Ordinary lessons from an extraordinary event

The monsoon rains in Thailand come every year in July. In 2018, they came early, to the great misfortune of a group of twelve Thai soccer players and their assistant coach, who were exploring caves and got trapped by the flooding waters that resulted from the monsoon. 

Over the course of two weeks, 10,000 people gathered to assist in rescuing the soccer team from the Tham Luang Cave, including Royal Thai navy seals, American Air Force Special Ops, divers, soldiers, police officers, and representatives from government agencies. 

The Thai Government was advised to contact the British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC) for help. The cave divers that are deployed for cave rescue dives are recreational divers who have a very extraordinary skillset. They are the only people on the planet with the experience, mindset, skillset, and equipment needed to navigate tight spaces in caves while diving. 

Cave divers know that their mindset can make or break their cave dive. They are extremely adept at checking their emotions, and maintaining calm, focus, and composure throughout the dive. This is a non-negotiable, as any bit of panic can result in death.

On day nine of the search, two British cave divers discovered the stranded soccer team two and a half miles from the mouth of the cave. Once it was known that they were alive, the Thai government began developing options for rescuing the boys and their coach.

The options ranged from waiting until the end of the monsoon season, with divers providing food and water, to drilling a rescue shaft to lift them out, among others. One overriding constraint was that the oxygen was being depleted where they boys were, and they wouldn’t be able to stay alive more than a few more days.

The cave divers knew that they were the only hope of the boys making it out alive. And they had to persuade the Thai government of this. They were successful.

They called in their friends from Australia and Europe to form a team of eight lead divers with a group of supporting Thai Navy seals and other cave divers.

And yet, what would be required of them was extremely dangerous. 

In order to traverse the two and a half mile journey through the submerged cave, they couldn’t risk that the boys would have a panic attack, which would be the sure cause of death for all.

The lead diver from Britain had an idea that his buddy, an Australian anesthetist and cave diver, could sedate the boys while wearing their dive mask and gear in order for the rescue to be successful.

While all medical knowledge would advise against such a feat because the risk of asphyxiation was too great, they had no other options. What seemed impossible became their only possibility.

They administered sedatives to each boy twice–once at the beginning of the three-hour journey, and again an hour and a half later when the anesthesia wore off.

No one knew what the outcome would be. And yet one by one, over the course of three days, all 13 “packages” (as they were lovingly called by the cave divers) were rescued alive, and taken to a hospital by ambulance. 

What does this extraordinary mission have to do with our careers?

I think there are valuable ordinary lessons we can take from this extraordinary event and apply to our lives and careers.

Lesson 1

The cave divers were uniquely qualified to conduct the rescue. 

Application

While you have skills and experience that may look like your peers, who you have been at work, including your attributes, mindset, and personality, have caused you to perform in a way that is unique from anyone else. 

You are uniquely qualified in a way that sets you apart from everyone else. And your unique qualifications are needed to complete the mission.

Lesson 2

Conventional wisdom would not have allowed the rescue to be successful.

Application

While precedent and best practices are often useful, sometimes you need to break the rules in order to get the job done.

Lesson 3

Great ideas can only become reality when they have the right support.

Application

In our work, we need to be aware of who the decision-makers are, and finesse our ability to persuade them. Understanding the goals of others and developing strategies to show them how they can obtain their goals is an undervalued skill. Be a person of influence.

Lesson 4

The mindset of the cave divers would make or break their outcomes.

Application

Most people think their skillset and experience are the sole driver of outcomes, however your mindset plays an equal, if not more important role in shaping outcomes. Develop the right mindset to contribute to a successful mission.

Lesson 5

Assemble the right team to achieve your mission.

Application

Consider the mindset, skillset, and past performance needed from the individuals that comprise your dream team. Then go recruit them. 

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Jimmy Johnson said “the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”

How can you be extraordinary with the ordinary things of your life?