Talking it out and Taking it in: Business Leaders Connect on New Ways of Working
November 26, 2019
November 26, 2019
Giant hotel ballrooms. Black tie dress codes. Shiny plaques. Heaps of applause. And… a table of 12 for the princely sum of $10,000. This is the typical milieu for the annual CEO awards that happen in cities across the country each year. But is this indicative of the life of a leading executive?

Hardly. The reality is strikingly different. Our work has us deeply engaged with executives leading some of the region’s largest companies. The truth is this: life at the top can be a lonely business.

The other truth? Success is a team sport. Simon Sinek – as always – says it well: “You don’t have to know all the answers and you don’t have to pretend you do.”

Figuring out the answers, of course, is a high priority. Some of these answers absolutely come from the employees themselves. Industry experts and professional advisors have their places, too. But sometimes, there is just no substitute for peer-to-peer sharing.

So, on a dark and chilly night, we convened our own table of 12. No black ties. No awards. Just a core group of clients leading major companies in retail, life sciences, industrial products, utilities, and healthcare. The sole purpose? Connecting them. With each other.

The topic at these gatherings varies – this time, it was around defining and implementing new ways of working to drive transformational change. Engaging an evolving workforce, of many generations and skill sets, and amid a constantly shifting business environment. At a single table, wins and losses were candidly shared. Questions posed. And answered. Peer-to-peer.

All of us here can be persuaded to dress in black tie. We’ve paid good money more than once for tables at fancy corporate events. But this… is our favorite way to gather a table of 12. That’s because we believe that it’s our responsibility not just to tackle specific business problems for our executive clients, but also to connect them with each other. Meaningfully. For inspiration. For support. For advice. To find their own ways forward. Success, indeed, is a team sport. We’re in it together.