Harnessing the collective wisdom of peers
The mission of CEO Focus is to connect its members with knowledge, perspective, and resources necessary to thrive personally and financially. Members participate in monthly peer group meetings facilitated by their group advisor in addition to one-on-one meetings with the advisor each month. Members benefit from the collective wisdom of their peer group, the experience of the group advisor, and the accountability to which all group members are held.Learn more about harnessing the collective wisdom of peers.
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[group sessions] are like my “accountability” board…having that type of encouragement is incredible.
I joined this type of CEO group so that I would have a level of accountability to the group members and someone to check in with and sort of push me along; make sure I was staying on track with the goal I had articulated.
It makes a great deal of sense to surround your self with other people who have equivalent or superior experience than yourself.
They are a great sanity check!
The group made it really easy to share the challenges I have…we are free to do whatever we need to do in there; speak of whatever issue we have, and any positives we have as well.
During my tenure as CEO of StarTek from the early stages to an NYSE company, Preston was a sounding board that I could always rely on and profit from. He has a passion for continuous improvement and doesn’t hesitate to tackle the biggest problems. His coaching and development of our key managers was an integral part of our success.
Preston was the architect of the StarTek Advantage System that began the process of institutionalizing a culture of customer-focused business process improvement at the company during my tenure as CEO. A key part of this was his advocacy and implementation of our Strategy Deployment process through his facilitation of Key Objective development sessions throughout the entire organization. In addition, Preston has the unique ability to review a company’s financial statements and immediately identify opportunities for margin improvement and increased profitability. Preston has proven to be a focused leader with skills in taking a company through multiple “next levels”. I can highly recommend him to any business that is committed to taking itself to the next level.
As co-founders of StarTek I observed Preston first hand in dealing with the multitude of challenges faced by businesses as they grow from start-up stage to over $200 million of revenue. He was willing and able to roll up his sleeves when necessary to do whatever it took yet still provide high level strategic leadership. His skills in finance, operations, negotiation, and leadership development combined with his ability to think outside the box allowed him to solve some of the company’s toughest problems as we grew rapidly for many years. I am happy to recommend Preston as a valuable business resource to companies at all stages of growth.
I have had an opportunity to work with Preston in a variety of roles over the years. As a Board member at Merrick he challenged management to strive for higher levels of performance, seek new avenues of growth, and understand the long term financial implications of our operational decisions. As a fellow executive in the company he played a key role in starting our international expansion and developing technology initiatives. His skills range from finance to operations to strategy. Merrick continues to utilize Preston’s business expertise and I recommend him as a key advisor to any company serious about taking on the challenges of growth.
When it’s all said and done, Preston can help you get where you are going without being blindsided by situations you might not ordinarily anticipate.
Preston’s skillful handling of ideas and people has created significant value across a broad spectrum of businesses and development stages. I can highly recommend his services to any entrepreneur committed to growing a profitable business.
Business ownership can be a lonely place. Preston has helped me realize how important a peer group is to not only my business success but my sanity. He is always willing to listen and his vast knowledge of business is scary amazing.
As fun and fulfilling as being the boss can be, there are also many challenges and situations that arise that force you to grow. Those growing pains have been eased for me by having both Preston as a CEO coach and a peer group of diverse CEOs traveling a similar path. I was smart enough when I first opened my company to know that I would need some mentoring as I grew and spread my wings as a CEO. I purposely picked Preston because his personality and strengths are very different from mine, thus giving me a well-rounded perspective when needed. That being said, Preston is also open- minded enough to listen to and see MY vision and help me execute. In addition, the accountability, advice, and support that comes from the peer group during monthly meetings as well as through personal relationship cultivation is priceless.