Want to get great at something? Get a coach | Atul Gawande

Ted speakers are often well meaning, but incorrect summations and I'm amazed by the number of accepting people without critical thinking.

This expert surgeon talks about the need for coaching, and I disagree because if he was truly an expert he would not need coaching and I will break down my disagreement

At the beginning of his career he was required to be a strict follower to imitate his teachers and to learn to master the basics. At this stage the inexperienced student that wishes to become a surgeon does need a coach and a teacher which are both different.

The inexperienced surgeon was also expected to practice not only from a skills point of view but also to practice from a mindfulness point of view.

This requirement is there to build a solid foundation and it is crucial for beginners to go through this stage of learning because it preserves the integrity and discipline of his surgical skills in this case not allowing his elbow to go up, and not allowing the light to move away from the wound… both of which we can amount to basic mistakes, He had forgotten the basics and he did not need a coach to remind him and I will break down why.


The focus is on repetitive practice to instill the basic skills and techniques. The inexperienced surgeon is primarily superficial at this stage, emphasizing form and procedure rather than underlying principles of mindfulness.

After he finished medical school and graduated I'm sure with honors he went into his internship years where he practiced what he had learned. For example when one earns their first black belt in karate the Sensei will say you are now a master of the basics today you begin to learn. so during his internship years he began to learn mindfulness of his repetitive actions.

The inexperienced surgeon becomes experienced and diverges away from the traditional methods he learned or she learned in school and explores the mindfulness of the underlying principles and starts to forge his or her own path. This is a period of both reflection and experimentation. The surgeon now begins to question why things are the way they are, why are we doing things this certain way, let me explore variations and alternatives to the Traditions that I have learned in school. Now the surgeon understands their true purpose and engages in a deeper understanding of the discipline. Again no coaches needed, it is A path of deep reflection, experimentation and questioning.

After years of practice, reflection, experimentation, questioning, critical thinking, The Experience surgeon now transcends and adds to the body of knowledge his or her own lifetime of experiences no coaches needed for now they have become the coach, the teacher, the sage, the sherpa, guiding others.

Now the experience surgeon has developed their own style and interpretation of the original traditional art. At this stage of their career they no longer rely on rules or guidelines as they have written their own but it is only through mindfulness of their actions and decisions that they can intuitively understand their mistakes and errors.

The fact that he forgot the placement of his elbow or the placement of the light points to a lack of mindfulness in his own self-awareness. he did not need a coach to let him know that however he chose to be reminded by one of his teachers therefore that is an indication that even though he has years of experience he has yet to learn to forge his own path. that's okay it's not a criticism it is merely a self-awareness. The actions of a master are Guided by Deep, intuitive, Instinctual ways of thoughts and actions. The surgeon is no longer operating on a patient, what they're doing is seen as an expression of their inner self reflected in the Mastery of their arts and science that goes Way Beyond technical proficiency there is no need for a coach at this stage.

The Masters self-awareness involves a deep understanding of one's skills, limitations, Strength, and weaknesses. Opportunities for improvement are continuously continued through life but not through repetitive action at this stage but through deep reflection, understanding their own biases, and the impact of their actions on the patients they serve.

Simply put, his lack of self-awareness led to overconfidence, and this overconfidence led him to seek out his old teacher because there were still lessons he needed to learn. Listening to him, I think he was going through professional burnout, I think that he had done his job so many times that he was taking many of the steps for granted. I think that he had not completed his journey and needed his old teacher to come back and remind him of the basics.

It's not criticism... he himself expresses his need to learn but he tells the rest of us that we have to do it his way and that is again his lack of self-awareness, his ego and overconfidence to get on Ted and tell millions of people that they need a coach.

If you reverse that thinking then there are those that would lecture us and say if you do not have a coach then there must be something wrong with you.

For 40 years, I have been a student, a trainer, and a coach, the philosophy I bring to my students is for each and every one of them to transcend me, to surpass me, to add to the body of knowledge and no longer need me, for me to seek them out, for them to become the master, and I the student. For the Master has no need for a guru or a coach.

Thank you,
Al Diaz, Agile Coach
MBA, PMP, CSM, CSPO, SPC 6.0, Six Sigma Green Belt, Master Certificate PM, CBA

As a business coach, I see the pivotal role coaching plays in navigating complexity. A good coach provides clarity, instills positive thinking, and helps break down actions for effective rebuilding. It's not just about how good you are now; it's about constantly evolving and striving for greatness in the dynamic business world.

It's not how good you are now; it's how good you're going to be that really matters.
Sensational, The most assertive way to develop and achieve your goals is by listening to advice from those who have already experienced everything you are going through in practice and who are positive references on the topic that needs improvement. it's incredible how people's abilities increase when they have someone to give them the right direction, to show them where they are going wrong and how they can do better. This saves time in development, and we are sure that the path proposed by our coach is the right path to follow and there is no other.
Coaches, for sure are the key players in that particular procedure and know how to act with a sense of urgency, when necessary, that is a winning team.

Every time I listen to this talk, I get sharper. I empower my coaches to coach me and help me see what I'm unable to see. In my brain, I think I see it all. In reality, it's impossible to see everything from every angle. And this talk has helped me break through to seeing that asking for help is a strength and advantage. Thanks Dr. Gawande and TED! Cheers!

