Choosing A Peer Group

A successful executive peer group will have six elements:

  1. Gets real results
  2. Regularly meets
  3. Fosters an open, high-trust environment
  4. Has an experienced professional adviser
  5. Requires one-on-one consultations in addition to group meetings
  6. Has diversity in expertise

What follows are questions to ask of any executive peer group in which you are considering membership:

1. Gets real results
resultsAsk: What is the true purpose is of the organization. Is it primarily a networking group? Or do they you examine your business’ most pressing and confidential issues?

With Excell you will get real business results you can see (and feel), not just another stack of business cards. We have two decades testimonies to prove it.

2. Regularly meets
Meet RegularlyAsk: Does the organization you are considering require participation? How often?

Consistent and regular attendance at all executive sessions is integral to developing the essential trust-based relationships and to developing an intimate understand of each other’s businesses.

3. Fosters an open, high-trust environment
high-trustAsk: Does the peer group you are considering allow members from competing industries? What are their confidentiality requirements?

Being assured of strict confidentiality is integral to successfully addressing your most confidential and pressing issues in that forum. When you join Excell, we thoroughly assess the ‘fit’ of all prospective members and nominees have to be approved by existing group members to ensure a high-trust environment.

4. Has an experienced professional adviser
adviserAsk: Does the peer group you are considering have a professional leader or it is peer–run? If so, what is their role? What is their experience?

The quality of any peer group is highly dependent on experienced professional adviser. Informal executive groups seldom provide valuable developmental resources or have the consistent leadership to stay together. At Excell, we have some of the most experienced, professional leaders who take on the role of coach, mentor and facilitator.

5. Requires one-on-one consultations in addition to group meetings
one-on-oneAsk: Does the group you are considering offer one-on-one consultations as part of the peer group? If so, are they required and how often are they held?

With Excell, members meet one-on-one every month with their professional group leader, who will help you identify issues, apply ideas from the executive sessions and hold you accountable.

6. Has diversity in expertise
diversityAsk: Are all the members in the same industry? Do they come from similar background or do they have more diverse educational and work experience?

Programs within a single industry can often be narrow in focus and cannot provide the cross-pollination of ideas or the broad resource-sharing of cross-industry groups like Excell.