subsidiary of:
About the Author
About Dr. John Psarouthakis
Dr. John Psarouthakis has observed the world from a remarkable range of vantage points, taking a proactive role in each. As an orphaned child he endured the Nazi occupation of Crete. He arrived in the United States nearly broke and speaking only a few English words, but graduated from MIT. Early in his career he led a Martin Corp. team researching nuclear power for deep space travel. He later led the Allis Chalmers R&D lab, then became a key player in finding, assessing, and acquiring manufacturing companies around the world for Masco Corp. His first entrepreneurial venture, JPI Inc., became a Fortune 500 company before he sold it. Inc. Magazine twice named him Entrepreneur of the Year. He has served on countless boards and advisory panels, and lectured at MIT on Business Enterprise. In recent years he has vectored back to his academic roots-teaching as an adjunct at the University of Michigan and as a visiting fellow in Europe, currently at the University of Edinburgh. The Technology Imperative is his latest book. He has written or co-authored six others, including How to Acquire the Right Business, and Elisabeth’s Gift, a memoir of the remarkable impoverished aunt who raised him in Crete.
Reviews
"Dr. Psarouthakis thought he wrote a book exclusively for his own industry. But in fact, Better Makes Us Best knows no limits. It contains some fabulous truths for [anyone] seeking fulfillment in today's stressful working world."
—Peter G. Hanson, M.D., Author of The Joy of Stress and Stress for Success
​
"Dr. John is an American success story. Every one of us can learn from the lessons and principles in his life. This book is a good place to begin."
—David Lawrence Jr., Publisher and Former Chairman of Detroit Free Press
​
"Psarouthakis' spirited message is simple, direct, clear, entertaining and refreshingly honest. It would inspire the troops of any and all companies--from the floor sweeper right on up to the CEO--to stand up and cheer for its human warmth and basic truths. Terrific book."
—Carolyn Smith, Business Writer
​
"'Better is as better does,' he writes in Chapter Four. 'Each person, each day. Not startling productivity increases by super heroes.' Underlying this philosophy of sensible, incremental improvement is a fundamental respect for the integrity and potential of each employee. Note, for example, how Psarouthakis answered when I asked him what advice he would offer leaders seeking to promote a better flow of communication from the plan floor through various layers of management:
'I would say it's extremely important for a manager to understand that the structure which gives him or her authority is an artificial one. You must never forget that the people who work for you are unique individuals who want to participate as much as possible in the improvement and success of the company.'"
—Norman Bodek, Former President of Productivity Inc., Publisher of the First Edition of Better Makes Us Best
​
"Trying for the absolute best tomorrow is easy to imagine, but it's far too difficult a goal to achieve. On the other hand, trying your best to be better today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and so on, is an achievable goal and will help you become your best.
​
In short, I highly recommend that anyone interested in improving the quality of products, services, and ultimately the experience of the work itself, read and consider the message in this book. I urge you to take note of the fact that this message has meaning for every employee, not just those on the shop floor."
—Gilbert R. Whitaker, Jr., Former Dean of University of Michigan's Ross School of Business
​
​
​
About the Book
As you’ve already gathered, there’s nothing mysterious about the Better Makes Us Best approach. It simply places a premium on people. It encourages skill development, the elimination of wasted effort and knowledge, and the creation of clear channels of communication. Of course, it also insists on improvement and, even more importantly, teaches a sensible approach to improvement through individual goal-setting.
In these increasingly competitive times, we’re seeing that a company’s success depends, more than ever, upon the kind of team approach that Psarouthakis promotes. It’s an approach that empowers every individual to take responsibility for a company’s success by looking each day for ways to improve his or her performance in small ways. Improvement doesn’t just happen, though. A company’s managers must see to it that employees are excited about participating in the improvement process.
It was with this goal in mind that Psarouthakis originally wrote and had Better Makes Us Best privately printed for his 7,000-member workforce. It reflects the spirit of a leader who’s not only established a goal of being “the best,” but one who knows precisely what this means. The concept of incremental improvement is a basic one, really. But as Psarouthakis points out, “In our modern societies, the sophisticated, the esoteric, and the convoluted often seem to be more in vogue than the simple, the basic, the straightforward.”
Author's Connect Edition
How many times have you finished a book and still had questions? How many times have you found yourself wishing you could ask the author to explain his or her thoughts, theories, or ideas just a little bit more? The John Psarouthakis Management Center’s Author Connect Editions eliminate nagging, unanswered questions by bringing readers and authors together like never before.
Purchase of the Author's Connect Edition includes a copy of the Better Makes Us Best e-Book, along with the opportunity to submit 10 questions relating to material within the book to the author, Dr. John Psarouthakis via email.
After you submit your 10 questions, you will have ability to attend a web-conference lead by Dr. John during which he'll answer the pre-submitted questions and discuss the Better Makes Us Best methodology.
Disclaimer: The scheduled times for video conferencing sessions with the author are based in the EST Zone.
Exclusively available for download at
