Technical skills are not sufficient for successful surgical care. Non-technical skills such as team work, decision-making in cancer treatment, communication with the patient, ethical challenges, situation awareness, and communication in the operating room are mandatory for favorable outcomes. Although formally taught in other high-demand disciplines, such skills were traditionally rarely discussed in surgical oncology. The 3rd MAYMET-ESO Joint Meeting "Professionalism for Breast Surgeons" held in Istanbul, Turkey, 5 October 2013 was dedicated to the development of non-technical skills in the everyday activity of breast surgeons. We briefly discuss information from this very interesting and inspiring educational event and how it relates to more recent changes in surgical oncology education.