3 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 6
S
urgeons set the tone for surgery as soon as they walk into the
OR. They can engage with the surgical team by asking for their
perspectives on the best way to care for patients and inspire
them with their vision of a common mission, or they can focus solely
on tasks at hand and the potential for error. Do you know which lead-
ership style prevails in your facility? Perhaps it's time to observe your
surgeons in action and understand how their methods of motivation
impact what goes on in the OR.
What makes a leader?
I was part of a research team that video-recorded 5 surgeons perform-
ing complex surgeries. We then had an organizational psychologist
Do
Your
Surgeons
Intimidate
or
Inspire?
Their
leadership
skills
can
make
or
break
your
team's
performance.
Staffing
Yue-Yung Hu, MD, MPH
• FOLLOW THE LEADER Surgeons are traditionally viewed as the captains of the ship in the OR, but many aren't trained to handle that responsibility.
