Page 3 - Jim Stone Book Beginner

professionals need to be aware of what has occurred and what lay ahead. At the core of this
organization are checklists. Every box painstakingly checked with notations and the time recorded.

How is this checklist discipline instilled into the medical staff? An experience that I had during my
tenure at Ohio State University offered a clue. For years, my players at OSU were discouraged from
having Nursing as an academic major. There is no question that Nursing is a challenging major;
however, the educational requirements were not the reason for concern. At that time, the policy
inside the College of Nursing included not allowing make-up examinations. Since we would be
traveling on weekends for competition, missing Friday exams would be problematic for players. At
an on-campus social event, I initiated a conversation with the Dean of the Nursing College. I was
thinking that if there is a relationship, perhaps there could be a detente declared relative to the policy
of not allowing make-up exams. In the most cordial of tones, the Dean explained that "there are no
make-ups in pre-op, in the operating room, or post-op. A doctor prescribing medication for 10:00
A.M. doesn't mean 10:01 A.M. is acceptable. The discipline required to follow the orders of the
doctor is non-negotiable. This discipline starts with "no make-up exams." As a coach, I had to
respect the fact that the College of Nursing developed and implemented a plan designed to serve its
students and the profession in the best manner possible. The nurses will receive the proper training
in preparation for the demands of their position. The ultimate beneficiaries will be the patients who
will receive top-notch care.

The checklist does not solely benefit the medical profession. We are familiar with how pilots have a
pre-flight checklist to ensure the safe operation of the plane. Experienced pilots that have flown
thousands of flights rely on a checklist to ensure the aircraft is flight ready. Human error is always
lurking. However, the ever-present checklist diminishes the chances that an avoidable mistake is a
component of any flight. How does the construction engineer develop a building project? There is a
need to deal with contractors, sub-contractors, budgets, paperwork, permits, etc. One phase
depends upon other completed stages to proceed. Building a 40-story office building is based upon
completed checklists.

Very complicated fields of endeavor rely on a tool as simple as a checklist to organize events. Being
a teacher and a coach for fifty years, I tend to correlate much of what I learn back to the classroom
or gymnasium. My mind began to rev at high speeds as to how incorporating checklists into teaching
volleyball would improve our instruction.

In my numerous coaching roles, I've observed many collegiate, high school, and club practices. I am
always intrigued by the variety of approaches implemented by the coaches at various age groups.
My eternal question is, why is this coach doing what they do? What is the reason for their practice
format? What are they teaching, how is feedback provided, what are their instructional methods, and
how are these methods evaluated? I am especially curious about the methods used by coaches that
work with younger age athletes.

Unfortunately, more often than not, there isn't a good reason for an activity. There is usually no
master plan that dictates daily events. Coaches often imitate their own experience as a player.
Perhaps they just attended a clinic and are trying out the latest magic. Or, with high probability, they
are just flying blind. One of my coaching heroes is former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.
One of his quotes that I cherish is, "don't confuse activity with getting something accomplished." That