Why I'd Rather Work With a Less Skilled Surgeon Than a Dishonest One

A scrub tech held up an instrument built for brain surgery and asked Dr. Piefer if he'd ever thought about using it in a knee replacement. He said yes. That one suggestion has now been used in more than 2,000 total knee surgeries. In this episode, Dr. Jason Piefer and PA Taylor Hayden talk about what actually makes a surgical team work, and it isn't the thing most people assume. They break down why integrity outranks technical skill when building a team, reference the Navy SEALs trust framework popularized by Simon Sinek, and get into the harder question: what do you do when someone more senior than you is doing something you believe is wrong? They also launch a new segment called Will the Good Wednesday, built around a simple mental switch: turning WTF into WTG, will the good. In this episode: Why integrity matters more than surgical skill when building a team The Navy SEALs trust and skill matrix, and what it means for any team The scrub tech story behind a change used in 2,000+ knee replacements How to speak up when someone senior is doing something you disagree with Why performative gratitude fails and what real gratitude looks like on a team Willing the good of yourself, not just everyone around you The launch of Will the Good Wednesday CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro and launching Will the Good Wednesday 02:45 New format, new hashtags, WTF to WTG 06:01 What one trait matters most on a surgical team 09:09 Building a culture where integrity is the standard 11:00 The Navy SEALs trust and skill matrix 13:07 The scrub tech who changed 2,000 knee surgeries 17:42 What to do when someone senior is doing it wrong 20:23 The courage it takes to speak up in the moment 24:25 Sometimes speaking up is just a simple question 26:31 Is integrity the most underrated skill in medicine 28:56 Real gratitude versus performative gratitude 32:28 Willing the good of yourself, not just everyone else 37:51 Wrap up and how to submit your own WTG story 🔗 CONNECT WITH DR. PIEFER & THE TEAM 🏥 Book a consultation: https://pieferboneandjoint.com/ 📬 Join the newsletter: https://jasons-newsletter-6811e2.beeh... 🎙️ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fPm7Rq... 🎙️ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 📸 Follow on Instagram:   / jasonpiefer   📘 Connect on LinkedIn:   / jason-piefer   #SliceOfPiefer #Leadership #OrthopedicSurgery #Integrity #SurgicalLeadership