These days a growing number of people are joining CEO peer groups in the hope of getting insight and expertise of other CEOs that can help them tackle crucial business and strategic management issues and make their organizations more successful and productive. However it is extremely important to join the right CEO group which will be suitable for your needs. A wrong CEO conference is a sheer waste of your precious time and money. Here are few tips to help you choose the right CEO group:

A CEO peer group must boast of varied expertise

Be a part of a CEO peer group in Atlanta or any other city which consists of CEOs from different industries with varied skills and strengths. For instance, joining a group which has CEOs from only manufacturing business will not be fruitful at all. On the other hand, a CEO conference which has an architect, a designer, CEO of a textile industry, someone with a MBA degree and others with varied expertise will promise better results.

Size of the CEO group

Select a CEO group which contains not more than 10 to 15 members. Any group containing more than 15 CEOs will never be able to yield results because more than half the time you will wait for your turn to be heard. Moreover steer clear of any CEO conference which doesn't boast of a good attendance record of its CEO members. As a CEO group with a poor attendance record will never be able to built an atmosphere of trust and confidence where members can share their problems freely. In short, a CEO conference with 10 to 15 people is an ideal size.

An efficient facilitator

A facilitator or a coordinator plays a crucial role in meetings of CEO peer groups. In fact a large part of the success or failure of a CEO group depends upon the facilitator. A facilitator makes sure that each member in the group gets a chance to speak and share his/her problems. He encourages the quiet people to come out with their ideas and problems openly and prevents any CEO or participating member from monopolizing or dominating the conversation. Whether you join CEO peer groups in Atlanta or any other city, make sure you do your research about the facilitator before becoming a part of that group.

Confidentiality matters

Confidentiality is taken very seriously in a CEO peer group. Any breach of information will not be tolerated. After all various CEOs share their ideas, business plans, problems, exit planning strategies openly with other people. If some member is found guilty of passing on information, he or she can be removed from the CEO group.

No soliciting business

A CEO group is designed in a way to allow members to share their problems with other experienced people openly. A CEO conference is not a place to solicit business or refer someone. It is for those who seek practical solutions of their problems which they are unable to get in their own organization.
Before joining any CEO peer group, make sure you keep all these things in mind. A good CEO group can take your business to a new level whereas a bad one can spoil everything. So choose wisely.

Author's Bio: 

Tom Bordon is a freelance writer who has extensively written about CEO peer groups in Atlanta and executive business coaching. His articles focus on guiding CEOs, COOs and top level executives in making new business plans, and exit planning strategies in a CEO conference or a CEO group.