The Power of Peers

April 4, 2016
The premise of this book is that CEOs are lonely and isolated and a peer group can help them connect, network, and accelerate their business problem-solving and decision-making. This may be true, but co-authors Shapiro, a former CEO and current board member, and Bottary, a current v-p of a business peer advisory membership organization, point to no research studies directly on point, and offer up examples that more often involve small business owners than CEOs of major corporations. The book abounds in optimistic observations such as "Being vulnerable is liberating" and "Our peers... hold us accountable." Outside the business sector, examples come from the worlds of sports, non-C-level employees, television comedy, U.S. Navy pilots, and IT research analysts. The book lists five steps as essential to having a successful CEO peer group: selecting peers with the same high standards, establishing an open and non-judgmental atmosphere, finding a good discussion facilitator, fostering meaningful conversation, and living up to expectations of accountability. It makes clear how to create such a group, but isn't clear enough on why CEOs should want to take part.