Peer Group Coaching Success

This leader was challenged by the growth and changes in his organization and needed clarity surrounding next steps for himself and his company.

His experience was deep and wide. Now Vice President, he had been part of the team that founded the start-up and been through all the stages to build the company to its present level of success. Whip-smart and scrappy, he was accustomed to having all the answers and knowing exactly what to do next. He could see that organizational growth was leading to changes and he needed perspective.

As part of an Executive Roundtable he was able to tap into the collective experience and expertise of a group of peer professionals from a variety of industries. These people have walked in his shoes yet bring a level of objectivity not found in an advisory board focused on a single organization. One key advantage of the Executive Roundtable is that it is made up of peers who share their experience but have no formal obligation to a single company; they are there to support each other and serve as a mirror.

As the guide for the group, I ask questions or prompt others to ask questions that the group may not have thought of or might not ask on their own. I also remind them that the moments of discomfort lead to the true value of the discussion. My role in leading the group is to challenge each individual and help them look beyond the obvious, superficial questions.

In this uniquely transparent setting, individuals share things that they may not share anywhere else; this gives us insight that we can reflect back to make deeper connections and observations. We see people experience “aha” moments, when their thinking shifts, allowing them to reach realizations they likely would not have come to on their own.

Sometimes the most powerful space is simply a place where leaders can say things out loud and work through them without feeling the pressure to have all the answers. This is the place where someone can bring up an issue and say, “here it is and…I don’t know what to do.” The group also helps individuals pressure test decisions they have already thought through; whether the group validates or challenges the decision, both are valuable.

In this case, the group helped this leader to see what was clear to others as the organization grew closer to being acquired by a private equity firm. Insights from participants helped him position himself to do what was best for the organization and best for himself.

He found a voice he didn’t realize he had. He shifted from thinking in terms of the company as a whole to considering the future of individual team members as well as his own. Accustomed to giving his all and being in sync with company plans and decisions, he was stunned when the company chose to move in a different direction and forced to change his thinking.

He brought scenarios to the group and talked through them. It was a safe space where he could check his assumptions and practice a new way of negotiating for himself and his team.

Busy and driven executives and CEOs don’t take the time to simply think. It has to become an event actually scheduled on the calendar. This person was one that I introduced to the magic of dedicated thinking time each week. When he built in the time as a routine, he was able to have much more clarity about the situation as a whole. It gave him the perspective he needed, and he was no longer in the weeds

As a result of his participation in the Executive Roundtable, he was able to stay the course and walk away having increased the value of his team to the company. He kept his team intact, made assurances for each of them and their trajectory, and negotiated a fair separation package.