Staying Calm When Everything Is on the Line: Lessons From a Trauma Surgeon copertina

Staying Calm When Everything Is on the Line: Lessons From a Trauma Surgeon

Staying Calm When Everything Is on the Line: Lessons From a Trauma Surgeon

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What does it take to remain calm when everyone around you is panicking—and the stakes are literally life and death?In this episode of Be Undaunted, Tara Collingwood and George Dom sit down with Dr. Steve Kern, a longtime trauma and general surgeon who has spent more than 25 years making high-stakes decisions in operating rooms, trauma suites, and some of medicine’s most difficult moments.Steve has served as a medical director for trauma, chief of surgery, and vice chief of staff, while also participating in medical mission work in Guatemala, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Outside the operating room, he has deliberately sought out difficult challenges—from Arctic expeditions to the Bataan Memorial Death March and adventures in the Grand Canyon.Through all of these experiences, one theme emerges: we can train ourselves to handle hard things.Steve shares one of the most important lessons he learned in surgery: take your own pulse before you take someone else's. In other words, when the pressure rises, control yourself first. Instead of rushing into a crisis, slow down enough to think clearly and respond intentionally.The conversation explores how that same principle applies far beyond medicine—to leadership, parenting, business, athletics, and everyday life.In This EpisodeTara, George, and Steve discuss:Why the calmest person in the room can often become the most effective leaderThe importance of finding a “why” strong enough to sustain you when life gets difficultWhy Steve encourages young physicians to spend four uninterrupted hours thinking about who they are, what they want from life, and what they hope to contributeThe Norwegian saying that has stayed with him: “When a good man can go no further, he goes a little further.”Why deliberately practicing difficult things can prepare us for life's inevitable challengesHow training takes over when pressure is highThe power of mentally stepping onto the “balcony” to observe a difficult situation instead of simply reacting to itWhy helping someone else can shift our focus when we are struggling ourselvesThe emotional toll of decades spent witnessing trauma, loss, and human sufferingHow origami became an unexpected way for Steve to focus, decompress, and create meaningful family traditionsWhy high-performing teams need more than honesty—they need candorHow leaders can create environments where people feel safe enough to say, “You're making a mistake”Why the way a leader responds to uncomfortable feedback determines whether people will ever speak up againWhat Steve has learned about humility after decades of being responsible for life-and-death decisionsWhy he believes good leadership requires knowing how to lead and followWhat he misses most about medicine: working alongside people who continually show up to rescue othersWhy retirement has finally introduced him to something he rarely experienced during his surgical career—sleeping every nightThe endurance adventures that have taught him to keep moving when his mind tells him to stopA Powerful Leadership LessonOne of Steve's most memorable stories comes from his time as a third-year medical student.During a chaotic surgical emergency, people were yelling, blood was everywhere, and the situation appeared completely out of control. Yet the anesthesiologist—who arguably carried one of the greatest responsibilities in the room—remained remarkably composed.Amid the chaos, he calmly lifted his mask, took a sip of coffee, and returned to work.For Steve, the moment became an enduring lesson:You get to choose how you respond to the chaos around you.Being calm doesn't mean being passive. Effective leaders must remain composed and be willing to act decisively.Do Hard ThingsSteve has spent much of his life intentionally testing himself through difficult physical challenges. His philosophy is simple: life will eventually bring hardship whether we're ready for it or not.Practicing difficult things builds evidence that we can keep going when life gets uncomfortable.As George explains from his experience in fighter aviation, when everything goes wrong, we don't necessarily rise to the occasion—we fall back on our training.That raises an important question for all of us:How are you training for the difficult moments in your own life?About Dr. Steve KernDr. Steve Kern is a longtime trauma and general surgeon who has served in numerous medical leadership roles, including medical director for trauma, chief of surgery, and vice chief of staff. He has participated in medical mission work in Guatemala, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic and has taken on numerous endurance challenges and expeditions.He is also an avid practitioner of origami—a hobby that began as a way to entertain his daughters and evolved into a practice of focus, creativity, and reflection. When his oldest daughter married, Steve folded 1,000 paper cranes in her honor—and then folded 3,000 more so each of his ...
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