The Power of Peer Influence - Tips to get the best out of it

They say it's lonely at the top and it's true. When you're a leader, who do you turn to for counsel, leadership, and business advice? Leveraging non-competitive peer-to-peer networks can be magical. But there's quite a bit to know and that's what we're talking about today on Marc Haine Live. Welcome to this episode. This is where small business owners and entrepreneurs pick up core skill sets to help them create the jaw-dropping, show-stopping experience that their customers and their employees deserve. I am your host, Service Expert and Master of Experiences Marc Haine. And I am so glad that you are taking your time with us today. It is great to have you here on the show. My guest for this episode is Tech Canada Chair Bill Lee. And today, we will be talking about how you can leverage the power of expanding your network to tap into the genius that is out there. Stay with us and we will uncover myths and best practices in participating in peer-to-peer mastermind groups that help you develop your skills, your capacity by tapping into What is out there. My one ask that if you know somebody who could use this information, please go ahead and share the link to this episode. There is something to be said for being able to leverage the perspective of people who are at or have been where you are at now. What happens if you could harness the knowledge, capacity, and capabilities of successful people who have been where you have been and have learned past there? And how can you tap into the power of their experiences? Successful business leaders know that you cannot do it alone. And that brings us to our Question of the Day. What steps have you taken to increase your knowledge and capacity? The big question is, are you flying alone? Again, I'd love for you to be part of this conversation. Why don't you go ahead and share this episode on social media and make sure that you use the hashtag #ExperienceLeadership so that you can be part of this conversation as well. I am really excited to be joined today by my good friend and coach, Bill Lee. Bill is a dynamic speaker, a Law of Attraction coach, and a Tech Canada Chair. In the U.S., you might know it as being Vistage. That is the sister organization north of our border. Bill brings together, or south of our border I should say. Bill brings together diverse non-compete business leaders to form peer advisor groups. He facilitates the group meetings to create an environment of trust and respect where members can safely share ideas and solve each other's problems. Bill has been a Reeve, a county councillor, an organic farmer, UFA delegate. He's been on the board of directors for UFA, as well as Alberta Environmental and as a facilitator coordinator. He has been a 4-H leader, Toastmasters, and is super active in his community. Bill, welcome to the show. I'm glad we managed to connect.

It is nice to be here. Thanks, Marc.

Maybe you could start off by telling us a little bit about how you serve your clients.

The thing that I think describes what we do and how I serve my clients is you don't know what you don't know. And what we do is bring other people, other knowledge together in the same room so you can find information that you're not privy to on a regular basis. That sums it up.

So, why is this idea? What got you involved in Tech Canada? And why is this such a passion point for you?

Well, how I got involved is that they discovered me because as you said before, I'm a law of attraction coach. I've been involved in a lot of things. And all their chairs have previous business experience and are facilitators in their own right, authors, whatever. And So, they approached me. And what I liked about what they had to offer is the people I get to put that group together. Each chair puts their own peer advisory group together. And so, I hand-select and then the group members also hand-select, also select these people that come together. So, we're people with the like mind as far as wanting to advance our business careers, find out knowledge, get more wise. But the real thing that I get excited about is the diversity that we have in the room. The people that we have in the room are from all different forms of industry. So, we get ideas out of your normal industry silo that all of us are sitting in.

To people who don't know what you do, what this is all about, or have never experienced it, I can imagine that some people might say, but I'm in the restaurant business. Somebody who's a welder has no idea what I'm going through. Is that a fair assessment? Is that a fair argument?

I get that. I get that. And you are assuming again. You're assuming that you know everything you need to know. You're assuming that he doesn't know anything, you know. It's like the little kid that's— there's this big truck stuck underneath a freeway, got jammed underneath, and a little 5-year-old comes along and he says, well, Mommy, if they let the air out of those tires, they should be able to pull that out. Yeah. So, that information, you don't know where you can find it. But if you're not looking for it, you're not going to get it.

It's about shifting those perspectives as well, isn't it?

Yes.

Yeah, I started off talking about the isolation effect for leaders. In your opinion, well, somebody sitting in a CEO corner office who's only surrounded by his people, why is that so limiting, do you think?

We are creatures of habit.

Okay.

And if we've been able to solve a problem a certain way, when the next problem comes along, we're going to default right back to that same way.

Yeah.

