371Alfred North Whitehead once said:The word “education” means, literally, the process of leading out. Thus we are talking of
the way in which all your faculties and capacities should be encouraged to expand and
unfold themselves. Consider how nature generally sets to work to educate the living organ-
isms which team on this earth. You cannot begin to understand nature’s method unless you
grasp the fact that the essential spring of all growth is within you. All that you can get from
without is some food—material or spiritual—with which to build your own organism, and
some stimulus to spur you to some activity. What is really essential in your development
you must do for yourselves.As educators, we can facilitate leadership development, but we cannot really
teach surgeons to be effective leaders. What is essential for leadership development,
leaders must do for themselves and with the help of their followers.
Appendix: Notes on Teaching Leadership: Approach
and Methods
Teaching runs to the heart of what we do as health-care professionals and as leaders.
When teaching current or future clinicians about leadership in health-care organiza-
tions, we try to understand real problems that clinicians and managers face. We
frame those problems into relevant research questions, conduct research and inquiry
and write a case or manuscript for publication. Finally, we translate that research
into classroom pedagogy.
I have learned by observing masterclass sessions of other professors that many
things we do in the classroom have the potential to be important, engaging, and
entertaining. However, years of observation and teaching experience do not neces-
sarily ensure effectiveness.
I define my job as guiding and motivating students to learn how to think when
they encounter unique managerial or novel research situations. I strive for high
levels of involvement in every class, so students can explore real management
problems firsthand. Ultimately, I aim for the kind of “self-appropriated” classroom
learning that John Dewey and Alfred North Whitehead spoke of—where students
wrestle with problems and, in the process of finding their way out, expand and
unfold themselves. In an attempt to get class members to become full partners in
the learning process, I encourage the formation of study groups and group work
where each student not only presents their ideas to fellow students and works col-
laboratively but also experiences the growing importance of collective
intelligence.^42
I have found that the case method has been useful both for my teaching and my
research needs. Good cases not only bring organizational situations, critical events,
(^42) Woolley AW, et al. Evidence for a collective intelligence factor in the performance of human
groups. Science. 2010;380(6004):686–8.
20 Teaching Surgeons How to Lead