Thoughts on Decision, Emotion and Skydiving??

It is no secret that I am always keen on discussing the topic of decision-making (and also training people to become better at it). I believe it is an essential skill that should be taught at school, among other topics such as critical thinking or more practical ones like learning finance 101 (making a monthly budget, understanding taxes, etc.).

And while some of us learn through our personal experiences - adjusting after every mistake - many people don’t and keep repeating them unconsciously.

What is saddening is that oftentimes these decision traps - like succumbing to the status quo appeal and inaction to ignoring information (or diminishing its implications) contracting their choice - could be easily avoided by simply raising awareness and understanding the decision process.

In my first book Act Before You overThink, I focus on decision-making in the last chapters, delving into three interesting concepts: decision process, reversibility, and values. I explain how these can be used as filters to review our decisions and come up with a choice (which is sometimes quite tricky for overthinkers).

My next book will be entirely on decision-making and explore additional aspects, such as decisions under altered emotional states. As I am also ramping up my skydiving training, this topic has proven particularly relevant.

Without a doubt, some of you might question the decision of doing skydiving in the first place. After all, jumping out of a plane is not for the faint of heart, but I can assure you it requires both sanity and absolute focus.

Poor decisions have immediate and often catastrophic consequences. In that regard, skydiving is a strict teacher and I learnt a fair amount - about myself and my decision-making.

Here are three examples on how to make better decisions.

Decisions under anger

Sometimes, behaviours trigger us (if any proof is needed - look at road rage) and we explode; or we are just out of a tense meeting discussion where nothing seems to go right, and we leave the room with nothing but anger simmering beneath our skin.?

In skydiving, we might be tempted to vent our frustration or prove a point by performing dangerous stunts or ignoring dangerous weather conditions.?

Critical thinking? It’s out of the window, quite literally.

And that’s no different in the corporate world. We might spit out words we'll later wish we could reel back in. An executive might make hasty decisions like firing an employee or pulling out of a project after a heated argument or receiving bad news.?

When you catch this feeling of anger rising, it is essential to cool down. To do this, you need to create some distance between you and the trigger (event or person). You might go for a walk (creating geographical distancing) or ask for a break (creating time distancing), allowing you to diffuse the intensity of the emotion, which is hijacking your logic and reasoning.

For me, this often means walking away - not jumping out of a plane - no matter how tempting the urge might be. And when the frustration sets in, I remind myself of this simple truth: “it's better to be on the ground wishing to be in the sky than being in the sky wishing to be on the ground.”

Decisions under exhaustion

It goes without saying that skydiving requires a high level of alertness and quick decision-making. When you're up there, strapped to nothing but air, every tens’ of seconds counts. But if you are exhausted , your brain's not firing on all cylinders. Attention to detail? Absent. Quick reactions? More like slow-motion replays. Memory? Let's just say it's on a coffee break.

Now, imagine you're in a client meeting, the clock's ticking, and you're running on fumes. All you want is to wrap this up. In that moment, you might nod to a proposal just to see the light at the end of the meeting tunnel. But, like jumping out of a plane without checking your chute, you might miss the fine print - the implications, the long game.

When we're drained, our decisions can be as shaky as a newbie skydiver. We might agree to things that, in the clear light of day (or after a good night's sleep), we'd rethink.

Know when to step back and give your mind and body the rest they need to perform normally. Managing your energy isn't just good practice; it's essential for making calls that stick - whether you're closing deals or deciding when to jump.

Decisions under pride

While anger and exhaustion might come to mind quite easily as causes for poor decisions, one that is less obvious and far more pernicious is pride.

Need to impress? To feel you are as good if not better than others? That you too, you can do it? Driven by ego, it is easy to decide to jump into the unknown, performing figures or manoeuvres we are not ready (or even trained) for - all to keep up appearances.?

In the corporate sky, it is no different.

In 1983, William Smithburg, CEO of Quaker Oats acquired the energy drink Gatorade for $220 million and in a decade turned it into a $3 billion brand. Many reporters and peers said it was an amazing decision, praising the CEO’s exceptional business acumen.

In 1994, Smithburg tried to replicate his Gatorade’s success, by buying another beverage company named Snapple for $1.7 billion. But, less than 3 years later, Quaker Oats was selling Snapple for $300 million, one sixth of its purchasing price and Smithburg was fired. Blinded by pride, the CEO stuck to his vision, ignoring warnings that he was overpaying and the many risks associated with product positioning.

The best way to get around this?

Seek honest feedback, have some play the Devil’s advocate and if you can, foster cognitive diversity to create purple teams.

Whether in the sky or in the boardroom, the clarity of mind, emotional regulation, and humility play pivotal roles in effective decision-making. Each jump, much like each decision in life, teaches us not just about our capabilities but also about our vulnerabilities.

Stay grounded, stay safe, and keep learning.

To your success,

Lison

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• With my first book?Act Before You overThink?to learn how to make better decisions faster and liberate your mind from the constant chatter that hinders your potential. You can buy it?here.