S03EP01: How Ego Hurts & Helps Us As Surgeons with Dr. Sharon L. Stein

S03EP01: How Ego Hurts & Helps Us As Surgeons with Dr. Sharon L. Stein

From The Intentional Surgeon with Sharon L. Stein, MD by Sharon L. Stein, MD

January 20, 2026 · 13 min · Season 3 · Episode 1

About this episode

Dr. Sharon Stein explores the complexities of the surgical ego and its impact on surgical careers.

Welcome to 2026! In this solo episode, Dr. Sharon Stein kicks off the year by exploring a topic that defines—and often derails—surgical careers: The Surgical Ego. We all know the TV stereotype of the arrogant surgeon. But Sharon dives into a more subtle version: the ego that hides behind the mask of the "humble, meticulous surgeon." Whether you walk into a room saying "I’ve got this" or rack yourself over the coals after a complication, both extremes stem from the same risky belief: that we have total control over every outcome. What You'll Learn The Summit of Ego: A residency story about a surgeon who believed the worst thing that could happen to a patient was something happening to him . The "Humble" Trap: Sharon shares how her own guilt over an anastomotic leak revealed a hidden ego—the belief that being "careful enough" could prevent all complications. Ego as a Distraction: Why questioning your skill mid-case directs focus away from the patient and toward your own self-doubt. Suffering as "Payment": The common but illogical feeling that if we suffer enough along with the patient, we can "pay" for a bad outcome. The Learning Cycle: Why our "precious surgical ego" makes us want…

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