Why Peer Groups?
Being a leader at any level of an organization can be difficult. You are expected to know the answer, to have the way forward, to think of the innovative new idea. Depending on the size of your organization and your position, there may be relatively few people internally for you to collaborate with on new ideas.
There are a ton of resources to get new skills as a leader: books, blogs, MBAs, tradeshows, and learning-by-doing can all be effective. Those resources take considerable time and may not directly answer your questions or help you see new opportunities in your specific business. Increased busyness and expectations on a leader coupled with a lack of easy-to-digest resources creates greater feelings of personal isolation.
This is How Peer Groups Can Help
Peer groups can be a lifesaver to leaders who feel disconnected or uninspired. The collaborative atmosphere and engaging discussions of a well-facilitated group gives you confidence in your decisions.
Peer groups are made up of your peers, who manage comparable size, non-competing businesses who have been through many of the same challenges you’re facing. They meet on a regular basis, with the aid of a facilitator, to discuss business-related topics, issues, and strategies.
An ongoing challenge for leaders is to constantly discover information previously unknown to them. They don’t know what they don’t know? Fifteen-member groups ensure you hear what is on the mind of a broad selection of leaders, so you always know what strategies and challenges you should be considering.
Think of a peer group as a way to get unfiltered and unbiased feedback from knowledgeable peers who have experienced your perspective before. They can supply honest critiques of your ideas without an agenda, internal politics, or fear of tipping sacred cows. Peer groups enable you to get real feedback, expert guidance, identify blind spots, and discover innovative new ideas in a dynamic engaging environment that enable you to make confident decisions.
