be mastered is both vast and incomplete. Yet we are expected to act with swiftness and consistency.”

According to Gawande, success in medicine demands three things. The foremost requirement is diligence — the necessity of giving sufficient attention to detail to avoid error and prevail against obstacles.

Relevant read for the busy accountant, as a source of inspiration.

http://BookPeek.blogspot.com

More Stories on : Books | Books of Account | Health

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Actuary’s role vital in the new accounting standard on employee benefits AccountSpeak

Future(s) imperfect?

Advantage Argentina

Conflict resolution

It’s time retail shareholders had their say

Lessons from a surgeon

Losing power

Waste disposal