Every Second Counts by Donald McRae

Every Second Counts is a very fascinating book and has made a profound impact on the way I think about my personal and professional lives. It made me think about the goals in my life and how I was preparing myself to achieve them. Furthermore, it forced me to think about the legacy that I want to leave behind. Donald McRae does a phenomenal job in painting the intertwined lives of four people and how these played out according to each individual’s personality. This book is not a story of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ guys. There are numerous positive takeaways even from the likes of Christiaan Barnaard. McRae rightly points out that there might have been flaws in his character but he did contribute immensely to his profession.

First lesson learnt from the book was that every person needs to develop short-term and long-term goals in their professional lives. Shumway, Lower, Kantrowitz and Barnaard developed a focus to their careers – achieving and perfecting human transplant. This focus was important because all eventually contributed massively to the field and had successful professional careers. It was also interesting to know that Shumway, who was the greatest amongst the lot, seemed to enjoy his work the most. It was not that he was trying to prove a point to the world like Barnaard. He had genuine interest in his job. So I believe that a person has a greater chance of achieving professional greatness if he/she chooses a job that he/she enjoys the most.

Another aspect of this story that impressed me was Christiaan Barnard’s belief in himself. This is a characteristic that we have seen in most great leaders. As soon as he saw Lower perform the dog transplant operation in Richmond, Barnaard knew in his mind that he could also do it. The lesson learnt here was that we need to develop a confidence in our abilities. Of course it is important to develop and hone our skills as well but I am if Barnaard did not have the faith in his skills, he would not have achieved what he managed in the end. One could very easily relate to the emergence of doubt in Barnaard’s mind when he was in the scrub room before Washansky’s transplant (Page 205). Fear of failure often lets people down. But at that time it is important for him to have a belief in himself. An able aid in Marius Barnaard was also helpful and highlights the importance of surrounding yourself with a smart team to support you in the most critical moments.

Every Second Counts, I feel, is about defining “success” in life. The fame and glory Chris Barnaard achieved was short-lived because he could not overcome the flaws in his characters. It reminded me about David Gergen’s analysis of Nixon in Eyewitness to Power. Barnaard let his darkness get the better of the intelligent doctor. He lost respect of both his peers and his family. He won the race to the first transplant but lost so much more. In contrast Shumway, Lower and Kantrowitz were revered by their peers. Shumway especially was extremely magnanimous when he could have easily hopped on to the band wagon and criticized Barnaard. He still chose to identify Dr. Barnaard’s contributions when asked to comment on him. That is the kind of person I would like to be. The story of Dr. Shumway is evidence that you do not have to brag about yourself to the world to prove that you are a big-shot. Good work gets recognized and pays off. Another valuable lesson underlined through Shumway’s description is that a leader should be gracious in giving praise to subordinates. It was no wonder that Stanford became a world-class research institute on heart-transplantation under Shumway because he was so eager to give credit to his team. This, along with finding a focus in profession; developing self-belief and defining “success” in life are few of the important lessons I learnt from this book.