Everyone knows a leader who captures the attention of others when they walk into the room. It isn’t power or authority but an ability to inspire trust, confidence and the motivation to act. Leaders who do so have likely experienced executive presence coaching.
“Executive presence is an essential skill in leadership because it helps leaders to develop trust and command attention in person and online,” says speaker and executive speech coach Gwen Reisck-Rennich, who owns Reisck-Rennich Presentations. “It’s having strong communication skills and displaying authenticity that motivates their teams and builds credibility and influence.”
Becky Sharpe, CEO and owner of International Scholarship and Tuition Services, adds that executive presence sets the organizational tone for others to emulate. For example, a loud, boisterous executive who talks over others is modeling that it’s okay to interrupt someone who is speaking.
On the other hand, a leader who allows an individual to finish their thought and then paraphrases what they heard in a calm, educated way creates a different environment.
“It’s important how an executive presents themselves because that will flow through the entire organization,” she says.
While some people may have this natural quality, it’s a skill that can be developed and strengthened through executive presence coaching.
Understanding executive presence is key to establishing credibility and influence as a leader. Executive presence isn’t just one skill; it combines several components.
Executive presence requires a set of learned behaviors and personality traits that include:
“When a leader has these qualities, he or she is more able to more effectively gain support from their teams, employees, and stakeholders because people want to be led by someone who appears to know what they are doing,” Resick-Rennich says.
Alignment is the foundation of mastering executive presence. Ensuring consistency between internal beliefs and external behaviors increases trust among stakeholders, making it easier to inspire confidence and effectively influence others.
Developing executive presence requires practice and effort. For some, it is working to overcome self-doubt; for others, it is refining communication skills or managing emotions under pressure. Here’s a look at common challenges in strengthening these skills.
Recognizing discrepancies between self-perception and others’ perceptions is another vital component of executive presence.
At a Vistage speaking engagement, Resick-Rennich met an executive who approached immediately, confidently shook hands and thanked her for being there. Then he slouched in his chair and crossed his arms, giving an ‘I don’t care what people think of me’ vibe.
“It was a Jekyll and Hyde moment because I was impressed with him in those first few seconds, and then he transformed into this growling, negative kind of person,” she says.
The Chair started the meeting with each person sharing what they wanted to process. This individual said one he wanted to process high turnover.
During this sharing, Resick-Rennich made notes about each person’s presence. He was the first person out of his seat to ask what she noted.
“I told him I saw a link between crossing his arms and slouching in the chair and employees leaving,” she says. “He got quiet and said, ‘My wife says my bark is worse than my bite.’ I told him to listen to his wife because what I perceived was him coming across as a bully.”
Self-doubt is one of the biggest challenges senior leaders face when developing an executive presence. Executive presence coaching helps leaders identify and address internal barriers that hinder confident leadership. Coaches use multiple strategies for overcoming self-doubt, including:
“When working on improving posture, put your fingertips under your ribs and lift the ribs, relax your arms and remember to breath,” says Resick-Rennich. “It’s not pulling your shoulders back. It’s just lifting the ribs while talking. It can change your whole look.”
She also teaches clients to take up more space. This exudes confidence and makes one look relaxed rather than stiff like a statue.
Improving body language, eye contact and other non-verbal cues is one of the fastest ways to enhance executive presence.
Dr. Albert Mehrabian developed the 7-38-55 Rule of Personal Communication, which emphasizes that spoken words are only a fraction of effective communication (7%). In contrast, tone makes up 38%, and nonverbal cues comprise 55% of the interaction. Nonverbal cues include eye contact, body language, and appearance.
Resick-Rennich noted that behaviors like clicking a pen, taking the pen cap off and on, looking at the phone incessantly, shaking the leg or tapping the foot will diminish a person’s credibility.
“Even if the company is doing okay, they can do so much better when the leader has polished and developed nonverbal skills, especially eye contact,” says Resick-Rennich.
While coaching executives on eye contact in group settings, she has heard the audience offer feedback, including:
Enhancing executive presence requires practice. Resick-Rennich frequently receives requests for resources and books on how to improve.
“You’re not going to get better reading a book,” she says. “The resource you need to rely on is your phone—listen to your voice and watch yourself. Ask yourself if that’s a voice you’d want to listen to or be led by. Then pick up tools or techniques like vocal variety, distance, moving with purpose, eye contact, etc.”
Coaching helps executives enhance their executive presence through personalized feedback and actionable strategies in key areas:
Aligning internal values with outward behaviors to build trust and credibility is vital to strengthening executive presence.
Start by identifying your core values. Ask what principles matter most to you and why. Spend time self-reflecting and ask a group of trusted individuals how they would describe you to create a list of non-negotiable core values.
Commit to those values by:
Practicing effective verbal and non-verbal communication techniques is essential to strengthening executive presence. Early in Sharpe’s career, she was a salesperson, and her calls were recorded and reviewed for learning.
“It creates the opportunity to track how much you speak versus the other person and if that’s appropriate for the environment,” she explains. “It also helps you see or hear things you may not have realized, like unintentionally interrupting a potential client.”
Resick-Rennich, who has a background in television, adds that when presenting online, individuals need even stronger communication skills. It’s more challenging to keep listeners engaged due to a lack of physical presence and non-verbal cues.
“To compensate, the executive needs to be more conscious of tone of voice, vocal variety, articulation, conciseness, natural gestures and standing instead of sitting,” she says. “These tools will help a leader or anyone project more energy and keep the listeners engaged during an online delivery.”
She also recommends investing in the iContact camera, which aligns the camera with the person you’re speaking with during a video call to create a more natural interaction.
Another significant way to enhance communication is to consider how you show up at meetings.
“How people show up at meetings is a part of executive presence,” Sharpe says. “Showing up late, being on the phone or doing something not directly related to a meeting sends a message.”
Conversely, Sharpe shared that at a recent board meeting, a member shared at the start that their teenager was watching their sick 6-year-old child and that they didn’t feel comfortable silencing their phone. They asked if everyone in the room was okay with leaving the ringer on.
“That’s super executive presence,” she says. “She was honest and asked permission.”
Several strategies can help leaders learn to project calmness and assurance in high-pressure situations. In Sharpe’s former sales role, she physically stood up over the phone.
“It made me feel better about myself,” she says. “So, if you’re nervous on a phone call, stand up in a posture that feels confident—no one knows if you’re standing or sitting.”
Another strategy Sharpe recommends is writing down the worst-case scenario before a situation occurs. What are you nervous about or what is the worst outcome from the interaction?
“The worst-case scenario is that [in sales] the other person doesn’t want a follow-up conversation,” she says. “Ask yourself, ‘In this case, am I still alive? Do I still love people? And am I loved?’ We hyperbolize and make the worst case in our minds a lot worse than it really could be.”
Engaging in regular reflection and seeking feedback fosters ongoing development and supports an authentic executive presence.
Consider these three strategies for building a practice of feedback and reflection.
Making behavioral changes, especially related to blind spots, is hard without outside feedback. Leveraging a trusted accountability partner to offer constructive observations is a powerful tool for enhancing executive presence.
Another strategy Sharpe recommends is announcing what you’re working on in a group meeting, saying: “I’ve been working on being less distracted in meetings, and one thing that helps me is to doodle. So, if you see me doodling on paper, it is a way for me to focus on what you’re saying, and I don’t want you to interpret that as me spacing out.”
