Learnings: The Basics

If there’s one thing that has been a constant, from endurance events to mountaineering, down to my own career, it’s the basics done well over and over again are what deliver results!

Whether it’s the Everest training or finalising a deck, progress rarely ever came from making things more complex. It came from doing the small things right — show up, execute and repeat again the following day (and the day after that).

Reverting back to ‘Type’

In the outdoors, when everything starts to unravel — the weather turns, fatigue hits, or something breaks — you don’t suddenly perform better. You revert to your foundation. That’s why the basics matter so much. They’re what you fall back on when conditions get rough, and they’re what keep you moving when motivation drops. And honestly, work isn’t that different. When a deadline slips, a project derails, or priorities shift overnight — it’s the fundamentals that hold everything together.

• Clear communication.

• Good preparation.

• Following through. 

They’re not glamorous, but they’re what separates teams that adapt from those that stall.

Simple doesn’t mean easy and complex doesn’t mean better

“Run across the desert” or “win vs the competition”; both are very simple goals albeit neither could be considered ‘easy’ by any stretch of the imagination. We build intricate plans, layered processes, and detailed frameworks — and sometimes those are necessary. But, they can also hide the fact that we’ve drifted away from the simple things that actually drive performance. Or in the first example, run across the desert just means keep moving, it overlooks the preparation and work that goes in to making a large challenge seem simple but this is how these things must happen. Breaking down a large, seemingly unachievable goal into small achievable steps and executing.

Why we ignore the obvious

“It can’t be that simple”, a phrase I have said multiple times whether in a business context or when trying to learn how to tie my first figure 8 knot on a climbing harness. Part of the reason for moving from the basic to complex can often be because the basic principles are likely too obvious and thus overlooked. We take them for granted. We think our challenging situation is unique and thus requires a unique solution but that’s the trap.

The basics stop becoming automatic the moment you stop respecting them.

Closing Notes:

This where things currently are in the preparation for Everest, a huge task ahead however, I have time. Time to prepare but also time to practice the basics, to ensure when things do go wrong which they inevitably will do, that I don’t overcomplicate, that I stick to the plan and see this climb through.

-Eanna

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