Great talk. But it’s more about mentoring than coaching. There’s a difference between those two and what he is describing is mentoring - giving feedback, sharing tips, and discussing approaches.
Coaching is much more about asking questions, making the coachee self reflect on a deeper level and facilitate their individual development using the coachee‘s expertise about themselves.

I think you just made me understand what a good coach does. They provide constructive critiques instead of just telling you you need to do this or else you are not coachable

Big fan of Dr. Gawande. Great talk.

Absolutely great!

That was awesome! Powerful, meaningful, thank you!

Well, I get the idea in principle, BUT: who, in turn, should coach the coach? How is that the coach always remains a (great) coach without further coaching? So, I think the issue is not really that someone needs a coach but that someone should strive for continuous (self) improvement. This is a concept knows as CQI in manufacturing.

Well done. Would enjoy further discussion with you on an upcoming book that I am putting the finishing touches on. Warm regards
Darren wright

Be the change you want to see in the world..

I love it. One of the most inspiring TEDx lectures I’ve seen!

I’m coming from LinkedIn to the complete video.
Top notch performance.

Sensational Atul.

This talk could have used a content warning. That photo was absolutely not required to derive value from the talk.

Don't normally like Tedtalks, but this was truly phenomenal.

Very well done. You are a very bright light for our planet. Love your books. Thanks very much indeed 💐🇺🇸🙏

There was a high rate of deaths among deliveries because of many factors such as midwives and nurses not getting the proper training, improper practice, a lack of recourses, and maybe a shortage of manpower. It is normal to get better if you get a good trainer or a senior who gives you from his experience, isn't it??! In addition, Was it appropriate to show the woman exposed Unnecessarily ?? What about the baby who was blue then with simple procedures became pink!! Guys, it is the daily practice in the delivery room. What is the new idea in such talk?

Oh he is my cousin

Wonderful talk!

Book is good but the example you used in this talk is bad.The biggest problem was not that they needed training.
The biggest problem was and still is that they have no freaking money to buy gloves and mask and 1000 other equipment that you use in your OT. Amazing story telling.

Standing ovation

Amazing talk, and amazing doctor. However, the story is about mentoring. Mentor has to be a matter expert, while coach is not. In coaching, you, the coachee, are the source of resources :)

Congratulations for the great work 🙏

that's why i like a doctor in north America. united states or even in canada. they are frankly speaking to you, if they could still cure you or not.

He is an incredible inspiration and one of the top physician on the earth !

I'm blessed to learn from his college ❤️

The english comment you are looking for

Proud you sir I am very fortunate that your father is from my village.Uti

The proud summer spatially tickle because united kingdom thessaly command till a special mimosa. well-to-do, far building

Beautifully put forward.

Hard to watch but the reality in some third world countries. Thank you for sharing this, Doc.

Great speach

Excellent talk sir♥️

wow. This is so powerful! Thank you, thank you thank you!

I was not expecting to start crying by the end of this video 😭

Winner of a video, I been tryin to find out about "tips to getting good grades" for a while now, and I think this has helped. You ever tried - Yeetta Gradeify Scores - (do a search on google ) ? Ive heard some great things about it and my neighbour got excellent success with it.

Video incrível que nos mostra que não importa o quão bom estamos agora, o que importa é qual bom vamos ficar
Nunca estamos prontos, todos precisam de um coach, os maiores do mundo precisam de um coach e ele auxilia a organizar os processos afim de atingir resultados maiores e melhores.

Realmente ter a visão do coach a respeito do nosso trabalho ajuda muito a entendermos melhor onde estamos errando e o que devemos fazer para chegar ao objetivo.

Ter um coach é essencial para conseguir melhorar em aspectos que a propria pessoa nao consegue identificar, e com o apoio de alguem que conseguir chegar la, a evolução por se espelhar nessa pessoa é mais eficiente.

Todos tem capacidade cognitiva de aprender algo, e assim alcançar um determinado ponto, mas para ir além , é imperioso aprender formas de "aprender", se adaptar e assim realizar melhoramento constante em si mesmo influenciando quem está a sua volta de forma positiva e um coach sem dúvidas pode ajudar a trilhar esse caminho além da pura didática.
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Everyone has the cognitive capacity to learn something, and thus reach a certain point, but to go further, it is imperative to learn ways to "learn", adapt and thus make constant improvement in yourself, influencing those around you in a positive way and a The coach can undoubtedly help to walk this path beyond pure didactics.

Excelente conteudo! Coaches sao seus olhos e ouvidos externos provendo uma imagem assertiva sobre voce!

Lindo vídeo! Trazer o direcionamento para as pessoas/equipe e mostrar a capacidade que elas tem para fazer e entregar as coisas, é incrível.

Realmente ao ter o acompanhamento e a orientação de uma pessoa que sabe quais passos e processos devem ser seguidos, tudo fica mais fácil e este é o papel de um líder, orientar, motivar e agir!

Que vídeo sensacional. As vezes achamos que chegamos no mais alto patamar de sabedoria e esquecemos que podemos melhorar cada vez mais e que podemos evoluir mais e mais. O direcionamento correto transforma os próximos passos que estamos prestes a dar e o acompanhamento faz com que possamos praticar dia a pós dia nossa mudança.

Ter um Coach, adquirir o aprendizado passado e colocar em prática, sem dúvidas é essencial para quem desejar ter sucesso em qualquer área de sua vida.
Uma pessoa dessa "ao nosso lado" nos mostra com muita transparência as nossas falhas e nos ensina como corrigir para seguir adiante e obter bons frutos!