“That’s where you’re demonstrating clear communication and practicing simultaneously,” she says.
Senior leaders with strong executive presence are seen as trustworthy, decisive and inspiring in a way that aligns teams and drives actions in multiple ways.
Leaders at the top shape organizational culture. Leaders who develop a high level of executive presence create a positive and productive work environment, which leads to higher engagement and greater retention.
People respond to a leader’s energy and presence. Leaders who command attention while coming across as authentic and empathetic can motivate and inspire teams to achieve and exceed organizational goals.
Building strong, trust-based relationships with clients, partners and investors leads to long-term business strength. Stakeholders seek consistency and authenticity, especially during negotiations or crises. Leaders who cultivate their executive presence are more persuasive and influential, which leads to stronger partnerships and better business outcomes.
Investing in enhancing your executive presence is essential for building credibility in your organization or broader industry and building influence that drives decision-making and performance.
Vistage provides tailored coaching programs to help leaders develop and enhance their executive presence, fostering greater impact and influence within their organizations.
Foundations of Executive Coaching: Top-notch executive coaching
Reduced stress levels. Improved productivity. Enjoying your working afternoons. Greater control. Reclaiming your evenings and weekends to keep work within working hours.
This all sounds like a pipe dream, doesn’t it?
However, it’s perfectly possible, as John Dabrowski will demonstrate at his Vistage Productivity Masterclass on June 25th.
John himself knows very well how vital mental resilience is to success. Born to Polish parents, he was fluent in Polish but couldn’t speak a word of English when he started school. “I remember standing up in class and having to read from a book: I tried my best, but I just couldn’t”, he recalls. “All I remember was the other kids sniggering and laughing.”
By the age of 12, John was 6’3”. “I was gangly and useless”, he says. “In one PE lesson, the teacher lined us up against the wall to be picked. I wasn’t picked at all: the teacher had to put me into a group and that destroyed me.”
After that, he made excuse after excuse to avoid PE lessons, until a trip to Poland to visit his uncle. “He was six feet tall and played basketball for the Polish Army”, says John. “I’d never heard of basketball before, and got excited about this new sport.”
He came back to England, persuaded his mum to buy him a basketball, and practised until he believed he was good enough for the England under-19s trials. He failed the trial. With the mental resilience he’d developed throughout his childhood, though, he persisted, and the following year he made the under-19s team. “I then made the full England team, then the Great Britain team”, says John. “I played professionally for a few years, then went into basketball management, before starting my own business – which failed.”
John spent the next 35 years in sales and marketing: a period during which he was made redundant three times, went personally bankrupt once, married twice and divorced twice. “At the age of 56, I was in thousands of pounds of debt, living with my mum in the same bedroom I grew up in and working as a painter-decorator for £70 a day”, he recalls.
That was, until he was given a DVD about changing his mindset. “I was in a bad place, so I thought it was stupid at first”, he says. “But then, they said something that changed my life. They told me I could change my future by changing the way I think, the way I speak, the way I act. I decided to prove it didn’t work by following their techniques. I was wrong.”
Since then, John has spoken and trained both in the UK and abroad, published two books, and worked with major businesses including Rolls-Royce and Siemens: living proof that changing your mindset really can change your life.
Resilience and productivity
John’s career shift began with mental resilience coaching. “However, it always ended up with clients wanting to get on top of their workload, because that’s where the stress was”, he says.
Mental resilience and productivity are intrinsically linked. Disorganisation, a lack of productivity and a failure to be managed well are among the biggest causes of stress, says John. Business leaders need to be able to deal with stress and adversity while maintaining a calm exterior.
Our mindset can also affect the way we manage our time and priorities in a high-pressure business environment. “Overwhelm is the classic problem”, says John. “There’s always too much to do and not enough time”.
There may be 20-30 items on your to-do list, so how do you make this less overwhelming? Here, John introduces Steve Peters’ mind management model, The Chimp Paradox.
“The Chimp is your emotions”, John explains. “Peters created a model where there are three parts of the brain. There’s the human part, which is the rational, calm part, which eats healthy, exercises, does all the right things. There’s the chimp, who’s a bit naughty, always eats the chocolate, doesn’t exercise, loses its temper, gets frightened: it’s basically all your emotions, and always goes for pleasure.”
The third part is the computer: the memory of all of the experiences you have ever had.
“In any situation, the chimp is the first one to react”, John continues. “It asks what something is, and if it doesn’t get an answer from the computer, it freaks out. If there are too many things to look at, it’s unsettled, it’s not happy. If you don’t have your work organised, the chimp is like that all day long – even when you’re sitting down in front of Netflix, trying to switch off.”
The aim is to calm the chimp down. “By managing the chimp with this system you regain your evenings and weekends”, he explains. “You’ve organised things in such a way that you list off the things you have to do. The chimp knows everything is organised and it can go to sleep – giving you peace in the evenings and at weekends.”
Further tools for success
The Chimp Paradox is just one of several tools that John will introduce in detail in his Vistage session. Those who attend will reclaim their evenings and weekends, improve their sleep and reduce their stress levels. “They’ll feel at peace and in control”, says John. “While they’ll never get to the end of their to-do list, they’ll establish how to manage it better to feel that they have truly achieved something each day, and so that they can switch off at night, knowing they have planned the next day, too.”
While this kind of control may seem like a pipe dream, John has the evidence to prove its success. Join him for his Productivity Masterclass to discover how you can apply his techniques to both your professional and personal life.
Giving feedback is a necessary evil to help individuals grow professionally and to ensure an organization’s success. However, most people are uncomfortable giving feedback, and even fewer people like to receive feedback.
“Perhaps we’ve been on the receiving end of unpleasant feedback and there’s some scar tissue about that — we don’t want to make somebody else feel bad,” says Irina Baranov, a Vistage Master Chair, Chair Academy faculty member and speaker. “Another part of it is that we’ve never been taught how to give feedback.”
However, as a leader, it’s your responsibility to give feedback. When handled constructively, feedback can help direct reports and colleagues succeed. Learning how to give effective feedback is crucial to avoid common mistakes and have a meaningful coaching conversation.
Poorly executed feedback leads to conflict, and workplace conflict is costly. Adam Vane, managing partner of Paragon Global Consulting Group, a New York-based firm that focuses on CEO and executive leadership development, points to a 2008 study on workplace conflict by Consulting Psychological Press.
The research found conflict cost $360 billion in paid hours and 485 million lost working days in the United States. And 25% of the respondents said that trying to avoid conflict kills morale and causes conflict and absence at work.
“Feedback is necessary,” Vane says. “When you look at the people expense, there’s a lot of data to support that much of that cost comes from conflict.”
Over the past decade, Vane has spoken to hundreds of Vistage CEO members, asking them to estimate the cost of conflict on their business. The anecdotal evidence he has collected about the cost of workplace tension is staggering.
“Without fail the hands go up and I’ll hear cost amounts ranging from $100,000 to $1 million per year,” he says. “As most Vistage Chairs can tell you, solving an interpersonal conflict is quite often the subject of Vistage afternoon discussions.”