And so, that's where, you know, like picture this. A man's walking to work every day and walking home. He spends an hour going there, an hour home. But everybody else he knows walks too. So, as far as he's concerned, he has no problem. This is what you do. Until one day, he sees somebody on a bicycle. And that guy's going a whole lot faster. And the guy says, ah, I now need a bicycle. But he would never know that until he discovered the bicycle. Can I make a quote? Henry Ford.

Yes. Okay.

He came up with mass production of automobiles. He was interviewed once and he said, if I was to ask the public what they wanted, they would have told me a faster horse.

Right.

Because the general public didn't know.

Yeah, they couldn't fathom anything else other than what their reality was. When people are exploring this idea of peer-to-peer myths, I mentioned one myth. Are there any other myths you think that people have about peer-to-peer networks that you think should be busted?

Well, a lot of people say, it's not for me. Or it's— I think there's a bit of fear.

Yes, how so?

They might find out something that makes them uncomfortable.

Okay.

They won't admit it. But I think there's a fear there. You know, nobody wants to be wrong.

Right.

Or you're not doing your best. And sometimes, when you get in a peer, you'll find out, I'm not doing as well as I thought I was.

But is it a question of not doing their best? Or is it that they might not— maybe there's a better way to do it?

That's right. But their fear is that's the way they will think. That's my thing. There's always a better way. And if you're open to it, then there you go. Yeah. I've had people I've interviewed and they say, no, I'm doing fine. I'm doing fine. I don't need anybody else to tell me what to do.

Yes.

So, that individual just won't fit in a group like this.

Now, I've tried to put together groups that were in that would be able to, I guess, leverage and share resources. But one of the arguments I would always get is, I don't want people to know my business. I don't want people to really know how I'm doing. Or, I don't want people to be able to guess what my competitive advantage is. Is this something that you're concerned about when you bring your bring your CEOs and your owners together?

Well, I think that is a concern that most people have. But how Tech gets around that is that we do our best to make sure that all the members in the room are non-compete. That we have people from different industry silos. So, if you're, let's say, a restaurant operator, you don't have to worry about somebody taking your ideas because nobody really Nobody really cares because I'm in the trucking business or I'm in another field. But so, that's what makes it work so well. So, as a member, I'm not scared of somebody taking my idea because if there was a good idea that I wanted to share and I knew there was a competition in the room, I might not mention it. I'll keep it.

Right.

And so, that loses the advantages that we So yeah, that's what we do our best to make sure they're non-compete.

Right, right. And so then, would another myth be that because I'm in the restaurant business, somebody in trekking just won't understand my reality?

Well, that's the thing at face value. And until you're in one of these meetings, even as a chair, I'm amazed. Like when we do our issue processing in the afternoons when everybody Brings their problems up. I sometimes have to pick my jaw up from the floor because I can't believe this came from this guy because he just sees it differently.

Yeah.

And often, that's it. And our process is we'll start off with the member saying, okay, this is a bit of history and this is what I want. This is the problem I want solved. The members will start asking questions. And it isn't long and the member will reword his question. He's worried about it. Maybe it was financial. And then after a while, he says, no, it's personnel. It'll change because there's an old saying, you can't see the forest for the trees because you're in it. You can't see it from outside.

Right, right, right.

And so, you got a different perspective of eyes coming into your business.

Yes. And I was amazed when I— because I was in hospitality for 30 years before I went into economic development. And then, once I got into economic development, I got to work with other industries. And I couldn't believe how other industries were suffering with the exact same problems I was suffering through when I was working in hospitality. But because I was in hospitality, I figured this is just hospitality. Like nobody else is gonna, you know, everybody else has got it all figured out. They've got it. You know, they've got their magic keys and they're doing okay. There's no way that anybody's experiencing the people problems or the brand recognition problems or the operational problems that I'm experiencing, which was a complete fallacy. We've talked about the adage, you and I, especially in our past conversations that you are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with. Can you talk a little bit about that, about the caliber of people that when you have these mastermind peer-to-peer groups that you're attracting?

Yeah, it's human nature to fit into the tribe. And the people you hang around with are your tribe. And if there's also— if you find out you're the smartest man in the room or smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. You won't grow. Yeah, yeah.

They say, if you're the smartest person in the room, find a different room.

You find a different room. That's right.

What's the impact like when you have these people together that you surround yourself with? What impact does that have on shaping your behavior as a leader?

Myself or as the group?

As the group. Like to anybody who's sitting into a group when they're surrounded by these other people. How does that shape the behaviors of leadership? How does it develop their capacity?

