The Absurdity of Compromise - The Art of Resolving Conflict so Everyone Wins

Book excerpt: People think compromise is a good thing. Can anything be “good” that pushes everyone involved to sacrifice something they value? Compromise has long been accepted as the preferred way to resolve our differences. We do it at work, as entrepreneurs, to settle squabbles between spouses, or when a mother battles a teen. No matter the problem, we go for the compromise. You ever wonder why? In The Absurdity of Compromise, Donald Grady examines the drawbacks and challenges of conflict and explodes the myth that compromise is the win/win it’s proclaimed to be. • Avoid the pitfalls of talking past other people • Learn to listen intelligently and empathetically understand the perspective of others. • Stop fighting and compromising to everyone’s mutual dissatisfaction. Want better results but haven’t quite figured out how to get there? This is the book for you. “Today’s practices often present antagonists with one-sided solutions, leaving each feeling like losers. In Don Grady’s peace-building schemata, everyone comes away a winner. I recommend this lively book to anyone enmeshed in the field of conflict resolution, foreign or domestic.” Robert W. Farrand U.S. Ambassador and Deputy High Representative, Bosnia-Heregovina, 1997-2000