Feedback must be a two-way street, according to Steve Heroux, a Vistage speaker, member and the Founder/CEO of The Sales Collective, a sales process design and training firm based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. When you’re open to feedback, take it to heart, and demonstrate you want to improve, you instantly build trust and loyalty with your team.
“That’s going to create a cycle where they’re likely to share even more feedback, and they’ll come to you for just about anything,” he says. “Every person in your company and on your team has a different vantage point, and a lot of times, they’re much closer to problems and opportunities with clients and other staff members than you are.”
Effective feedback is a way of giving input. It can be positive, negative or neutral. Positive feedback is giving a compliment; negative feedback is when a corrective measure is needed and neutral feedback is when a general observation is provided.
“The first place I start is by changing the word negative to constructive,” Baranov says. “Constructive says that I did not like what you did, but also carries the message that I care and want to help.”
If you want to give effective feedback, you should strive to be supportive, encouraging and specific in the direction that’s needed to change and improve performance.
Regardless of the purpose, feedback is always useful to the receiver when it’s delivered correctly because it provides insight or suggestions that contribute to desired outcomes.
“There’s only one person that can tell you that it was effective or not, and it’s the receiver,” says Baranov. “So, as strange as it sounds, sometimes we want to ask for feedback on our feedback.”
Leaders often use feedback and evaluation interchangeably, but they serve different purposes. Understanding when to use feedback vs. evaluation is key to driving performance and maintaining employee morale.
Feedback is a formative tool that helps employees develop and improve in real-time.
It is:
Example: Instead of saying, “Your reports need to be more detailed,” try, “Your reports are well-structured—adding a few more data points would strengthen your analysis.”
Evaluation is a summative tool used to assess performance against a standard.
It is:
Example: In a performance review, an evaluation statement might be: “Over the past quarter, your sales performance ranked in the top 10% of the team, exceeding your targets by 15%.”
| Scenario | Use Feedback When… | Use Evaluation When.. |
| Onboarding a new employee | Helping them refine their work and integrate into the team. | Measuring their performance after their probationary period. |
| Addressing performance issues | Guiding employees to correct mistakes before they escalate. | Determining if they meet company expectations. |
| Developing skills | Providing real-time guidance on improving work quality. | Assessing whether they’ve met development goals. |
| Annual performance review | Discussing progress throughout the year. | Summarizing overall performance and setting compensation. |
Use feedback to foster improvement and evaluation to measure results. A strong leadership approach combines both for maximum impact.
In the workplace, providing and receiving feedback can change behaviors, improve productivity and evaluate performance.
Employees and their managers need to know how their strengths are benefiting the position and the overall organization and where there is room for improvement.
The idea is to challenge yourself and your colleagues to perform at a higher level.
Other reasons to give and receive feedback in the workplace include:
Inspiring growth: Employees gain a new perspective when receiving feedback on how their behaviors impact those around them.
“The best of the best want coaching, especially the good ones,” Heroux says. “The best people will say, ‘Tell me what I’m doing so I can get better.’ If you don’t tell them, you’re hurting them.”
Giving people purpose: Feedback helps people feel useful and valued by reminding them what matters.
“You have to ask your people, ‘What can I do to make your life better? What can I do to improve it? How did I mess up last week?’” Heroux says. “Only one out of six companies are doing stay interviews. It is so incredibly valuable to get feedback from your people.
Heroux recommends conducting stay interviews frequently to find out what’s going on, to get the temperature of the team, and to be aware of the things you’re not aware of.
“They will tell you everything if they trust you and if you’re transparent,” Heroux says. “Then, you do those things or explain why you can’t because sometimes you physically can’t.”
Improving employee engagement: According to a 2022 Gallup study, employees are more likely to get involved in the workplace if they receive feedback at least once a week. Regular communication and feedback nurture a culture of clarity and mutual growth that encourages a stronger commitment to the workplace.
Building and maintaining working relationships: Peer-to-peer feedback allows for open communication and can help solve issues before they become unmanageable.
Improves talent development: Feedback helps managers and individual leaders influence and develop talent. Managers can also give employees good reasons to be engaged, work effectively and build their skills.
“If you want to be a real pro, a true sales leader, this is where you should look to see how you can tie the feedback to an area they have interest in or to their career goals,” Heroux says. “For example, ‘Listen, Tom. I need you to improve upon your client retention if you want me to advocate for you to get that next promotion.’”
Delivering feedback is a skill that requires the right timing, format, and tone. Here’s how to adapt feedback delivery based on different workplace situations.
Different feedback situations require different delivery methods.
Example: If an employee struggles with client communication, a private conversation allows for discussion and nuance, while email feedback could seem impersonal or critical.
The effectiveness of feedback depends on timing.
Example: Don’t wait until an annual review to point out recurring issues—address them as they arise to prevent bad habits from forming.
Not everyone processes feedback the same way. Adjust your delivery based on how the recipient prefers to receive input.
| Personality Type | Best Feedback Approach |
| Direct Communicator | Be straightforward and specific. Avoid vague comments. |
| Sensitive Employee | Use the “compliment-critique-encouragement” method to balance positives with areas for growth. |
| Logical Thinker | Provide data and rationale to support feedback. |
| Creative Problem-Solver | Ask open-ended questions to guide self-reflection. |
Example: For a sensitive employee, avoid harshly stating mistakes. Instead of “Your report had a lot of errors,” try, “Your report had strong insights. Let’s go over a few ways to make it even clearer.”
Constructive feedback should focus on growth, not just criticism.
Use the “SBI Model” for Constructive Feedback:
Example: “During yesterday’s meeting (Situation), I noticed you interrupted a colleague several times (Behavior). It made it hard for them to express their ideas (Impact). Next time, let’s make sure everyone gets a chance to contribute.”
Mastering the art of effective feedback requires a thoughtful and purposeful approach. Consider these seven tips to improve your delivery.
Be clear about why you are delivering feedback and the outcome you hope it leads to. Whether it’s encouraging improvement, acknowledging a job well done, or addressing a specific issue, understanding your purpose for feedback allows you to frame it appropriately.
“Effective feedback is one in which you are tough on the problem but easier on the person,” Vane says. “You focus more on the behavior than a person’s identity. When you challenge a person’s identity, they may not take the feedback and feel bad about it.”
Focus on the specific behavior and its downstream impact. Vane offers this example of an employee forgetting to lock a call center.
Instead of stating what consequences will occur, Vane suggests asking open-ended questions that lead to the employee verbalizing and subsequently realizing what happens next. For example, not locking up will trigger a call to the police, then the big boss, then their direct boss.
“Once a person understands how their behavior circles back to impact them, they are more likely to see the bigger picture and make the behavioral adjustment their manager is requesting,” Vane says.
Open-ended questions create an opportunity for dialogue and can diffuse tensions that may arise out of giving/receiving feedback.
Vague feedback is often unhelpful and can lead to confusion. To make your feedback specific about the observed behavior or performance and actionable in terms of next steps.
Timely feedback is crucial. Delaying it for days, weeks or months can not only leave the receiver feeling blindsided but also allow issues that may hurt the team or organization to continue.
However, it’s also essential to recognize an individual may not be ready to hear feedback at the precise moment you want to give it. Before giving feedback, Baranov asks, “Are you open to constructive feedback or observation right now?”
