Getting the Stupid Stuff Right (2012)

In his book The Checklist Manifesto, Dr. Gawande creates a more than convincing argument of just how beneficial checklists can be. As Dr. Gawande examines many different professions that have been bogged down with complexity over the last century, he offers the notion of a simple checklist as a catalyst for success. It seems obvious at first, but after reading his book it becomes apparent that checklists are not always obvious for people to see, even extremely talented professionals. Through the use of checklists, Dr. Gawande argues, it is possible to increase the success rate of anything we choose to pursue. 

Many people often underestimate the importance of “getting the stupid stuff right.” Dr. Gawande offers multiple examples of this in all areas. From the pilots to medical professionals, to economists to chefs, omitting the “stupid mistakes” increases accomplishment at a surprising rate. Dr. Gawande’s brief mention of the performing arts really struck a chord with me, as that was how I spent most of my childhood. I remember being offered to perform with a local dance company. My part was rather small, yet it was still exciting. I was to play a “monster” in the company’s performance of The Firebird. To make the scene in which the “monsters” entered appear more foreboding, our director demanded the use of dry ice. No one thought much of it, until rehearsal. The default setting of the dry ice machine was rather high for a small, enclosed theater. One night during rehearsal, we turned on the dry ice machine to practice dancing with it. The excess dry ice clouded the stage, making it impossible to see, made the floor unbelievably slick, and made it somewhat harder to breathe. So a technician had the setting turned down and we continued to dance. However, the next night, the night of the performance, no one thought to check the dry ice machine before our scene began. As a result the machine was still set on the default setting and needless to say the performance was a disaster. Fortunately, no one slipped, fell or was hurt. However, there were so many things that could have gone wrong besides a poor performance that night. This was all because someone forgot one minor technical aspect of the performance. Looking back it was easy to see why no one checked the dry ice machine. It seemed insignificant compared to the rest of the production. However that is often times where we err. In a performance, or anything else as Dr. Gawande points out, it is important not forget about the small things. This can truly damage the larger goal. Perhaps the “stupid stuff” is not so “stupid” after all. While there’s obviously less risk in a bad performance than a poorly constructed skyscraper, Dr. Gawande makes that point that it does not necessary matter what you do. Checking off the details can only serve to better any complex undertaking. 

We use mental checklists in everyday life without thinking about it. I just happen to think that these “checklists” are not written down and sometimes not as obvious for us to see. I know that ever since I’ve been driving the first three things I do upon getting in my car to leave are: putting my foot on thebrake, putting the key in the ignition, and looking to see what’s behind me. I consider this a “checklist” of some sort. I do not sit there and ponder these steps, they are natural and they come without thinking, but the checklist is there nonetheless. Forget any one of those steps and there is a much higher probability that backing out my car will not be a success. If I did not place my foot on the brake, my particular kind of car would not allow itself to start, needless to say if I did not place the key in the ignition I would get nowhere and failing to look behind me could result in me hitting something, or worse, someone. As subtle as they are, checklists are out there, all around us. They really do make a difference in our efficiency at tasks. It is so easy to mess up, especially in the busy world of 2012. And while no one is perfect, we can always improve ourselves. I agree with Dr. Gawande when he says a checklist is a very good place to begin the process of improvement. 

People tend to assume that by utilizing a checklist that they will be “bogged down” by the details and will not be able think about the situation or problem as the highly specified complex matter that is it. However, as Dr. Gawande emphasized, this is far from the truth. Making sure simple things are in order is what allows people to focus on other more important things. Complexity almost calls for a breaking down into smaller pieces. During senior year, I remember feeling overwhelmed by all the procedures and formulas that I had to memorize for a statistics class. However, once I employed my own “checklist” I never missed a problem. I soon discovered that even the most difficult of statistical problems can solved by first identifying the type of inferential procedure that was most useful, noting the population and parameter, setting up the hypothesis, obtaining results and explaining what those results meant in context of the issue at hand. After I had established what to do in the case of these types of problems, they never bothered me again. While the class turned out to be hard work, it was also a lot simpler than I originally anticipated. This was not because I was a skilled statistician by any means, but because I had a system or a checklist to employ when things reached a certain level of complexity. Breaking things down and checking them off as they were accomplished was the best and most consistent way to write a proper conclusion that accurately reflected the data.

The excuse of “ignorance” is getting exceedingly harder to use for most professionals today, however that doesn’t necessary mean that there is great progress. Sometimes “ineptitude” strikes even the sharpest minds. Of course there is no one method to ensure complete success in everything but making simple steps to get things right is highly valuable. My mom used to tell me that it was the little things that made the biggest difference. And this, on a larger scale, is essentially what Dr. Gawande is saying. He doesn’t mean to apply his “checklist manifesto” as a “cure all” for every surgical procedure, disease, or problem within a specific profession, but he does mean to articulate the importance of the small things. Errors in detail can hinder our ability to see things holistically. Personally, I prefer to examine the big picture and then study the details, however, I know many others who prefer to do the opposite. But Dr. Gawande offers a unique perspective on the matter because he calls attention to the importance of both ways of thinking. You can’t just focus on the idea, goal or outcome, you must account for all the small steps that make that outcome possible. However, like with the design of skyscrapers, you cannot put limits on future goals due to obsessive calculations of detail. In this case, the world would have no creativity and thus no great accomplishments. Dr. Gawande aimed, through his checklists manifesto, to establish an equal ground for insight and action, forethought and details, sketches and application. This fascinated me, because I feel that we are often told one way or the other.

I have often heard many people say, “No one can be good at the details required for science and the insight required for art.” In fact, I know many who believe that the intuition of a creator and the calculated precision of a scientist or mathematician are completely separate entities. But I do not see things this way. I think that some people can be equally good at both areas. But perhaps, for the most part, people do tend to veer off in different directions in their specialties. I know that more hours in the studio create better art and more hours in the lab yield better science. This is why, in today’s society, we have become so highly specialized. People are willing to pay more for a higher degree of knowledge and skill level in any particular field. But because of this, as Dr. Gawande states, we must become more dependent on each other for the mastery of anything that is outside our specialty. And the more specialized you become, the more things there are that lie outside your knowledge. The world doesn’t neatly divide itself into categories and we often times must extend beyond what we are most comfortable dealing with. That is why good communication with others who know more about different areas is essential, a checklist of its own. Our challenge is simply to be humble enough about the limits of our own expertise to ask for the help of others.

The Checklist Manifesto provides fabulous insight into yet another simple way we can considerably better ourselves. Dr. Gawande demonstrates, through his exploration of checklists employed in different fields, the important relationship between the “little things” and success. His results are staggering and opened my mind to the endless possibilities that result from consistency and good communication.