--- title: Want to get great at something? Get a coach description: Want to get great at something? Get a coach image: https://donovanleadership.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/The%20image%20captures%20Atul%20Gawande%20a%20renowned%20surgeon%20and%20author%20exuding%20focus%20and%20passion%20as%20he%20stands%20before%20a%20large%20screen%20during%20a%20TED%20Talk%20He%20is%20dr-1.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/want-to-get-great-at-something-get-a-coach#main-content) ![cropped-DON_LongRGB01](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cropped-DON_LongRGB01.jpg?width=886&height=247&name=cropped-DON_LongRGB01.jpg) - [Home](https://donovanleadership.com/) - [Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/executive-coaching-transform-your-leadership-style-donovan-leadership) Show submenu for Coaching - [One on One Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/one-on-one-coaching) - [Group Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/group-coaching) - [Blog](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) Show submenu for Blog - [All Posts](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) - [Research](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/research) - [Books](https://donovanleadership.com/books) - [About](https://donovanleadership.com/about) Show submenu for About - [Contact Us](https://donovanleadership.com/contact) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Home](https://donovanleadership.com/) - [Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/executive-coaching-transform-your-leadership-style-donovan-leadership) Show submenu for Coaching - [One on One Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/one-on-one-coaching) - [Group Coaching](https://donovanleadership.com/group-coaching) - [Blog](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) Show submenu for Blog - [All Posts](https://donovanleadership.com/blog) - [Research](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/research) - [Books](https://donovanleadership.com/books) - [About](https://donovanleadership.com/about) Show submenu for About - [Contact Us](https://donovanleadership.com/contact) - [Influence Curve Quiz](https://influence-curve.lovable.app/) [Influence Curve Quiz](https://influence-curve.lovable.app/) Feb 16, 2023, 4:00:00 PM # Want to get great at something? Get a coach [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/want-to-get-great-at-something-get-a-coach) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/want-to-get-great-at-something-get-a-coach) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/want-to-get-great-at-something-get-a-coach) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/want-to-get-great-at-something-get-a-coach) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://donovanleadership.com/blog/want-to-get-great-at-something-get-a-coach) Surgeon and public health professor Atul Gawande has studied the question of how we improve in the face of complexity. In the TedTalk attached he shares that he's found the key is having a good coach to: ✅ Provide a more accurate picture of our reality ✅ Instil positive habits of thinking ✅ Break our actions down and then help us build them back up again. "It's not how good you are now; it's how good you're going to be that really matters," Gawande says. He had watched his surgical complication rates drop from one year to the next. But after about five years, they leveled out. And a few more years after that, he realised he wasn't improving anymore. After two months of coaching, he felt himself getting better again. And after a year, his complications dropped down even further. He says, “It was painful. I didn't like being observed, and at times I didn't want to have to work on things. I also felt there were periods where I would get worse before I got better. But it made me realize that the coaches were onto something profoundly important.” Prof Gawande also leads a health systems innovation centre called Ariadne Labs, where they work on problems in the delivery of health care, including global childbirth. The centre ran a trial using coaches in 120 birth centres in India which delivered startling improvements. They coached 400 nurses and other birth attendants, and 100 physicians and managers and tracked the results across 160,000 births. The results in the control group who did not get coaching -- they delivered on only one-third of 18 basic practices that they were measuring. Importantly, over the course of the years of study, they saw no improvement. The other group who got coaching increased to greater than two-thirds of the practices being delivered. They could see coaching works, helping deliver improvement in quality and improve adherence to essential birth practices. See the fascinating full TedTalk in the link attached. 🙋 How can a coach help people improve in the face of complexity in your view? 🙋‍♀️ ## Related posts [![](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/A%20dimly%20lit%20office%20space%20is%20depicted%20with%20a%20large%20wooden%20desk%20cluttered%20with%20papers%20a%20laptop%20and%20coffee%20cups%20suggesting%20a%20chaotic%20work%20environment%20Sa-1.jpg?height=200&name=A%20dimly%20lit%20office%20space%20is%20depicted%20with%20a%20large%20wooden%20desk%20cluttered%20with%20papers%20a%20laptop%20and%20coffee%20cups%20suggesting%20a%20chaotic%20work%20environment%20Sa-1.jpg)](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-keeping-your-promises-will-help-you-get-things-done) ## [How keeping your promises will help you get things done](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-keeping-your-promises-will-help-you-get-things-done) [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) May 20, 2021, 2:00:00 PM Sam did not know people thought he was slippery. He often promised his clients what they wanted to... [Read more](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/how-keeping-your-promises-will-help-you-get-things-done) [![](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/The%20image%20depicts%20a%20serene%20home%20office%20setting%20bathed%20in%20soft%20morning%20light%20A%20sleek%20wooden%20desk%20adorned%20with%20a%20laptop%20and%20a%20steaming%20mug%20of%20coffee%20is-1.jpg?height=200&name=The%20image%20depicts%20a%20serene%20home%20office%20setting%20bathed%20in%20soft%20morning%20light%20A%20sleek%20wooden%20desk%20adorned%20with%20a%20laptop%20and%20a%20steaming%20mug%20of%20coffee%20is-1.jpg)](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/why-leaders-who-maintain-a-positive-culture-get-the-best-results) ## [Why leaders who maintain a positive culture get the best results](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/why-leaders-who-maintain-a-positive-culture-get-the-best-results) [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Sep 23, 2021, 2:00:00 PM Leaders everywhere are struggling with the challenge of remote working. If you are a leader in... [Read more](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/why-leaders-who-maintain-a-positive-culture-get-the-best-results) [![High TQ by Kirkland Tibbels and John Patterson](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/High%20TQ%201080%20x%201350%20LinkedIn.png?height=200&name=High%20TQ%201080%20x%201350%20LinkedIn.png)](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/expertise-got-you-the-seat.-it-wont-get-you-the-room) [Transactional Intelligence™](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/transactional-intelligence), [Influential U](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/influential-u), [High TQ](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/tag/high-tq) ## [Expertise Got You the Seat. It Won't Get You the Room.](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/expertise-got-you-the-seat.-it-wont-get-you-the-room) [Brian Donovan](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan) Aug 6, 2026, 12:12:14 PM In cyber and tech, leaders pour years into accreditation and technical mastery and almost nothing... [Read more](https://donovanleadership.com/blog/expertise-got-you-the-seat.-it-wont-get-you-the-room) [facebook-f icon](https://www.facebook.com/DonovanLeadership/) [linkedin-in icon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfdonovan1/) [Twitter icon](https://x.com/Briandonovan1) - [Privacy Policy](https://donovanleadership.com/privacy-policy) - [Disclaimer](https://donovanleadership.com/disclaimer) - [Contact Us](https://donovanleadership.com/contact) --- PO Box 536 Camberwell VICTORIA, 3124 Australia [![Donovan Leadership](https://donovanleadership.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/cropped-cropped-DON_LongRGB01-Apr-17-2025-10-42-20-2134-PM-Jun-18-2025-10-42-41-2821-AM.jpg?width=886&height=236&name=cropped-cropped-DON_LongRGB01-Apr-17-2025-10-42-20-2134-PM-Jun-18-2025-10-42-41-2821-AM.jpg "Donovan Leadership")](https://donovanleadership.com/) Copyright © 2025, ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Brian Donovan", "url" : "https://donovanleadership.com/blog/author/brian-donovan" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-18T10:43:00.693Z", "datePublished" : "2023-02-16T05:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Want to get great at something? 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