“They should feel allowed to say no, not now,” she says. “I’ll say, ‘No problem. What’s a better time, later today or tomorrow?’”
Often, leaders are unclear about what the moment calls for, says Baranov. Is it time to offer a compliment or does the moment call for constructive feedback?
“It’s important to think of categories for feedback,” she says. “Coaching is a kind of feedback, mentoring is a kind of feedback, compliments are a kind of feedback. Then when you ask the question of ‘what does this moment call for,’ you can go to that category.”
Leaders are only human. Making mistakes is part of the process of learning to deliver effective feedback.
Knowing these common missteps can help you avoid the most common errors leaders make:
When feedback is presented in a judgmental manner, people become defensive and internalize it as meaning they are a bad person. This is especially critical in sensitive situations that must address an individual’s hygiene — a conversation Baranov has had to have in the past.
She shares how she frames difficult feedback discussions to avoid focusing on the person.
“I start with honest vulnerability, authenticity and by saying, ‘This is so hard for me to say, please hear it as coming from a place of care and concern about you,’” she says. “I don’t know if there’s a medical thing going on. I don’t know if you are so stressed and busy that you haven’t had time for self-care. But there’s an odor coming from you and you’re in a small office space with 20 other people. I don’t want them to have a bad impression of you.”
“For someone to be willing to listen and internalize the feedback you want to give them, you must have facts,” Heroux says. “A behavior isn’t something you observed one random time, but something you can point to that shows their pattern of doing that behavior consistently.”
Some people prefer direct, candid conversation. Another person might want to receive feedback in written form. So, understanding how people want to receive feedback is essential.
“The Achilles’ heel of leaders is that they practice the Golden Rule,” Heroux says. “Don’t ever do that. You never treat people how you want to be treated — you treat them how they want to be treated. That’s called the Platinum Rule.”
He suggests starting with these questions:
Often called the SH*T sandwich, giving positive feedback on either side of negative feedback confuses people, damages trust and is manipulative, according to Baranov.
“It elongates the conversation, and it doesn’t feel good,” she says. “Let’s be clear and acknowledge that a hard conversation is needed. Tell them their job is safe and that you want them to improve.”
Vane adds that when he gives feedback, he finishes with a compliment unrelated to the behavior he is giving feedback on.
“This is important. If you compliment them on something else, it lets them know it’s not about their identity or them as a person,” he says. “They are less likely to retaliate via conscious or even unconscious sabotage.”
Generalities are too loose and often include words like “always” or “never,” when in fact, it may be a one-time occurrence. Get agreement on the facts using neutral language, Vane says.
“Saying, “I noticed,’ is very powerful,” he adds. “It can’t be escalated and then you’re pulling information from them, getting the facts, asking questions and understanding what led them to take this decision.”
This is called the pull strategy and is constructed around asking open-ended questions that pull answers out of the other person using empathy.
The next step, Vane says is to agree on a solution.
“I’m a big proponent of managing by agreement,” he says. “Because when you manage by agreement you don’t have to legislate the next time. You can go back and say, ‘Hey, we agreed on this, what happened?’ People naturally want to keep their word, so by having an agreement, you’re managing from the inside out.”
Making assumptions or judgments about the motivation behind behavior is off-putting and puts people on the defensive.
“If we could replace our assumptions with curiosity, that would solve a lot of problems in our personal and professional lives,” Baranov says.
Give feedback quickly, in private and face-to-face, Vane says. Make it brief and focused on the point. People need time to process what you’re telling them.
Unless someone’s job is on the line (which is important to acknowledge if true), be clear that you need to have a difficult conversation but their employment is not at risk, says Baranov.
Sarcasm and humor often emerge when we’re nervous or in uncomfortable situations. Don’t make light of a situation or crack jokes when giving feedback.
It is ineffective to phrase feedback like a question. Furthermore, the receiver can take it as sarcastic.
Heroux reminds leaders to remember that truly effective feedback is a two-way street.
“You’re not perfect, I’m not perfect, none of us are. For someone to take your feedback to heart, you must be willing to hear their feedback for you,” Heroux says. “Otherwise, we become dictators, and we don’t need to go over why that’s not a good perception if you’re a leader.”
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Peer advisory groups are like sounding boards, where business leaders from a range of industries and backgrounds come together to troubleshoot issues, share best practices and receive and offer unbiased feedback with an experienced mentor leading the charge. It’s like having your own personal climb team on your leadership journey.
According to a Stanford Graduate School of Business study, many CEOs struggle with isolation, while almost 75% do not receive outside leadership advice. Simply put, it can get lonely at the top. And when left unchecked, executive isolation can be a debilitating malady that oozes throughout the organization. Fortunately, a CEO peer advisory group can help. If you’re looking to scale to a higher elevation in business and life, below are six time-honored benefits leaders can gain from CEO peers.
A peer advisory group or CEO peer advisory group is a highly-focused, specialized network of support comprised of fellow business owners and executives from non-competing organizations. Through the structured environment of a peer advisory board, leaders work together to tackle tough subjects and topics, helping unlock better decision-making skills, increased profits, and many other benefits for the individual and organization.
The CEO peer advisory group represents a unique opportunity for executives to share experiences, offer insights, and give and receive advice. By participating in a business peer advisory group, you’ll be optimally positioned to navigate challenges, create solutions, and achieve your goals, whatever they may be.
There are many valuable insights executives can gain from joining a peer advisory group. Below are some of the top reasons why considering a peer advisory group can prove beneficial:
World-class leaders seek diverse perspectives on important decisions from trusted peers. They find other CEOs and business leaders who’ve tackled similar issues in different industries. These peers understand the nuances and challenges of the C-suite and bring fresh perspectives unhampered by institutional knowledge. Hearing from CEOs outside their company and industry allows leaders to honestly share any challenges and receive genuine, objective, and unbiased feedback.
Great leaders are high on curiosity and low on ego. These leaders are the first to admit they don’t have all the answers and also the ones who believe most that a breakthrough is on the horizon. They are inquisitive, welcome new ideas from trusted sources that challenge their thinking, and are eager to explore.
Confirmation bias can occur when leaders have already made up their minds about a situation and then seek out answers that validate their point of view. Peer advisory groups help leaders to actively work to prevent that from happening, as CEOs come together with those who they know will challenge their position.
Peer advisory groups offer more than just professional growth; they foster a strong sense of community and social connection. Entrepreneurs and executives alike find that these groups open new pathways for social interactions, where trust and camaraderie blossom over time.
Whether through structured meetings or informal gatherings, the connections made in these groups enhance both personal and professional domains. Engaging socially can lead to lifelong friendships, building a dependable network of peers supporting each other’s endeavors.
Leading people and teams can too often be focused on the most pressing issue of the moment instead of the big picture. Maybe it’s replacing a key hire, launching a new product, reducing costs, or chasing incremental growth. Taking time away from day-to-day operations allows leaders to step back and focus on key strategic decisions with peers.
One of the most powerful tools in peer advisory groups is an exponentially expanded knowledge base. Listening to different approaches, perspectives, and experts can encourage leaders to think outside the box. When CEOs make a deliberate effort to learn from those with diverse backgrounds and experiences, they can tap into new ways of thinking — fresh perspectives that challenge the status quo.