As you're proceeding through life, we all have mentors, right? And our mentors, we get ideas from. And some mentors, you say, oh, I like the way this person does this. I like the way that does this. But I don't like this other stuff they do. So, you pick and choose what you get out of your mentors. So, just picture you're in a room of mentors. And these mentors are there to help you. And you can ask questions. You can get ideas. You can get all that kind of stuff. And so, it makes you a better person, better leader, and everything else. And And another thing that we didn't mention on— we're looking at business. We're only looking at it from the business point of view. But we're all people. And people all have problems. And it's not just business problems. It can be marital problems. It could be health problems. It can be, you know, relationship problems. It could be all different aspects that we deal with on a regular basis. All our members are in the same boat. They've gone through it. They're going through it. Or have solutions or different perspectives. So, it's not just support for your business. It's a total support for you as an individual and whatever your needs are. And as chair, another aspect that Tech brings to the table is that I meet individually every month with my members just to have an open discussion about anything that they need to talk about.

Yeah, it is lonely at the top. And so, that's a huge benefit in order to get people together. I'd like to get into some other benefits of what people can And we'll get to that right after this.

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Welcome back! I am talking with Tech Chair Bill Lee. We've talked on past episodes that we cannot see the label from inside the jar. You said it as well. You use the metaphor of being able to see the forest for the trees. How limited is our focus when we just rely on ourselves?

Well, we only bring to the table our own personal experiences. When I was on council, I often said that we make decisions based on the information we have at that time. And that time includes everything we've accumulated from the time we're born to where we are. And I know there's times on council we made decisions and a year later, we of course got new information and said, well, maybe we could have made a better decision. But you only make it with the information you have at hand. And the problem is as an individual, it actually is limiting.

And so, there's also perceptual distortions of what we notice compared to what other people can notice.

Oh, don't we though? I used to be worried about going bald.

Well, you have sent me an example of what that could be. And so, the idea being, why don't we take a look at that? Why don't we run you through? And if you're watching this live, maybe just follow through on this exercise and put your response in the comment window.

Yeah. So, all the lettering that's down below there, not on the blue but below, Read that sentence through and just tell me how many Fs do you find in that sentence.

And so, looking for the Fs. And again, this is something to Bill's point about that having different people in the room, you would get different responses perhaps. But if anybody wants to go ahead and type in, count the Fs in the sentence and then put it in into the chat window because we get typically when we run this exercise, we get all sorts of numbers, don't we?

We do. We do. But it's all from how we see things. Yeah.

And so, Bill, typically how many people, how many Fs would people say that there are?

Most people see 3. Everyone will see 3.

Yeah. And how many are there actually?

There's 6.

There's 6. And so, what's missing here?

Okay, it's some way or another that we've been wired as when we went to school and learning how to read, we kind of skip over words even though we're reading. We're very much intently watching for those Fs. So, let's just go through this. So, finished files, there's 2, finished and files. Are the result of scientific. Okay, there's the other F. So, those are our 3. So, where's the other 3? It's in the of's. Result of years of scientific study combined with experience of years. And I missed one already. There's 2. Results of years and results of scientific study. There's 6.

It's amazing that that happens because it is blatantly clear. And whenever I've run with that particular example as well, people go, oh, oh, how did I miss it? Because it's right there.

And I want to go back to something you said. How's a restaurant owner going to get something out of a plumber? That's where the plumber will come through. Somebody completely out of your field can see what is obvious to them. But completely, you can't see it even though it's in front of your eyes. Yes, that's what that example really is. It's in front of you and you can't see it.

And yeah, so James wrote. James responded correctly. James put in that he found the 6. Good for you, James. So, but this is the interesting thing is you mentioned the plumber. Well, the plumber might be doing work in other things and he can also advise on what he sees in his realm that might overlap into your industry. But it's not just being more observant, is it? It seems to me that the personal development is key as well. How can we leverage the peer-to-peer networking to learn more and achieve better?

Okay, with tech, what we supply is we call this change management. We don't know what to do tomorrow. Everything's changing from computers to COVID to whatever. And we're in 20 countries. We've been around for over 60, 65 years, I think, worldwide. And we're like you said before, we're called Tech in Canada. That's 36 years we've been in Canada. So, we've got a lot of expertise and knowledge that we bring to the table that people can access. And you can access the other members.

Right. But so, does Tech have like a model or a framework that they play with to learn and achieve through their meetings?

Yes. Our meetings are all similar. They can be different depending on the group and what their desires are for.

Yeah.

We have a CEO group that is— they meet monthly.

Yep.

