GMT20260315 200613 Clip Workshop Programs for Vistage Peer Advisory Groups

Hi, my name is Leo Bottary, founder and managing partner of Peer Innovation LLC. What we do is we work with peer advisory groups all over the world to help them maximize the value of their experience together. We also take what the highest performing peer groups have been doing so brilliantly for so long, and we help leaders bring these principles and practices into the teams in their organization. The work and the models and frameworks that we use as part of the 3 programs that I make available for Vista Vistage are really based on about 20 years of academic work, field work, certainly experience leading groups, being members of groups, and not to mention I've led workshops and led programs for over 900 peer advisory groups around the world, more than 600 of them for Vistage alone. Basically what we're looking at are 3 programs. It's called Who You Surround Yourself With Matters. It's designed essentially for newer groups. Maybe it's your first meeting. Maybe it's somewhere between the first 12 to 18 months. The idea is how do we introduce your members to the models and frameworks that provide them with a bit of a different lens that help them be a bit more intentional about how they can really be a great contributing group member. And I think that's what it's all about. I know chairs, you know, get a whole lot of training, you know, and a whole lot of professional development about being great chairs. Members don't always get the same when it comes to what does it take to being a really great member. I know for this particular workshop, a lot of new groups do it. Why? Because they go from 8 to 12 faster once they do. And I think a big reason for that is members start to realize that it isn't all the chair's responsibility to build this group and to grow it and help us maximize this incredible opportunity that we have together. Right? So they own it as well. And I think once people realize that, that becomes a huge factor. Harnessing peer advantage to your advantage is designed largely for more experienced groups. Maybe you've been together 2 or 3 years, but maybe you've been around for 20+ years. And I will say that the first time I worked with a group, and I believe it was a group out of St. Louis, they had been together for 17 years, some of the founding members still in the group. And I'm at the front of the room that day, and it was years and years ago, and I said, all right, we're going to work on the group today. And they're looking at me like, I think we kind of got this by now. And of course, I wasn't sure they weren't a high 100% right. But on that day and every day since, it's always amazed me that actually the better and the more deeply the members understand the value proposition, the easier it is for them to identify ways that they can find another gear. And that's really exciting to see, and it's wonderful to be part of, and I think there's a renewed sense of energy, I believe, both for the chair and the members when that program is done. And it's really exciting. Keep in mind that for either of these programs, I don't walk in and talk to any group about what anybody should should or shouldn't be doing. This is about how they determine it for themselves. What do they want to create for one another? And last but not least, we're looking at a workshop called Peer Innovation, and it's about what peer advisory groups can teach us about building high-performing teams. And this is great for groups that have either been through the first workshop or the second one, who we can give them a little bit of refresher, right, on the models and frameworks and kind of check in on where they think they are and how they're performing as a group. But we focus the conversations largely on teams in their organizations and how do they find the right people, not just how they find good people, how they find people that are right for them. How do they create psychological safety in an organizational environment, which is different obviously than doing so in a group? And by the way, creating it, as you well know, is one thing. Getting people to actually use it is quite another. We talk about productivity. What does that look like? How does that feel for your meetings? How does that feel when you're working in a totally remote or hybrid or in the office, whatever that construct happens to be? Are they maximizing their productivity in the best way they possibly can? You know, obviously we also look at accountability and we look at that really closely. And all, you know, unfortunately, you know, accountability in a lot of organizations is regarded as a four-letter word. I mean, it truly is. They see it as nothing more than an opportunity to get in trouble. And I think when we reframe for them what a healthy culture of accountability can look like, what it feels like for an employee when they feel like they matter, right? That they've been given responsibility for something because they have certain gifts to bring to the table. We believe in them. They have a team to support them. And we know you're not just here to fill a role. You're here to make a difference. That's a team that, you know, I'd like to stay part of. You know, so I think when it comes to engagement, when it comes to retention, all kinds of things, I think a view of accountability that can come from the lessons that I think peer advisory groups teach all too well can be really powerful. And last but not least, looking at leadership, right? Really asking the hard questions about are we creating the conditions to help our teams be as successful as they can be. And, you know, it really comes down to those things. In my view, as we look at the challenges everyone's facing in this world, right? We've got the fact, first of all, that peers in the workplace are looking to one another more today than they ever have. That's number one. Second is the pace of change is off the charts and it's going to continue to accelerate. And third, we've got generational changes in the workplace where by 2030, 75% of the millennials and Gen Z— well, 25, excuse me, 75% of the workforce will be millennials and Gen Zs by 2030. Now consider that when you might imagine that maybe those generations aren't exactly the most responsive to hierarchical leadership. So I think there's a lot to be learned from being part of a group to recognize what it's like to lead, not just by barking orders from the corner office, but the importance of leading laterally and horizontally, recognizing that leaders today have to be part of the team. Not apart from it. And so I think so much of what these workshops are all about, so much about what it reinforces about why they're in a Vistage group to begin with, really starts to come together. And they recognize, wow, this is not only giving me the knowledge and the insights and perspectives, but it's also helping me build muscles around being a better leader in today's future. So any questions about this at all? First of all, you can reach out to me directly, text or call 858-204-8922. I can be reached at leo.bottary@peerinnovation.biz. Or you can connect with me on LinkedIn, reach out to me there. You can certainly go to the website and get a sense of what this, all of these models and frameworks are all about and how they kind of fit together for groups and teams. But also when I think specifically, let's look at what we can do to meet the needs of your particular group. So with that, thank you so much for spending a few minutes and listening to this video. Bye.