Some leaders may discover that they are thinking about a challenge in a way that doesn’t get to the true underlying issue. If you tell a friend you have an issue with delegating assignments, they might give you a new technique to try. However, a well-trained coach will listen closely and ask great questions that get to the root of what’s holding you back.
By joining a peer advisory board, business leaders expose themselves to a diversity of expertise that may not be available within their own industries. Regular meetings with peers from various backgrounds help broaden one’s expertise, especially in areas such as marketing and management strategies.
This setting thrives on shared learning, as members contribute to each other’s growth. The support system offered through board participation ensures leaders continuously refine their skills and stay competitive in their fields.
As a Vistage member, I’ve learned as much from listening to others process their issues as I have from seeking input. When you’re listening closely to others, it often unlocks a solution for your business that you might not have considered.
While you can certainly attempt to hike a formidable mountain on your own, it’s good to know you have options. If your goal was to climb Mt. Everest, you’d hire a guide and climb with a team who knows the mountain and supports your journey. World-class leaders understand the same is true in business.
Peer advisory groups equip CEOs and business owners with the tools, resources, and guidance so they can make great decisions. Leaders who surround themselves with executive peers who offer differing points of view — and push them to achieve their next peak of success — create a fundamental condition for leadership growth.
Unlike any other forum, peer advisory groups can help you achieve your goals and share in the success. However, not all peer advisory groups are created equal. The cornerstones and benefits of an effective peer advisory group are accountability, confidentiality, network building, and results, such as increased profits. Let’s explore these four proven benefits of peer advisory groups.
The power of accountability can go far. The American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) conducted a study on accountability and discovered you have a 65% chance of achieving a goal if you commit to and are accountable to someone. However, when you have a specific accountability appointment with someone you’ve committed to, you can bolster your chances of success up to 95%.
The message is simple: if you want to increase the chances of achieving your goals, accountability is the key. Peer advisory boards help create the supportive, accountable environment you need for success. Unlike a spouse or subordinate, your peer advisory board members have no incentive tied to your success other than the mutual joy of it. The structure of peer advisory boards helps facilitate genuine encouragement for you to stay on track while holding you responsible for progressing toward the objective.
Confidentiality is a cornerstone of trust. Many business peer advisory groups employ formal written documents to establish a confidential framework, which can assuage concerns and allow leaders to share honestly and openly without recourse.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, hosting over 930 million members in more than 200 countries and territories. LinkedIn is where professionals connect, grow their network, receive advice, highlight skills, and more. However, if you’re an executive or leader, you have specific needs only other leaders and executives are prone to understand.
Fortunately, a business peer advisory group is like a supercharged networking platform for business owners, executives, and like-minded leaders. When you join a peer advisory group, you will automatically walk into a room of people who can help you develop professionally and personally. You’ll be able to meet new people, establish new relationships, and make connections you may never have known existed.
As a leader, you aren’t judged by the size of your network or the professional growth you’ve experienced. While the intangibles are admirable, your ultimate measure of professional success and effectiveness is quantifiable in dollars and cents — or profits. The right peer advisory group assists in this area as well.
However, not every CEO peer advisor group is created equally. For example, Vistage CEO peer advisory group members increased their annual revenue by 4.6% in 2020, while comparable nonmembers who ran small to mid-sized businesses experienced a revenue decrease of 4.7% in a Dun & Bradstreet study. With historical returns like this, joining a Vistage CEO peer advisory group is an investment that can deliver exceptional ROI.
By now, it should be clear that peer advisory groups offer numerous benefits. But unlocking the benefits of peer advisory groups hinges on your ability to choose the right one. A few tips and considerations for selecting a CEO peer advisory group are explained below.
Before deciding on a peer advisory board, you should be clear about your personal goals and expectations. It’s the only way you can ensure the group aligns and has the infrastructure to help you get there. While the goals of other members do not have to be identical, mutual victory can be achieved when everyone is moving in the same direction.
To harness the full potential of a peer advisory group, strategic engagement in your membership is essential. Defining clear objectives and appreciating the unique benefits your group offers can significantly enrich your experience.
Actively engaging in meetings, embracing the expertise of peers, and leveraging community support allow members to fully exploit the group’s resources, advice and accountability. This proactive approach can lead to substantial growth in both personal leadership and business operations.
Today, CEO peer advisory groups are available in online and in-person formats. Make sure to identify which method is most conducive and suitable for you and your lifestyle.
Joining a peer advisory group is like joining a community dedicated to shared success and development. Members of these groups meet regularly to exchange insights, participate in discussions, and tackle management challenges together, thereby enhancing their knowledge on topics like marketing strategies and industry trends.
By joining, business leaders gain access to valuable resources and information that might otherwise remain out of reach. Each meeting becomes an opportunity to benefit from and contribute to the collective wisdom, further solidifying connections within the community.
Being part of a peer advisory group demands a commitment not only in terms of sharing insights but also in managing your time effectively. One might face challenges coordinating personal schedules with group meetings, and ensuring regular participation without neglecting other responsibilities.
Effective time management is crucial in reaping the benefits offered by these memberships, allowing members to remain active within the community while balancing their personal and professional obligations.
Bigger isn’t always better, especially for choosing a peer advisory group. The goal is to find a peer advisory group large enough to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion but not so large that you’re nothing but a number.
Properly structured business peer advisory groups can help improve every aspect of your leadership persona, including being vulnerable, getting comfortable with other people’s unique perspectives, active listening, asking insightful questions, getting and giving feedback, and helping others find solutions to their problems.
Research shows effective CEO peer advisory groups range from 12 to 16 high-caliber executives. Look for groups that conform to this best-in-class standard.
Even though most peer advisory groups operate under confidentiality and nondisclosure standards, this may not always be the case. Require your peer advisory board to maintain and prioritize strict confidentiality standards facilitated by signed documents.
There has always been immense power in diversity — whether it’s across industries, company size, race, genre, age, and so forth. The power of diversity comes from the unique perspectives, interests, and experiences each individual brings. These commonalities and perspectives may be directly associated with increasing profits. By choosing a business peer advisory group that prioritizes diversity, you’ll be better positioned to turn the potential benefits of peer advisory groups into reality.
As an alum of a peer advisory group, you will have gained tremendous momentum. Here are a few ways you can keep it going.
One popular way to continue personal and professional development is to join the board of nonprofit organizations, which can expose you to different ideas, ways of thinking, and situations. Additionally, you can:
A core benefit of participating in a peer advisory group is the expansion of your network. When the peer advisory group ends, your job shifts to actively nurturing those relationships. Whether you set aside a monthly chat, dinner, or whatever suits your schedule, your group connection has value.
As an accomplished executive or business owner and alumnus of the Vistage peer advisory board, you may be eligible to become a Vistage Chair or a program leadership development guide. Vistage Chairs are accomplished leaders who have led their companies and wish to share the knowledge and wisdom gained to build and lead CEO peer advisory groups. Best of all, Vistage will provide you with the tools, support, and solutions you need to get started and build a great team.
As a leader, it can get lonely at the top, and even if you’re willing to accept advice, finding a confidential and suitable platform is often easier said than done. This is where Vistage’s peer advisory group can help.
