Chris Ekimoff refers to himself as a "swammer", as in someone that used to swim competitively. So competitive in fact that he was a member of the Saint Bonaventure University swimming team who won conference championship for the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2006. This helped him stand out in his start class at Deloitte thanks to the Summer Olympics happening the year he graduated. Many people found out he was a swimmer, so they were asking him questions about the swimming events, which allowed him to develop unique relationships at all levels of the firm.
In this episode, Chris and I talk about how being a part of a swimming team taught him to have confidence in himself while understanding how his piece fits into the bigger picture. He says that no one is judging you. Chris feels the firm plays a big role in this, saying, "The firm itself can't make you share but the firm also shouldn't limit it from happening." And shared experiences are great, too, but the firm must be careful to find a balance in activities so a variety of people can be involved.