Peer group, one-on-one advisory or leadership team development: which fits?
Each one helps in a different way, and the right one depends on what you’re trying to solve right now. I lead peer councils, work with owners one-on-one, and run programs for leadership teams, so here is how I’d think it through.
The short answer
If the question is about your decisions and you want other owners to pressure-test them every month, a peer council is usually the right fit. If it’s about one situation that needs focused, private work, one-on-one advisory usually fits better. If it’s about your team and how they communicate, decide and hold each other accountable, leadership team development is the place to start. Plenty of owners use more than one.
| Question | Peer advisory council | One-on-one advisory | Leadership team development |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who’s in it | 10–12 non-competing owners and a moderator | You and one advisor | Your leadership team, or your leaders alongside others |
| Pace | A half day every month, the same day each month | Set around your schedule | From a single workshop to a six-month program |
| Best at | Pressure-testing your decisions with people who have faced them, across several industries | Going deep on one situation, sensitive issues and your own leadership | Getting your team aligned: communication, decision rights, hiring and accountability |
| Who does the work | You, with peers | You, with an advisor | Your team, together |
| Accountability | You state commitments in front of peers, and they ask next month | Between you and your advisor | Built into the program, with commitments reported back |
| What it feels like | A room of equals carrying the same weight | A thinking partner in your corner | Your team working on the business, together |
Signs you’re in the right place.
A council is probably the better fit if…
- You make most of the big calls alone and want people around you who have made similar ones.
- You want perspective from several industries at once.
- Monthly accountability in front of peers would move you more than a private check-in.
- The issues you’re carrying are ones other owners recognize: growth, people, cash, owner dependency.
- You can protect a half day every month.
One-on-one is probably the better fit if…
- The situation is too sensitive to share with a group yet, like a partner dispute or a sale you haven’t announced.
- You need to move faster than once a month on a specific decision.
- The work is about you as a leader and you want it focused entirely on you.
- A group format isn’t how you think best, and that’s fine.
Team development is probably the better fit if…
- Your team works hard and keeps hitting the same friction: miscommunication, unclear ownership, avoided conflict.
- Decisions stall because nobody is sure who gets to decide.
- You’re still hiring on gut feel and cleaning up afterward.
- If one key person left tomorrow, nobody is sure what would happen.
Programs include DiSC Group Debrief, The Hiring System, Decision Making: RAPID, Leadership Team Alignment and When a Key Employee Exits.
See the team programs (opens JeffreyRands.com in a new tab)The one-on-one and team links open my one-on-one site, JeffreyRands.com, in a new tab.
They work well together.
A council gives you the wide view once a month: what other owners see, what they’d ask, and someone holding you to what you said you would do. One-on-one work goes deep between meetings on the issue that needs more than one session. Team development makes sure the people carrying out your decisions are working from the same page. Most owners start with one, based on the problem they most need to solve this quarter.
Three questions I’d ask yourself
- Is this about my decisions, one specific situation, or my team?
- Is this one decision, or a pattern I keep running into?
- Would I be willing to put this on the table in front of other owners?
Peer groups, coaching and team programs.
Is a peer advisory group the same as a mastermind?
They’re close cousins. People use peer council, CEO peer group, mastermind group and CEO advisory board for similar things. A TRC council is a moderated, confidential room of 10–12 non-competing owners that meets for a half day every month on the LXCouncil framework.
Can a peer group replace a business coach?
For some owners, yes. The council gives them the perspective and accountability they were looking for. Others still want private, focused time on their own leadership, and that is where one-on-one work fits.
How is leadership team development different from a council?
A council is for you, the owner, sitting with other owners. Team development is for the people who run the business with you. It works on how your leaders communicate, who owns which decisions, and how your team hires and holds each other accountable.
Does the group tell me what to do?
No. The group asks questions first, then offers experience and ideas. You make the decision, and you tell the room what you’ll do before next month.
I’m not sure which one I need. What should I book?
Book the Peer Group Conversation if you’re curious about a council seat. Book the Business Clarity Conversation if you want to talk through one or two pressures in your business or your team. Either way, I’ll tell you honestly what I think fits.
Keep reading: Why owners join a council · What comes up in the room · Field notes for owners
Not sure which one fits?
Talk it through with me in up to 45 minutes. I’ll tell you whether a council, one-on-one work, a team program or something else makes the most sense for where you are.