For more than 65 years, Vistage has helped CEOs, executives, business owners, and business leaders elevate their professional development and profits to the next level. Our CEO peer advisory groups are tested, tried, and proven to deliver the results and return on investment you want and need.
Benefits of mastermind groups for CEOs
Why every CEO needs a peer group & business coaching
We are at a unique time in history. Enabled by technology, marketers can deliver the right message to the right prospect at the right time based on their unique characteristics. Marketing can influence enterprise value, unlike ever before.
Yet, marketing efforts are tempered by a backdrop of economic uncertainty. Whispers of a slowdown led many companies to freeze or rethink their marketing strategies. This deep freeze didn’t only impact marketing. Many small and midsize businesses report a significant stall in their broader business development efforts, which frames fundamental changes that companies need to make to their approach.
Marketing used to be centered on big, bold creative concepts but has evolved into a domain ruled by data, activations and analytics. Also, the impact of generative AI can’t be minimized, up 116% vs. last year. We’re seeing a strategic recalibration, with dollars flowing toward areas of higher ROI and long-term value creation.
For our annual benchmark on marketing spending and practices, we once again lean on the findings from the CMO Survey, a joint effort from Duke University, Deloitte and the American Marketing Association.
As we reported last year, our strategic advisory clients with revenue between $20 and $400 million spend only 2% of their revenue on marketing. That’s far below what CMO Survey companies spend, yet it’s these year-to-year benchmarks that make this data useful to the rest of us.
The headline numbers from the CMO Survey show a contradictory tension — 44% of respondents said they decreased their marketing spending in the past 12 months, largely due to inflationary pressures and economic caution. Only 14% reported an increase. Yet, there has been a retreat from tariff-war hysteria, reflecting a potential shift in the tide. There are large variances in spending by sector:
Total marketing budgets are expected to grow 3.3% in 2025, with digital marketing increasing 7.3%. That disparity provides an important learning: marketing leaders aren’t cutting indiscriminately. They’re reallocating — away from brand spend and traditional channels, toward digital platforms with measurable ROI. This approach can be taxing on smaller marketing departments that do not have specialized staff or the powerful analytics that larger companies deploy. But where investment is being deployed is shifting. For example, new product introductions are down 27%:
Another nugget from this year’s survey — companies expect 13% growth in their largest market segment over the next year. That’s a powerful signal.
In uncertain times, businesses are betting on their base. For midsize B2B firms, that often means refining ideal customer profiles (ICPs), optimizing their sales funnel, and leaning into performance marketing over brand-heavy campaigns.
The single fastest-growing challenge for marketing leaders today? “Finding and utilizing useful data.” Not gathering data — using it. Most private companies are not measuring customer lifetime value (CLV), customer acquisition cost (CAC) and return on marketing investment (ROMI). What’s worse: only a third of companies claim to be using AI and automation to improve performance.
What do your customers actually care about? Customer service is table stakes. Most customers will trade superior product quality over price.
Despite the AI hype, only 10% of companies are fully using large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT in marketing, and 51% are still in testing or pilot phases. Yet, companies using AI are outgrowing their markets by 3.4% — a sizable edge in tight-margin sectors.
The tools are ready. For SBMs, practical AI adoption might look like:
Another subtle yet meaningful shift: Companies are relying more on channel partners to reach customers. This is especially common in sectors where the cost of direct sales is rising or where margins require a lean go-to-market strategy. We’re seeing a resurgence in affiliate strategies, white-label distribution and co-marketing partnerships.
Companies selling products online report a predictable pattern: post-COVID ecommerce sales are down, but still significantly above pre-pandemic levels. Self-service, transparency and instant access to pricing and specs are the new norm. If your website isn’t your top-performing sales rep yet, it’s time for a performance review.
Even with more money flowing into marketing, senior leaders are struggling to consistently implement key activities that drive business impact. The table below highlights which challenges are gaining urgency — and which have slipped — between 2023 and 2025. Notably, data and analytics is the fastest-growing pain point, while proving marketing’s financial impact remains the top ongoing concern.
The companies growing in 2025 aren’t spending more — they’re spending smarter. They’ve embraced AI not as a gimmick, but as a growth engine. They’ve refocused on the markets that love them most. And they’ve replaced marketing theater with performance-driven execution.
So ask yourself: Is your marketing department a cost center or your growth engine? The time is now to leverage marketing to enable sales.
Small business confidence rises; costs, tariffs bite margins [WSJ/Vistage May 2025]
How business owners will adapt to AI
Brett Pyle was recently at a funeral when he caught himself thinking about transformational leadership.
A former 10-year Vistage Chair and 2022 Speaker Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Pyle focused on the words mourners said about the deceased. He began to think about the significance of their messages, about the impact this individual had on those around him. Those at the funeral were grateful to have known this person, but they were also grateful for how they grew because of that person.
That, Pyle thought to himself, is transformational leadership.
“As we unpack this concept called transformational leadership, it brings together those two things,” the Greenville, South Carolina-based Pyle says. “Did we find and fulfill the life of meaning and purpose for which we were created, and are we lifting others along the journey?”
Transformational leadership is a powerful ability to inspire teams, foster innovation and drive organizational success. By embodying core principles such as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration, leaders can enhance employee engagement, boost performance and encourage creativity.
Transformational leadership requires a clear vision, trust-building and a commitment to continuous learning. While challenges like resistance to change and sustaining momentum may arise, overcoming them can unlock transformative results.
“Transformational leadership is the ability to move people, processes, products and an entire ecosystem to a significantly improved position or place,” says Holly G. Green, CEO and managing director of The Human Factor, Inc., in Parker, Colorado. “Transformational leaders can guide with vision and intent to create something different.”
To understand transformational leadership, Pyle believes it’s important to consider the two words separately. To him, “leadership” means lifting other people up, whether it is part of a job description or not.
“If we’re going to live a life of meaning and significance, it’s got to be about more than just ourselves,” he says. “In that sense, everyone who is here and doing something meaningful is a leader.”
That definition is fairly straightforward. “Transformation, on the other hand, can have many meanings,” Pyle says.
There is physician transformation, intellectual transformation, emotional transformation and spiritual transformation. Each is significant and represents a powerful change.
A classic example of transformation is a caterpillar that turns into a butterfly. That’s a physical transformation. It physically becomes something different.
Transformation doesn’t have to be seen. Often, the change that comes is internal. Transformation appears in a feeling, mindset, or attitude that may never have shown itself before.
For example, reading insightful books can transform how you think. Having a child can transform how you feel.
Pyle says the key concept to understand is that transformation is always happening. There is no middle ground, so leaders must decide whether they are positively or negatively transforming their teams and organizations.
“It’s always a battle,” he says. “We’re either going to move forward in this thing called growth and development, or we’re going to slip backward.”
Four core components are critical to effective transformational leadership: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration.
When Green thinks of transformational leadership, her mind immediately goes to Paul Brown.
Brown spent five years as CEO of Arby’s, where he was credited with transforming the company thanks to, among other things, an innovative mindset and a team member training program. In 2018, he founded Inspire Brands, a fast-food restaurant franchise company that now owns Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’ Donuts, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC Drive-In.
The goal was to create a company that can ignite and nourish flavorful experiences. Today, Inspire Brands’ portfolio includes over 33,000 restaurants across more than 50 global markets.
