Finding the Right Peer Group

I am obviously a strong advocate of the peer group process. That is not a surprise, since I own a business that facilitates peer groups. However, most people don't realize that placing candidates into the right peer group is not your typical sales process. When the time comes to explore possible membership in a peer group, it is important to keep in mind that no one is trying to sell you anything. As much as it would be a disservice to you, it would also be a disservice to the rest of the group to force membership if it is actually not a good fit. A good peer group forum leader would never do that. More likely, your conversation with them will seem more like a two way interview where you can freely explore your styles and objectives to see if they match. Sometimes they will and sometimes they may not match, and that's OK. The magic of the peer group comes from the combination of the members that have been placed together. There are difference in each one that can make it right for you, or not work for your needs at all. Finding that right combination is key. The good news is that in the Richmond market alone, I know of at least four distinctly different organizations that run peer groups in very different ways. I am sure the same is true in any city anywhere. You have options. Here are some things to keep in mind as you consider those options:

What is your primary objective in joining a peer group?

Is it to get advice from other members? Is it to share your knowledge of what has worked or not worked for you? Is it to be exposed to educational presentations on business issues? Or are you just there to network? These are all distinctly different objectives that are handled very differently among each group. Not all groups have an educational component, and some forums discourage members from doing business with each other. Some groups ask that you not give direct advice but help identify the issues that member should work on themselves instead, while the sole purpose of other groups may be to get and give brutally honest feedback to the members. Those are pretty big differences to be aware of going in.

Who do you think you would most benefit from being in a group with?

Is it to be placed with other companies like yours? Are they similar in size and industry, or do they span different sizes and go across many industries? Perhaps you would learn more by being in a room with young and old, large and small companies alike, versus being grouped by size. Or maybe being grouped by title and subsequent job function is more important to you than where the other members work.

How structured or free flowing do you like your meetings?

Some meetings are extremely structured and each member gets a specific set and limited time to speak. Others are run more like discussions, with a moderator there just to make sure that one person isn't doing all of the talking. You may thrive in one environment and cringe in the other.

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