Lessons Learned – The Little Things Matter
You may have seen this video before. The commencement speech was given by Navy SEAL Admiral McRaven at the University of Texas (Austin) several years ago. He was listing the 10 lessons learned during his SEAL training.
His #1 lesson learned was “Make your bed every morning.” I won’t go through the entire discussion (he says it so much better than I), but he wanted to emphasize that the little things matter. You might not recognize the impact of a small item (either good or bad), but it can leave a lasting impression and shape how you approach challenges in life.
The Little Things that Reveal Readiness
One of my jobs in the Navy was to help submarines in my squadron with their training and readiness. I visited and inspected many boats during my tenure there, and one of the first things I noticed when I went down the hatch was the status of the lights on the boat. Back then, they were small 2- or 3-bulb fluorescent lights inside a waterproof enclosure. There were hundreds of these throughout the ship. If I found that all the bulbs were lit, none of them flickering or out, I knew that the boat was probably in great shape. They cared enough to fix the little stuff. Supervisors were also checking and making sure they were all lit up, so they were doing a good job of inspecting and correcting deficiencies. It told me everyone in the chain of command was paying attention, and they probably had a good command culture. If the small stuff was working, I was confident that the big stuff was also shipshape.
I’m sure you can see the same things at your businesses. When I go into the restroom and I see someone wipe up the counter before leaving. Or someone washes out the coffee cup instead of just leaving it in the sink. That shows me that the culture at the company cares about the little things, and therefore is more likely to care about the bigger stuff, too. It’s almost a type of Heinrich Pyramid. Getting rid of and fixing the small problems can avoid the larger problems in the future.
Spot the Small Stuff. Solve the Big Stuff.
At its core, TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis is built on the same principle: the little things matter. A missed safeguard, an overlooked procedure, a small human factor – these often seem minor until they lead to something bigger. The TapRooT® Process helps teams spot and fix those small issues before they grow into serious incidents. When you take time to investigate thoroughly and address the real root causes, you’re not just checking boxes; you’re reinforcing a culture where the small things are noticed, valued, and corrected. And that’s what keeps everything else shipshape.
Doing the small stuff matters. Make your bed!
