Matt Hargis, a Phoenix-based senior associate at Point B, had an unforgettable summer last year when he spent two weeks guiding others on white water rafting trips at the Grand Canyon. Consulting spoke with the ever-adventure-seeking Hargis.
Consulting: How did you get involved with white water rafting?
Hargis: Back in 1996, when I was working for [D.C.-based consultancy] AMS, I took a sabbatical for a summer and went up to Alaska and was a white water raft guide for the summer. And I've always been into the outdoors and looking to have an adventure. And that's where I really learned how to do white water rafting, and I had a great experience doing that.
And then last summer, a friend of a friend got permit to run the Grand Canyon. It's a very rare thing to get those permits. So I was fortunate enough to get on a private trip, so that means no guide, you're just basically a self-guided group through the Grand Canyon. And at Point B, taking time off to do something like that was not a problem, so I took about a month off and spent over two weeks on the river.
Consulting: What was that like?
Hargis: It was great. The Grand Canyon is the pinnacle of white water rafting trips. There's really fun rapids and incredible scenery. You have to do everything yourself; you're setting up camp; you're cooking; you're cleaning; you're guiding the boats. If you run into any trouble—if a raft flips—you've got to deal with it yourself. It's a real adventure.
Consulting: What was Point B's reaction to your plan?
Hargis: Very supportive. It's really up to me at Point B to arrange my schedule with my clients to accommodate it. And as long as I do that, then Point B supports it. And that's really the culture at Point B, and I'm certainly not the only person at Point B who has done this type of thing.
Consulting: Has this affected your perspective as a consultant?
Hargis: It's really put things in perspective for me. When you're going down a class four or five rapid, and you've got people in your raft whose lives in some way depend on you and your skills, it's a pretty big sense of responsibility. And I definitely have a lot of responsibility in my work life as well, but the white water rafting experience puts things in perspective. Maybe I have a little more of a balanced view of the everyday work problems and challenges that you face.
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