We were fortunate to sit down with author Ty Gagne to get his take on decision making. We posed the following five questions to which Ty graciously provided detailed responses we can hopefully all learn from.
- 1) Decision making is a subject you’re quite familiar with. How did you develop this knowledge?
- Through a combination of things really. We all have the experience and wisdom that develops as we constantly make decisions. I also think my passion for climbing and professional work in risk management puts the decision-making process front and center for me. I’m constantly reading, reflecting, and pursuing personal and professional development in this discipline.
- 2) Through observation, what are some of the top drivers to folks making poor decisions?
- Emotions and overconfidence. Let’s take a summit for example. I’m pursing my 48/4ks and holding myself to a deadline. I’ve got one to go and I’ve saved my favorite peak for last. Maybe I’ve put my goal out there on social media for all to see. I haven’t had any major issues hiking the other 47, so I’ve got this. If we read these sentences back a few times and apply it to our own endeavors, you can see how things can get away from us pretty quickly up there.
- 3) If there was one rule-of-thumb you could share with others regarding decision-making, what would it be?
- An objective sense of self-awareness. Being honest with yourself about who you are. What drives and motivates you? Does your experience level align with what you’re about to do? Are you willing or capable of modifying your current course of action because the level of uncertainty is taking you further away from your comfort zone than you’d like? Can you put your ego in check and tell yourself that today is not the day.
- 4) Is there a decision-making checklist that people could use that would help them sort out the gray areas?
- There’s a great book by Atul Gawande called “The Checklist Manifesto.” It provides a framework for using checklists, and is particularly effective for activities where uncertainty and/or unpredictability exists. I think it aligns well with backcountry activities and is quite helpful for planning, preparation, and execution.
- 5) There are obvious things people can do to help them avoid trouble in the mountains such packing right, researching, checking weather, etc. Is there something less obvious that is standout in your mind?
- I go back to self-awareness. Who am I on the day I show up at the trailhead? See my reply to no. 3 (above)!
Thank you very much for your insights, Ty!
