Grant Heggie – Former Employee, Venture Out

How do you know Jason?
I’ve worked for Jason for the last 3 years as a member of his student staff. Before that I worked for his predecessor.

How does Jason work with people? What kinds of groups have you seen him work with? Is he comfortable presenting or facilitating large groups of kids and adults? Jason is phenomenal, very reasonable to work with, considerate, and patient. He  embodies the traits that we try to bring out though our team building courses. I’ve worked for some camp directors who act like every day is a day to go and play. On the other hand, some of my past bosses have been so serious it gets in the way of groups having fun. In the 3 years I’ve known Jason I’ve never seen him at one of those extremes; he has always been very balanced and predictable.

I’ve seen him present to groups  varying in size from handful of people to groups over 250. The age ranges go from teenagers up to mid 60s. I’ve never seen him uncomfortable presenting to any of these groups. The same goes with facilitating. It’s definitely something I’ve appreciated because I can’t say the same about myself. Having a boss who’s always comfortable in those situations is really reassuring.

What is Jason is best at doing? What do you see as his professional challenges?
In my eyes, it’s mentoring his staff. It’s not just teaching us how a new activity, it’s helping us understand why we’re doing it. I’d say his biggest professional challenge is dealing with staff who are passive. They come to work but they don’t really engage. I think he finds it really frustrating dealing with those people when he’s willing to give so much of his time to help us grow individually.

Is he organized? Does he keep to a schedule or do you think he is
better “on the fly”?
Definitely organized, I’d say he prefers to stick to a schedule. That being said, he’s comfortable with organized chaos which is good because groups have an uncanny ability to destroy plans.

One of the reasons I love working for him is he has extremely clear expectations I’m never left guessing what’s going on. Before a group comes he emails us with  concise directions/time/description of the group etc. When we meet before the group comes we develop a schedule and discuss backup plans for likely scenarios — for instance if they show up with 30 more people than they said they would we will adapt by modifying our plans as needed.

 Anything else that you think a potential future employer should know?
Jason is reasonable, reliable, and considerate. Working for him the last three years has been a pleasure.

Grant Heggie
University of Missouri
Gordon E. Crosby, Jr. MBA Candidate – 2011
MHA Candidate – 2011
Graduate Teaching Assistant – Finance 4020/4030
Graduate Research Assistant – School of Health Professions
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