When did saving lives become just surviving shifts? [Group Discussion Guide]

Personal-Application & Group-Discussion Guide

This guide helps you learn from Dr. Laura Lambert's story of how she shifted from the traditional, hierarchical, inward-focused culture of surgery to an outward mindset rooted in seeing people as people. You'll discover what it means to see patients, colleagues, and even ourselves as people—and consider how these insights apply in your own work and relationships.

Welcome to “The Box”

"Surgeons may sometimes be wrong, but they're never in doubt. They could have just put up a sign that said, 'Welcome to the box.'"

In medical training, Laura was taught a culture of accusation, blame, and control—an inward mindset that harmed both patients and colleagues. She came to see how deeply "the box" was embedded in surgical culture.

Questions:

• What are some "inward mindset rules" in your field or workplace?

• When have you resisted someone's input because of status or pride?

• How can we better recognize when others' perspectives might improve outcomes?

Bringing Arbinger to Medicine

"Group after group came to the same conclusion. It's about seeing people as people."

After encountering Arbinger's ideas, Laura began applying outward mindset principles in medical education and practice. She created "The Anatomy of Humanism" for medical students and helped bring Arbinger training into the preoperative setting.

Questions:

• How might Arbinger principles reshape your own team or organization?

• What small step could you take to have an outward mindset more consistently?

Inward Mindset as a Disease

"When we lose sight of our patients’ humanity, we lose sight of our own."

Laura compared inward mindset to a disease. It harms patients through worse outcomes and harms physicians through burnout, depression, and loss of meaning. Seeing people as people is not just ethical—it's essential for health and effectiveness.

Questions:

• How does an inward mindset show up in your own work and what costs does it incur?

• How could a shift in mindset help prevent burnout and restore meaning at work?

The Power of Healing

"We heal people with who we are."

Technical expertise fixes problems, but true healing comes from presence, care, and humanity. Healing transforms both patients and caregivers. Healing is not the domain of doctors alone; it’s the work of every human being when we choose to see others as people.

Questions:

• How would you define the difference between fixing and healing?

• What does it mean for you to be a “healer” in your own context?

• What would change if you measured success not only by results, but also by healing?

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