In the introduction, he discusses one of his own...an ascent on the Dom, a Swiss peak rising to nearly fifteen thousand feet. Without being a spoiler, I can report that their attempt did not proceed smoothly.
But he asks a series of questions that I can distill from that experience:
1) What went well?
2) What were the biggest mistakes we made?
3) How could I do things differently?
4) What enduring lessons were learned?
I thought I'd share an experience from my past. I was working in the Emergency Room at Bethesda Naval Hospital in 1982. I got called to see a "real emergency" at about 2 AM. A middle-aged person arrived by ambulance on the cusp of respiratory failure. They couldn't speak (give any history), gasping for air. The lung examination was clear. They needed immediate airway support (intubation), so I pushed the "Emergency Assistance" (code) button to summon a resuscitation team while trying to stabilize the airway. Nothing happened. A twenty-eight year old second-year resident, I had never intubated a patient. The patient was awake and terrified. I was just terrified. The monitor, strangely taunted stability, flashing a steady heart rate of 84 beats per minute. There was no 'oximetry' (oxygen measurement) in those days. Anatomy and physiology, meet reality.
I grabbed an endotracheal tube out of the resuscitation box and jammed it through the left nares into the back of the throat.
Amidst one of the patient's final breaths, the tube found its way into the trachea and I connected her to the Ambu bag and oxygen and provided rescue breaths. The patient lived. Eventually, the facts emerged - a headache and two aspirin had triggered a severe allergic reaction. Better lucky than good or experienced, I passed the test.
No similar challenge faces a basketball coach. Annoyances? Periodically. Adversity? Regularly. But we're still expected to self-examine and deliver. What's the state of the state?
1) What went well? We have a terrific group of players and families and a dynamic assistant who mentors the girls. The team shows up on time and ready to go. Players work hard (amidst occasional giggles).
2) What were the biggest mistakes we made? We need more consistent concentration and engagement. Opportunities can be lost at practice or during games at any time. We must bring intensity and respond continuously not continually.
3) What could I do differently? I need to create more leadership opportunities for the players. I need to continue to utilize my assistant to help the team develop the necessary growth mindset. We need to challenge them more to perform their best.
4) What enduring lessons were learned? While we have a trustworthy process, we need the will and capacity to adjust. Values are immutable; technique matters but strategy changes.