And they are what we originally formed. TEC stands for the Executive Committee. And then, a few years ago, they started what they call a small business. They only meet half as often, every second month. They pay US fee of course, but have access to everything else that Tech has to offer.

This is fantastic! How can people get in touch with you, Bill, if they want to find out more about Tech Canada?

Well, the best is email me at billlee@tech-canada.com. And Tech is T-E-C hyphen Canada dot com.

Okay, wonderful! You have mentioned before to me with the 5 factors that make learning and achieving possible. Can we talk a little bit about that? Because I think this is something that's rooted in what you do in tech, isn't it?

So, say I missed that. What'd you say?

The learning and achieving cycle.

Oh, the learning and achieving cycle. Yes. When you're learning something, how many of us have gone to a course, a seminar or something, and we come home and a year later, yeah, but I don't remember a darn thing what I took in that course. So, the learning cycle talks about you learn something and then the best way to learn is to share. So, if you can share it with somebody or share with the group. Well, this is a different one. Do you have the other slide?

No, no, I don't. I thought that was the learning cycle that you were talking about.

Yeah, well, we could go to the next slide soon. But we'll just finish this one. So, you start off with learning and you start off with sharing. So, let's just say you're learning how to golf or learning a new swing or something. You want to learn. Okay. And then, you start sharing with your friends how does this work and everything else. And then, you apply what you've been learning on the swing. Practice, practice. And then, when you achieve results, that's when the whole learning process is complete. And then, you say, I want to learn more. And you do it again.

Yes.

So, there are 4 steps to that. So, it's just the learning like the class and then, you share with others. And then, you apply and then, you have results.

Wonderful! James asks, what about the speakers that pry your mind open? We call them can openers.

Well, that is true. Thanks, James, for bringing that up. We bring in speakers whether you're CEO group, small business group. We bring in speakers for the majority of our meetings. And usually, those speakers are in the morning. And we will do workshops. But these speakers are professional people like yourself that are speakers, authors, this kind of thing. And literally, they will pry your mind open with ideas that you never conceived of. And of course, we have breakout rooms and do a little training. And then, when I do the one-on-ones after with my members, we often talk about what we learned at that course. Again, sharing and learning.

Gotcha! Okay. Should we tap into that framework that I put up earlier?

Yes, please put that up. I'm going to copy it here. But anyway, yes. So, if you want to have a high-performing team, and it's whether you're in the Olympics or in a business, a pure advisory group is what we're talking about, what Tech does. We get the right people in the room. So, everybody has the same desire. Everybody has the same desire to improve. To get smarter, to get wiser. So, those are the people we want to have in. And of course, diversity. We want to have a room that's psychologically safe. So, as you said before, people don't want to have their ideas stolen. So, they want to make sure that they're safe and nobody's going to ridicule them. Nobody's going to make fun of them. And they're safe. And people have empathy for them and understanding. Then, if you have that, then Then, you have to have some productivity. What's the results out of this? Is there something comes out of that? And that means that there's a solution to my problems and I can gain from this. There's some productivity. And then, accountability is back to the group. As the group's helped you come up with ideas, the right people, it's been a psychologically safe price. They've given you an idea to go with. Now, the group's going to hold you accountable. Okay, you had this problem. Here's the way to fix it. What have you done? And this, just because you're a successful businessman doesn't mean that sometimes you're not eager to proceed with something. So, the accountability is very helpful for many. And then, of course, to tie it all together, you need some leadership. And that's where your Chair comes in and to keep it all flowing in the right direction and keeping harmony in the room.

That's wonderful. And it's just a continual cycle, right? As you go through it, it's just a continual cycle of being able to do that. I'd like to get into really the first point of this. I'd like to get into some considerations about what people should be on the lookout when they're joining a peer-to-peer group like this. How do they know it's a good fit? And we'll get to that right after this.

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As you could tell, Bill and I are passionate about helping entrepreneurs. and business managers just like you. If you belong to an industry association or an organization that is planning a leadership retreat or conference, or feels that they could help them within their business, feel free to drop us a line and do a connection request. Our details are in the show notes. Bill, maybe you can dig a little bit deeper into how one can Define, find a group if this is of interest to people. You talked a little bit about Tech Canada and who they are and what they do. But how do they know when they come on board if they're going to find a group that matches their values, their needs, and so on?