“Paul Brown was able to envision a model of service, embed core values, and lead others to create entities that far exceed their competitors,” Green says. “His balance of IQ and EQ is crucial in ongoing success.”
In 2023, Newsweek named Inspire Brands one of America’s Greatest Workplaces based on employee satisfaction. Having a motivated and committed workforce like that is a key benefit of transformational leadership.
While many leaders may think the best way to develop a motivated workforce is to offer various incentives, Green says leaders should instead focus on their image and tone. They need to model what it means to be motivated.
“Leaders cannot motivate others,” she says. “Individuals must be motivated themselves. You can create the conditions by informing, inspiring and engaging continuously.”
Green believes transformational leaders can help develop a motivated workforce by providing clarity on seven distinct aspects of the business:
1. The mission statement says why you exist
2. Guiding principles dictate how you will behave
3. Value propositions explain what you offer to key stakeholders
4. Destination points highlight where you want the company to go
5. Strategic priorities offer areas of focus for the organization
6. Key initiatives outline what you will do to reach your destination points
7. The difference details what changes will impact an individual, their responsibilities, and their team
“Engaged employees bring more than just their bodies to work,” Green says. “They bring their hearts and souls, as well as their best thinking, and they are more productive if fully engaged.”
That productivity, coupled with creative thinking, adds to the benefits of transformational leadership. However, these attributes don’t develop on their own. Organizational leadership must create and model the culture and mindset.
Role-modeling techniques to think differently are great ways for leaders to encourage creativity and innovation within their organization. That includes making sure everyone within the company has the core set of skills required to be innovative.
“You have to develop practices and processes that provide the time and space to ponder, wonder and explore periodically,” she says. “Encourage questioning ‘the right answer.’ Develop structures that force changing perspectives with intention. Grow abilities to unlearn since what got us here won’t get us to the next place.”
Pyle agrees.
“Inspire me,” he says, ” then empower me and take the obstacles out of the way.”
It’s great to say that transformational leadership is important, but how do you incorporate it into your organization? Here are 4 steps to building transformational leadership.
It starts with developing a clear vision that is more than a set of words. The vision needs to be crafted and communicated strategically in a way that resonates.
Doing that requires leaders to go beyond the words and focus on the impact.
“Talk about what it means to yourself,” Green says. “Create a clear picture of the win with specificity, using language that defines it with meaning consistent to all.”
The Masser Family of Companies, an eighth-generation family-owned farming company in Pennsylvania, exemplifies this. The company farms and transports potatoes and potato products across the country. Its mission is straightforward: Grow experiences that nourish.
“It is crucial to this family-owned business that they nourish the community, employees, consumers, everyone in their ecosystem,” Green says. “It answers the question, why do we exist? It’s not what we do, but why.”
Explaining that “why” builds trust and credibility between leaders and those who report to them. However, to truly understand the organizational “why,” a leader must first understand their own “why”.
According to Pyle, self-awareness is pivotal for transformational leadership. A key component of this is sharing past failures and the lessons learned from them.
Did you make a bad business decision? Did you advocate for a product that ultimately failed? Pyle suggests being comfortable with those mistakes, learning from them, and then sharing those lessons across the organization. That openness demonstrates authenticity and integrity and shows the importance of continuous learning.
“It’s just a matter of saying, listen, none of us are going to get this perfect,” Pyle says. “Let’s be human as we go along. Let’s give each other grace when we fail, and let’s be on the path to lifting everybody. If we’re all lifting others, then the organization is getting bigger and stronger as we go.”
Transformational leaders help lift others — and their organizations — in part because of how they provide feedback. Constructive feedback is an art, and it can be done in a variety of ways.
When Pyle started his career, he learned to view feedback like a sandwich — start and end the conversation with positive observations, and in between, provide areas for improvement. While that can be effective, one of the most memorable critiques Pyle ever received came before his career even started.
Growing up, Pyle spent a summer working at a local drugstore. He enjoyed interacting with customers, but he despised getting new merchandise from the warehouse and having to stock shelves. When it was time to do that, he went slow. He was careless.
Simply put, Pyle mailed it in, and his boss called him on it.
Her name was Connie. Pyle doesn’t remember her last name, but 50 years later, he still remembers what she said. She told him that she knew this was just a summer job and that he would likely grow to have countless professional opportunities in his life. Then she pointed out other workers who were more committed — workers who likely would not have the same type of long-term opportunities.
“‘Your future is so much bigger than this particular store, but I want you to compare the effort you’re giving versus the effort of people who aren’t going to have your opportunities,’” he remembers her saying. “‘I want you to ask yourself, Is this the very best you can be doing? Because these guys are giving more than you are.’ She didn’t put nice stuff on the front end. She didn’t put nice stuff on the back end. She just went right after that thing.”
That was all Pyle needed to hear.
“The beauty of what she did was she said, ‘Listen, I know you’re better than this,’” Pyle says. “This was this idea of ‘I have high expectations of you. I also have a high belief in you.’”
Belief is great. So, too, is giving space to innovate, create, learn and grow. But no matter the organization and no matter how supportive and authentic leaders are, there will always be resistance to change.
Transformational leadership comes from understanding the different phases of reactions to change. There are six phases, according to Green:
“Recognize where you are in these cycles when change happens and help others to recognize where they are in the phases as well,” she says. “Remember, you start over in the phases every time there is an unexpected change, so manage the phases constantly.”
Transformational leadership also comes with resilience. Resilient people are positive, focused, flexible, organized and proactive.
“Grow your resilience so you manage through transition even more effectively,” she says. “Resilient people get the right things done with a great attitude, and they are always focused on continuous improvement without getting worn down by constant changes. They spring back, bend and adapt to achieve.”
That flexibility brings Pyle back to the funeral he recently attended. He’d previously been to a funeral where the speakers didn’t have lots to say about the deceased. The person was nice, but they didn’t inspire those around them.
This person, at the most recent funeral, clearly did.
“What I saw was people standing up and talking about this individual who had passed and the impact that he had on them,” Pyle says. “It becomes part of our legacy. I think in that gentleman’s final moments, it proved deeply fulfilling and satisfying as he reflected back on the life he had and all the people he was able to influence.”
Now that you understand how to master transformational leadership, read why Pyle believes purpose is the gateway to transformational leadership.
Discovering the leader’s code: Driving winning performance in organizations
4 ways CEOs can become better leaders in 2025
Mergers and acquisitions are powerful growth tools, but integrating teams is often the hardest part. Cultural alignment, employee trust and clear communication can make or break the transition’s success.
If the 2 companies aren’t aligned philosophically and culturally, it just won’t work. So the most important thing is making sure the values align prior to actually moving forward with the acquisition itself. — Alex Cohen
In this conversation, 2025 Vistage Member Excellence Award winners Becky Sharpe, CEO of ISTS, and Alex Cohen, COO of Enhanced Therapies, share what they’ve learned from leading through acquisitions, offering real-world strategies for bringing teams together without losing momentum, morale or talent.
As Becky Sharpe puts it: “I was emotionally engaged in this process, and I had this moment where I thought—what would I want to know if I were an employee?”
If your company is planning an acquisition, or already navigating one, don’t miss this discussion on what it takes to merge not just systems, but people.
