Peer group power - the joy of finding your gang

"Senior in-house roles can feel isolated. In a function like Strategy, Transformation or the CEO Office, you're often the only person - or one of a very small group of people - doing your job.

I'd love to meet regularly with a group of people doing my job at other organisations. A chance to offload. Share frustrations. Brainstorm ideas. Ask for resources. In a group of people I know will "get me". Is that something you could pull together, Rich?"

I was sent this message by a Strategy Director in my network a while back.

It sounded like a great idea and something I could help with (given the extensive nature of my network in post-consulting roles). And so it marked the birth of my Roundtables initiative .

Over the past 2 months, it's been a privilege to help kick-off 11 roundtable groups of Strategy & Transformation Directors. I have kept it under wraps - 110 people split across 11 groups was already quite a lot to handle!

But thanks to the launch of OnUpBeyond last week, there's now an opportunity for you to get involved too, no matter your job type. So I thought it'd be helpful to tell you a little bit more about it...

ps. there's a link to register your interest (free) at the bottom of this newsletter.

Can anyone recommend a good baby sleep trainer?

Stick with me...

When it comes to any part of life or career, you are never the only person facing a particular problem at a particular time. Having a gang of peers to chat with helps enormously. But finding them is the challenge.

I've been part of 2 peer groups in the last decade that have been helpful and therapeutic in equal measure. A "new parents" group. And a "startup Founders" one too.

We were all going through the same - often new - experiences and challenges at the same time. We never had to meet up all that regularly - perhaps once every 2-3 months. But when we did, it was fantastically satisfying to share frustrations / difficulties / things I was having to think about and realise others were in the same boat. And between the meet-ups, we'd regularly ask questions and share resources..."can anyone recommend a good baby sleep trainer?!"

In consulting / big4 finance, you always had a gang.

One of the things I loved about my time consulting, was my peer group. Not just people at my seniority level, but also people who started on the same day as me. They all just "got it".

When you leave consulting - or big4 type finance for that matter - for an in-house role, you lose your peer group. The reality is, your consulting peer group will all leave consulting at different times and head to a range of different jobs. And often you simply fall out of touch too.

So...

I started the Roundtables initiative, to bring you together with a group of 8-10 people, doing the same job as you but in non-competing businesses.

There are a few things that make these Roundtables successful that are important to understand:

1. It's not another big "industry event". This is not about filling a room with 300 name-badged people to listen to a key-note speaker, scoff down some average canapés and never see one another again. No, it's about creating strong relationships with a small group of people you may be in touch with for many years to come.
2. The group members decide when they meet, how often and what they speak about. I've helped kick off the 11 groups we've convened to date. But after the kick off session, the group takes on its own life. Given I don't do your job - I stop attending (but it's amazing to watch the momentum build from the sidelines).
3. You can relax & be open. These meet-ups are not formal. And we make sure that the Roundtable group membership, means that there is never a competing business represented in the same room as you. Sometimes groups decide to head for a drink or bite to eat after they meet.
4. Everyone has a very similar level of experience. It's important that everyone feels that the others in their group are true peers. We work hard to make sure everyone is at the same seniority (despite different job titles used in different organisations!)
5. Different industries & organisations sizes are represented. A lot of the power of the group, comes from the diverse perspectives. E.g, A problem you're facing (in your industry) may have been the focus for the last 2 years for someone in your group (from a different industry).

What topics crop up most often?

It's up to each Roundtable group , what they'd like to discuss. Having kicked off with 11 groups, here's a list of topics that have been pain points for many:

• Progression: how to navigate onwards from strategy/transformation/CoS into a commercial / operational leadership role (we will be covering this as part of OnUpBeyond's support too)
• Team development & retention; new technology to adopt
• Managing up (Board / Exec) - engagement with & buy in to the strategy
• Matrix - having impact in complex orgs
• Implementation - "landing" the strategy as action. Being involved but not too involved - getting "business ownership".
• Team / functional setups - learning about variations & what's most effective & why.
• AI/tech - including managing perception it's a silver bullet
• Balance: work - life - growth?(OnUpBeyond's coaches are well placed to support with this)
• Managing consultants: large consulting firms plus utilising freelancer & boutiques?more & more effectively

Sound interesting? Who can get involved & how?

?? From today, I'll be expanding this initiative globally and across multiple role types.

I expect Strategy, Transformation and Chief of Staff to be most popular, but am happy to organise a roundtable for any function where there's more than 8 people interested. So do still register your interest (link below), even if you're in a different role to the ones mentioned above.

You'll likely love being part of a roundtable if:

• You've moved from consulting / big4 finance "in house"
• You're in a senior to mid-senior role (VP, Director, Head Of - i.e more senior than Senior Manager)
• You're happy to commit to 4-6 meet-ups per year (either in person or Zoom, depending on what the group decides & typically 60-90mins)

?? Register your interest:

Simply follow this link and submit the form . Please make sure you tick "Roundtable" amongst the things you're interested in.

Many thanks to everyone who's encouraged me to pull this and the wider OnUpBeyond support system together. And - of course - to the 110 who've been involved in the initial 11 roundtable groups.

All the best,

Rich

Cover Photo by Redd F on Unsplash