Okay, there's 2 parts to that. First, how do they find a group? Okay, so you can email me as I said before, Bill, Bill Lee, B-L-E-E Yeah. Email me and I will find a group for you. I'll find a chair no matter where you are in the world. North America doesn't matter. Like, we're in many different countries. Now, the process is once we have a person, an individual that's interested in going to a group, the chair will meet with that person to see if they are a fit. I mean, if this is useful for them or not. If they're a benefit to the group, would the group be beneficial for them? And many chairs will interview somebody and say, you know, you belong in a CEO group, or vice versa. Maybe you should be even in a small business group. And we also have a group called the Key Group, which is people that are in upper management. They're not CEOs, but they are in upper management. And management says, you know, the CEO says, I want my management team know what I know. And so, we also have a group for that. And of course, there's another group called Emerging Leaders. So, there's something for pretty well anybody no matter where they are in the hierarchy of moving up through their business line.

Yeah.

But I think the key thing that you're really asking about is that we have a selection process that we go through to select our members. And the members, most members want to select their individual too. They want to meet them before. Before they say, yeah, he was a good fit.

And so, somebody coming in, would that selection process or that vetting process be able to isolate what groups? Because maybe it's not a good fit for your group. But maybe it's a good fit for another type of group.

Oh yeah, yeah. You know, going back to the plumber, I already got a plumber. And so, a plumber wants to join my group. I says, I've already got a plumber. And if I bring another one, we just have competition in the room. So, Here's a chair over here. Then, you can join his group. I don't think he has a plumber in the group and he'll find a place, a group that's a better fit for him.

Okay. If this is of interest to people, what are some cautionaries that they should be aware of in joining groups, in participating in these kinds of groups? What should they be on the lookout? The dos and do-nots?

Well, I think if you feel comfortable You're probably right. And I don't want to say comfortable as in easygoing. There should be a bit of uneasiness there. But the groups all have their— they form their— I'm trying to search for the word for it— philosophy of life, let's say, or whatever. And you'll notice that when you join the groups. Each group has got its own uniqueness. Its own flavor. And it's often a reflection of the chair because the chair picked them.

Yeah.

My caution is like, there's lots of peer advisory groups out there. And just do your homework. Of course, I think Tech's the best. It's been around a long, long time and we're the largest in the world. And so, there's proof in the pudding in my mind on that. But there are other groups that are out there. But I think that if you really want to get the most out of that, make sure you're in a room with people that know stuff that you don't. And that's where you're going to really grow. If they're all doing the same thing you are, it'll be a lot of fun. But your growth won't be as great as you are. So, some of our members say, I just gained 10 years. I just moved my business 10 years just by belonging to.

So, it's more than just You know, a group that you're just sitting around just nitter-natter to stuff that doesn't matter. You're actually talking. Yeah, you actually have a program that digs into uncovering some of the stuff that you need to talk about, right?

Yes, yes. And when you're open enough to be vulnerable to others, you connect very quickly. People become empathetic between each other and stuff. Our members stay an average of 7 years and they become very good friends.

Yeah, wonderful. Do you have any last thoughts about what we've been talking about today, Bill?

No. One thing I can share though is if you're interested, we do have an economic outlook letter that comes out monthly. And if you're interested, I can sure email that to you. Just email me as I said before, blee@tech-canada.com.

Okay, and the link is in the show notes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And reach out to me and I'll help you, send you in the right direction. And I'm open. I mean, if it's not tech, it's not tech. It's something else. That's fine too.

Yeah, great. Bill, thank you so much for sharing with us today and uncovering this a little bit with us. And I've always been a strong proponent of mentorship, masterminds, and peer-to-peer networking. I think nobody can understand what we're going through necessarily until you're talking to people who are, like you said, a little bit smarter. Could you just remind everybody one more time how they can get a hold of you? Because we just don't say it enough.

We don't say it enough, yes. Okay, email me at blee@tec-canada.ca.

Wonderful! Bill, thank you again. This has been brilliant.

Much enjoyed. Thank you.

Thanks for hanging out. Why don't you let me know if this was of value to you? As always, my offer stands. If you would like 30 minutes of my time to brainstorm your business with you and your team, feel free to reach out. Book yourself on my online calendar. The link is down below. It's the one that's marked Meet with Marc Haine. It would be my absolute pleasure to be of service to you. And while you're at it, why don't you go ahead and leave a comment or a review about this episode? I'd love to get your feedback. Was this of value to you? Was the topic relevant to what your needs are? Let me know. And of course, if you ever have a topic that you'd like me to cover on this show that's business-oriented and helping solve a business problem, then please do let me know. I'd love to hear what your ideas are. My name is Marc Haine. I hope that you stay safe, stay healthy, and I hope you dare to be the exception.