The Question That Turns Everything Into a Lesson...

What Top Gun, March Madness, and a failed math test can teach you—if you know what to look for

How do Top Gun, Apollo 13, and Algebra I relate to each other?

When I was growing up, my parents had this habit.

They would watch a movie… and then use it.

Not for entertainment—but as lessons.

I failed a test in Algebra I (the first of many math tests I failed).

My dad responded with two things:

First, he wrote this on the whiteboard where we spent hours practicing:

“Failure is not an option.” — Apollo 13

Then he asked me:

“Do you remember what happened after Goose died in Top Gun?”

Maverick was shaken up and didn’t fully engage at first.

And Viper, the commanding officer, said:

“Keep sending him up.”

The message was clear:

• We’re not going to make failure the plan.

• We’re not going to avoid the problem—we’re going to move toward it.

This happened all the time.

Movies. Sports. Conversations. Random moments.

My parents were always looking for the lessons and finding applications in our lives.

And now, I do this all the time.

This week, I stumbled upon a few that resonated as I built my March Madness bracket.

March Madness.

68 teams.
67 games.
Endless brackets to build (and have broken).

As I read some articles about the teams, I noticed a few things.

Three programs stood out:

• Rick Pitino (St. John’s)

• Dan Hurley (UConn)

• Brad Underwood (Illinois)

Different teams.

But similar guiding principles with applications in my own life.

Prepare people, not plays

Pitino said:

“It’s better to have a good player with the basketball than to have plays.”

UConn runs complex systems but not to script outcomes.

They train players to read and respond in real time.

Because the truth is:

You can’t predict every situation.

But you can prepare yourself to handle whatever shows up.

• You can’t script every conversation but you can become someone who listens well and thinks clearly.

• You can’t prepare for every scenario in a new job or new city but you can build adaptability, awareness, and confidence.

• You can’t anticipate every question on a test but you can understand the material deeply enough to figure it out.

We’re getting ready to leave Singapore this summer.

There are a thousand unknowns.

We’re not trying to plan for all of them.

We’re asking a different question:

How do we become the kind of people who can handle whatever comes next?

Make your shots count

At Illinois, they did something interesting last offseason.

They labeled every shot:

• Gold

• Silver

• Bronze

And in practice, they didn’t just reward makes…

They rewarded shot selection.

You won by taking the right shots, not just making shots.

Because over time:

Good decisions compound.

Honestly, I freaking love this strategy. The players have been rewarded for taking the right shot, not just making the available shot. And, what gets rewarded gets repeated.

Where this shows up:

• Answering emails all day might feel productive…but it’s often a low-efficiency shot.

• Scrolling, reacting, staying busy—easy shots, low return.

• Deep work. Hard conversations. Focused effort—those are “gold medal” shots.

Even if they don’t go in every time.

Ask yourself:

Am I taking the easiest shot… or the right one?

There are many paths to greatness

Some teams shoot a ton of threes.
Some dominate defensively.
Some push the pace relentlessly.

There is no single formula.

And yet, every year, different types of teams win.

I see the same thing outside of sports.

I talk to alumni, colleagues, friends…

Different industries. Different lifestyles. Different paths.

And yet, many of them are doing well.

Not because they followed the same blueprint…

But because they found one that worked for them.

I just had this conversation with a recent grad who was trying to decide what to major in. His parents recommended law. It’s the safe play.

But it’s not the only play. And, this is a really sharp person who will do well in any field they move into. They will find their way to their own version of greatness in their own way.

The takeaway

The lessons are everywhere.

A movie.
A basketball game.
A random conversation.
A bad test.

Most people just watch and move on.

A few sharp people ask:

How does this apply to me?

Keep Asking,

Kyle