Learn from the world’s biggest thinkers.
Introducing our latest Big Think+ class.
Atul Gawande shares leadership lessons from the operating room
We often picture the surgeon at the center of the operating room. But Atul Gawande knows firsthand that the success of any procedure depends on the coordinated work of many people. He has spent his career studying how experts get better, and why even the most talented eventually stall out. The most skilled experts need coaches to reveal their blind spots, as true expertise hinges on having the humility to keep learning once success arrives.
In this class, Gawande explores the paradox of mastery: the point at which experience becomes a limitation, and the only path forward is to let someone else see what you can’t. He also distills the lessons he’s learned about building systems that enable entire teams to perform better together.
Learning objectives:
Set bold, yet attainable goals.
Influence people using stories.
Build leaders who can solve problems.
Develop a coaching system to grow everyone’s capabilities.
Deliver results with a cohesive team.
Subscribe now to continue learning
Learn skills from the world’s top thinkers, entrepreneurs, and experts. Our micro-learning classes help you stay focused on big ideas with practical impact.
By subscribing to the Big Think Substack, you gain access to lessons from this expert, plus past and future subjects.
Lessons:
Lesson 1: Set Clear Goals With OKRs
In some video games, you get to set the level of difficulty that you want. Too easy, and you’ll coast through, feeling bored. Too hard, and you might throw your controller down in frustration. The trick is to find the sweet spot: a level that challenges you without feeling impossible. Surgeon Atul Gawande looks at setting goals for an organization in the same way. He says you should push your teams without setting them up to fail.
Lesson 2: Influence People With Story
Harvard University professor Dr. Howard Gardner once said, “Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal.” Why? Because stories capture hearts and minds in a way that facts and figures can’t. Surgeon Atul Gawande knows this. He taps into the power of stories to move people.
Lesson 3: Build Leaders Through Delegation
“If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.” It’s a familiar phrase — one a villain might utter after their henchmen have failed. But movie bad guys aren’t exactly exemplary bosses. To be a better leader, surgeon Atul Gawande advises against the do-it-yourself mentality.
Lesson 4: Manage the “Cowboys” in Your “Pit Crew”
Don’t blame Yoko for breaking up The Beatles. John, Paul, and George wanted to go the solo route. It can happen when you have rockstar individuals. Surgeon Atul Gawande calls them “cowboys” — talented, innovative, and driven to do their own thing. But for an organization to thrive, cowboys need to work as part of a team.
Lesson 5: Deliver Better Results With Coaching
You’ve seen the scenes play out across sports. A figure skating coach provides a hand to hold onto while awaiting scores. A basketball coach dances into the locker room for a post-game celebration. A football coach gets drenched with the contents of a drink cooler. Behind every great athlete, it seems, is a good coach. But surgeon Atul Gawande says coaches are not just for athletes — or for beginners. We could all benefit from having one.
Lesson 6: Three Principles for Systematically Hiring the Right People
New job seekers often find themselves stuck in a frustrating loop: you need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience. The culprit? Entry-level job listings that require five or more years of experience. Or even more extreme: postings that ask for more years of experience with a software than the software has existed. Surgeon Atul Gawande proposes a better way forward for applicants and hiring managers.
