BLOG: Join the ‘captain class’

ByJohn D. Kelly IV, MD

Our vocation of orthopedic surgery has, whether we like it or not, placed us into an important leadership role. We are de facto leaders of our unique health care teams and we control the culture of our office practice and ORs. The success of our practice and our ability to effectively minister to patients will require a good measure of leadership skills. In essence, each of us is the captain of our team and our actions are more powerful than we may recognize.

In his recently released treatise on leadership, The captain class: The hidden force that creates the world's greatest teams, Sam Walker endeavored to study the secret to success of the top sports dynasties of modern time. His research revealed that neither talent, coaching, financial resources nor skilled management predicted success consistently. The appearance of a notable captain was the single greatest predictor of a team’s winning record.

For example, the rise and fall of the great Boston Celtics legacy coincided precisely with the appearance and retirement of Bill Russell, respectively. Research has also demonstrated that such powerful captains were not always the most talented or productive members of the team. However, they all shared certain qualities that propelled their teams to exceptional success. You too can aspire to adopt these traits so those you lead can enjoy exceptional success.

Extreme doggedness in face of competition

The most effective captains simply did not have the word “quit” in their lexicon. Yogi Berra was not endowed with great natural talent. At 5 feet 7 inches tall, he was at a distinct disadvantage to other catchers. Yet, he like other notable leaders, enjoyed the challenge of adversity and was relentless in pursuit of excellence.

Question: Are we content or complacent with our level of care or are we going to courses and doing the reading to continually improve our game? Do we see adversity as a challenge or a chance to berate ourselves?

Aggressive play that tests the limits of the rules

Some of the epic captains were not exactly angels and sometimes would bend the rules to drag their teams through challenges by any means necessary. A calculated trip, flying elbow or intelligent foul conveyed to the team the will to succeed by any means necessary.

Question: Do we sacrifice what is politically correct for what is right? Do we go to extraordinary lengths to help our team?

Doing thankless jobs in the shadows.

Great captains are devoted to the cause (team success) and are willing to do mundane tasks and are not glory hounds. They pass the ball to others, work behind the scenes to enrich the performance of teammates and humble themselves to do things such as help pack bags for travel and even carry water on the field. The cause is more important than fame. Boston Celtics center Bill Russell refused to attend his NBA hall of fame induction ceremony because he felt so strongly that this was a team award.

Question: Do we mentor junior partners and promote their professional growth? Is the well-being of the patient always foremost in our minds? Are we willing to “scrub the floor” when OR turnover time is lengthy? Are there tasks in patient care that are “below you?”

A low-key, practical communication style

The classic captains disdained talking about themselves but were quick to offer an uplifting word to teammates. Their selflessness gained the respect of the team so when they rendered feedback it was received with enormous reverence. In addition, great leaders engaged in short, high-energy conversations which respected the dignity of the person. There is no need for verbosity and lengthy banter in effective communication.

Question: Do we praise publicly and render feedback privately? Do we focus on issues or on personal matters? Do we choose our words carefully or do we fire off reprimands to colleagues without foresight?

Motivate others with passionate nonverbal displays

Jack Lambert of the Pittsburgh Steelers lead by example. Toothless and often slobbering on the field, he exuded toughness and never complained. In fact, he liked having blood on his uniform as it portrayed “Steel-like” toughness. His actions spoke volumes.

Question: Do we touch every patient? Do we show compassion and empathy to all we care for and our staff? Do we do the right thing even when others are not watching?

Strong convictions and the ability to stand apart

Soviet hockey player Valeri Vasiliev irrevocably earned the respect of his teammates when he openly and sharply reproofed his head coach V. Tikhonov. The coach was openly lambasting veteran players on an airplane heading home shortly after a devastating loss to the United States. Seeing this, Vasiliev quickly jumped to his feet, throttled the coach and threatened to hurl him off the plane.

Recognizing Vasiliev’s passion and dedication to team welfare, the players unanimously elected him captain which launched the most dominant run in international hockey.

Question: Do we challenge cultural norms to stand up for what is right for our patients? Are we willing to buck administration when we see injustice? Do we display courage to defend our health care team?

Ironclad emotional control

Walker gives moving vignettes on captains performing exceptionally in the face of personal strife, injury or misfortune. Cited studies show increased activity in the pre-frontal cortex region of the brain in these resilient few who may be dealing with family illness or tragedy. While largely genetically determined, research demonstrates that emotional control can be tempered with practice so that we all can develop a “kill switch” for negativity.

Question: Do we let personal issues disable us at work? Do we apportion quiet time every day to re-wire our brains? Do we practice a relaxation technique regularly to increase pre-frontal cortex activity?

A vocation in orthopedic surgery engenders a call to leadership. We can decide to join the “captain class” and lead our team to success and personal fulfillment or we can let others determine our destiny.

It is our choice.

Reference:

Walker, S. The captain class: The hidden force that creates the world's greatest teams. Random House, 2017.