The Role of Hospitality in Neurosurgery

"Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It's that simple and it's that hard" says Danny Meyer, the restauranteur and CEO of the Union Square Hospitality Group in New York. Similarly, Maya Angelou famously said that people will never forget how you made them feel, though they may forget what you said or did. In neurosurgery, we are doing two things at once: something very technical and something very human. The core thesis of this hospitality philosophy is that whereas the technical aspect of our job is critically important, it represents 49% of our success. The human aspect of our work represents 51%, ever so slightly more important.

We will explore how hospitality has impacted the practice of and a career in neurosurgery over a 35-year period, based on the principles outlined by Danny Meyer in his 2006 book Setting the Table. We will define the difference between service, the technical delivery of a product (e.g., a surgical procedure), and hospitality, how the delivery of that service makes someone feel; if someone feels you are on their side, hospitality is present. We will also define the 51% rule for hiring: one is invited onto our team based 49% on technical skill and 51% on these hospitality-related human qualities (optimistic warmth, intelligence, work ethic, empathy, self-awareness, and integrity).

Hospitality has played a transformative role in a neurosurgery career: in developing a destination academic practice, managing complications, overcoming challenges, and in building an outstanding team. In our opinion, hospitality plays a significant role in pediatric neurosurgery, driving growth in activity and excellence. As Danny says "it takes both great service and great hospitality to rise to the top."