Business Lessons from Mountaineering | Matthew Knarston | TEDxChathamKent

Mountaineering is the sport of climbing mountains. It is also known as slow walking uphill while not feeling very well, with extended periods of intense boredom, interrupted by occasional moments of sheer terror. You might think there is very little sense in mountaineering, but there is one thing that binds this community together and which all mountaineers seek: ADVENTURE!
The mountains are a real-world training ground where making wrong decisions can lead to injury or death. This makes mountaineering an effective, yet ultimately unforgiving, teacher. There are many lessons that can be learned from the mountains and some of the best examples are the parallels that mountaineering shares with the business world. Matt is the definition of adventurous. His wild adventures have seen him helicopter rescued from the New Zealand wilderness after a canyoning trip did not go to plan, race across India in a rickshaw and scale some of the highest mountains in the world. His thirst for extreme challenges has taken him on epic trips in North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
Tramping and skiing were gateway sports for Matt into the world of mountaineering and, coupled with New Zealand’s rich climbing history, it was fate that this weekend warrior would be drawn to the sport. Many people would have been turned off climbing after a fatal accident occurred during Matt’s introduction to mountaineering with the New Zealand Alpine Club. Unfortunately for his mother, Matt was hooked!
As a Chartered Accountant and Management Consultant with The Poirier Group, Matt has the opportunity to apply on a daily basis the lessons he learns from the mountains to drive the performance of his clients’ businesses. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx