I have always been fascinated by what makes a great team. How does a team go from being average to being extraordinary? I have been on many teams throughout my life including sports teams, school project teams, and for the last three years, I have worked on an innovation team at a hospital.
About one year ago, I had an opportunity to observe a pediatric hip operation. The orthopedic surgeon performing the surgery had a great reputation for both his skill in the operating room and also as a leader. I was really anxious and excited to to see this surgeon and his high performing surgical team working together.
I was thinking about what makes great teams as I made my way through the hospital hallways enroute to the surgical prep area. It was there that I put on scrubs, a cap to cover my hair and shoe covers. These items are the necessary dress code for those in the operating room.
Just prior to surgery, I watched as the doctor (whom I will call Dr. Prano for this story), spoke with his 17 year old patient as she lay on the surgical gurney. When I looked at the patient, (whom I will call Sarah), I saw fear and uncertainty in her eyes. I heard her mumble, “I just want to get better.”
Dr. Prano looked her in the eye and with a calm voice said, “everything is going to be okay. I have done this hundreds of times and I will care for you like I care for my own children.” After hearing that, I could tell Sarah began to feel more comfortable. Then, she was wheeled into the operating room.
When I entered the operating room, I noticed that there were 14 people present that would help with this procedure. The team included Dr. Prano, a person to help with the surgical camera, surgical technicians who would help with the surgical instruments, an anesthesiologist, a circulating nurse whose job was to assist outside the sterile field and do a little bit everything along with an x-ray technician to capture the necessary images during the procedure.
It was a huge team and I immediately wondered why there were so many people in the room. How would this large group of people communicate effectively to run a smooth surgery?
I sat in the back right corner of the room intently focused on how this team functioned. The first thing I noticed was that everyone in the room clearly understood their roles and responsibilities. It was clear that the surgeon was the leader and since he was performing the operation, the others in the room had to anticipate what he might need and answer questions that he asked.
At one point, water spilled on the floor and the team sprang into action to clean it up. When the lighting needed to be changed to a different angle, one of the nurses made the change immediately. It was poetry in motion. No one was stepping on each other toes and everyone had a very specific role and skill set that they brought to the team. It was evident that this team understood that the job of caring for this patient was bigger than any one person.
As the surgery continued, I observed something very unique. The team had a specific language they used in the operating room and they were very clear with their words. At one point, I heard Dr. Prano say, “spreaders,” and the surgical tech immediately handed him the spreaders. Another moment when the water spilled, one nurse said, “towels back shelf,” which launched another nurse into action to move and get those towels.
The surgeon never used unnecessary words to ask for things nor was the language casual. I never heard, “hi John, could you pass the spreaders when you get a chance.” Or “Cindy, please walk over to the back of the room and grab the towels from the shelf.” The communication was clear, concise and consistently short.
As Sarah lay on the surgical table, I remember thinking that her life was literally in the hands of these 14 people. There was extreme pressure to get everything accurate and correct or there would be significant consequences. We all hear about those consequences in the form of lawsuits, firings, and loss of a credible reputation particularly if something were to go wrong with the operation. It was obvious that there was a level of heightened focus at all times.
However, that did not stop the team from sharing in a few humorous moments throughout the procedure. At one point, Dr. Prano mispronounced a long word, which sounded funny and moved the room to laughter. In another moment, Dr. Prano connected a moment from the surgery to his parenting skills, which garnered chuckles from around the room. This was surprising to me and really made me think because I would never have expected to hear laughter during an actual operation. My perception was that this would be all serious all the time, with no time for humor.
Two and half hours after entering the room, the surgery was complete. The team members were performing their final jobs while simultaneously the anesthesiologist was waking Sarah up from the surgery. She was groggy as she was rolled out of the operating room.
As she was leaving the room, I did have a chance to speak with Dr. Prano for a few minutes post surgery. He was calm, professional, and proud of the work his team did. He felt like they were clicking on all cylinders and felt Sarah would have a full recovery.
After observing this surgery, it made me think about the traits of great teams. Here are three that were evident during this surgery that I believe all great teams possess.
1.) Great teams understand roles and responsibilities
The surgical team knew their individual roles and what their job entailed. They also knew the roles of the other team members, when they were doing it, and why it mattered. There was an understanding that every role had extreme value and the job they were performing was bigger than any one person. Each person had to be a star in their own role and together, that enabled the entire team to excel in this high pressure situation. The result from such teamwork was ultimately that the patient received great care
2.) Great teams have shared language
There were high levels of communication being transmitted throughout the whole procedure. Everyone on the surgical team understood the process, knew the names of everything in the room, and how to explain things in a clear and concise way. This is something that takes time to develop but if your team can use thoughtful, specific language, the team will improve immediately.
3.) Great teams don’t take themselves too seriously
Great teams do not take themselves too seriously. They allow themselves to have levity, even in the most serious of times. If a surgical team is able to perform a serious job, with high expectations and pressure, yet can still inject some humor to lighten the mood throughout the process, why don’t we do that more often in our jobs? Professionals in this particular situation know when humor is appropriate and when seriousness is essential. Humor is one of the greatest ways to connect people. It breaks down barriers, and builds bonds faster than any other form of communication.
In closing, you might be thinking, “wait a second Kyle,” there are way more than three traits that make up great teams. Yes, I would agree. However, if you can embrace these three: understanding roles and responsibilities, shared language, and shared laughter, your team will immediately improve and be on their way to becoming more high performing.