Key takeaways include:
Watch now to learn how thoughtful integration leads to lasting success.
About the Presenters
Becky Sharpe
2025 Tennessee Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
Becky Sharpe is the CEO and Owner of International Scholarship and Tuition Services. She has been teaching A Sharper You workshops for over a decade, focusing on effective leadership and innovation through the lens of continuous growth. Becky led the business to significant organic growth and became the sole owner in 2008, transitioning the company to 100% women-owned. Her focus on company culture and living the organizational values has led to national recognition, and she has been acknowledged with various awards. Becky holds a Bachelor of Arts in German and French from Vanderbilt University and an MBA in international marketing from Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, cycling, gardening, and international travel, and is currently pursuing her private helicopter pilot’s license. Becky is also a proud mother of three young adults and loves singing Patsy Cline’s Walking After Midnight at karaoke.
Alex Cohen
2025 Los Angeles Impact Award Winner
Alex Cohen is the COO of Enhance Therapies, one of the largest national providers of therapy and therapy-related services to the long-term care industry. In his time as COO of Enhance Therapies, Alex has expanded the company from 1,800 clinicians to nearly 8,000 and played a crucial role in the company’s acquisition of nine brands between 2021 and 2023. Alex Cohen never expected to work in healthcare, much less become a chief executive at one of the nation’s largest therapy providers. As COO of Enhance Therapies, Alex has expanded the company from 1,800 clinicians to nearly 8,000. He heavily integrated technology solutions in 2024, which led to $1.75 million in cost savings annually. At just 35, Alex is on a mission to revolutionize the healthcare industry.
Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
The main idea of Angela Duckworth’s bestselling book, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” is that grit — defined as a combination of two aforementioned traits — plays a crucial role in achieving long-term goals. Duckworth argues that maintaining focus and consistency over time can distinguish world-class achievers from others, often outweighing innate talent and intelligence.
“Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out,” says Duckworth, a New York Times bestselling author, MacArthur Fellow, TedTalk speaker and pioneering voice on the subject. “Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
In this 1:42 clip, Duckworth explores sisu, a Finnish concept that embodies inner fortitude, and discusses how CEOs can challenge themselves to foster a culture of grit.
In developing grit, Duckworth identifies three essential elements for success:
She emphasizes that the last element, immediate and informative feedback, is crucial for developing grit. This feedback closes the learning loop and enhances skill improvement, making coaching a vital part of the process.
Duckworth recalls a conversation with NFL head coach Pete Carroll, in which he expressed his belief that “nobody can reach their full potential without a coach.” She concludes with this powerful statement: “Who among us has done what we could do without the wisdom, without the support, without the emotional ballast of our mentors, of our coaches, and yes, our peers?”
For more insights, she explores this topic further in a 45-second clip.
In addition to building grit within your organization, Duckworth emphasizes searching for and finding it through your hiring process. To do so, she says, look for two outlying traits while evaluating résumés: multi-year commitments and a clear record of progression.
“It often comes out in athletics, it often comes out in music, but the general pattern is what it is,” Duckworth says, “Somebody has stuck with something and gotten somewhere.”
In this 1:49 clip, Duckworth explains how to build this framework for grit into your hiring process.
What separates world-class performers from everyone else?
According to bestselling author Angela Duckworth, it’s not just effort — it’s vision, and the coaching that shapes it. “You are giving the leaders, the members of your group, a mental representation of something they may not have done before,” she says.
Drawing on the legacy of psychologists K. Anders Ericsson, Duckworth highlights the critical role of coaches and mentors in setting intentional goals. Without guidance, even the most talented can fall short of their potential.
This 45-second clip is a compelling reminder that great leadership starts with helping others see — and strive for — what they’re not yet able to do on their own.
In a candid reflection on leadership, coaching, and meaning, bestselling author Angela Duckworth circles back to football coach Pete Carroll and shares a powerful lesson inspired by his brief retirement: “Nobody can be what they could be without a coach.”
Drawing on both that and the wisdom of psychologist Viktor Frankl, Duckworth explores how we find purpose — through our work, our response to suffering and, most profoundly, through love.
This heartfelt message resonates deeply with Vistage Chairs and the CEOs they support.
In this 2-minute clip, watch Duckworth connect the dots between mentorship, growth and the transformative power of believing in what others “are not yet, but can be.”
Be sure to watch the full discussion with Duckworth (member login required) to learn how to be a grittier and more successful person at home, in the office and as a leader.
The 6 Habits of World-Class CEOs
Building ‘Atomic Habits’ with James Clear: How to get 1% better every day
As you look at your life, what is the number one determinant of your performance as a CEO, spouse, parent or human being?
I believe our mindset is the number one determinant of our performance, because it’s the one thing we always have control over. At any moment, we can operate from two very different mindsets, the victim mindset and the ownership mindset. The results we produce while operating from these two mindsets are vastly different, profoundly impacting our leadership, relationships, energy, performance and the quality of our lives.
As you consider this, do you know which mindset you are operating from at any given moment?
I’ve spent a lot of time coaching people in every stratum of the human experience, and so far, I have never met a person who hasn’t spent time in the victim mindset. And while there is nothing inherently wrong with the victim mindset, it just isn’t fun. It’s not fun because we give up things — our sense of control, energy, and confidence — but most importantly, we give up being present.
So, how do we enter the victim mindset? The moment we start reacting to life is the moment we enter the victim mindset. Whether that reaction is to a pandemic that threatened our business, leaving us lost or stuck for days or weeks, or our upset 5-year-old, whom we can’t entirely control, causing frustration and anger. Reaction causes us to go to the victim mindset, but fear keeps us there. Fear prevents us from taking risks or making bold requests of others or ourselves. Fear is the killer of possibility, and it is the foundation of the victim mindset.
On the other side of the equation is the ownership mindset. It is rooted in the awareness that we are responsible for our lives. In essence, we own that we are the cause of our lives. Who else is causing our lives?
We enter the ownership mindset when we start actively creating our lives, and a created life starts with intention. Living without intention is a lot like being a boat without a rudder. How could you have an amazing marriage, relationship with your kids, career or an amazing life if you weren’t intending it?
Do you have a daily practice focused on creating your life through intention? If not, consider starting your day with some form of practice — prayer, meditation, or directed thought — that has you intending your day. We are incredibly good at creating what we focus on, but if we’re not focused on anything, we will just get what we get. Twenty minutes a day can have a huge impact on your performance and your life.
When we operate from the ownership mindset, our energy is very high, and our confidence is grounded. We have clarity and a strong sense of who we are and what we’re up to. It’s from this created state that we produce our best results both at work and at home. The biggest benefit of the ownership mindset is that we’re slowing down. We’re way more present with others and ourselves.
I have distilled the ownership mindset into love, purpose and presence.
Love is the foundation of the ownership mindset. The following are three modalities of love.
Choosing love over fear. In many ways, this choice dictates the quality of our lives and our relationships. What if you chose love over fear just 10% more often in your life? Because you can. We’re born loving, but what gets in the way of us being loving is fear. Fear can block our willingness to be kind, generous, empathetic or vulnerable — all critical elements of leadership.
Loving yourself enough to push through the fear. Fear is all around us. Leadership is not about being fearless; it’s about being courageous. Courage is a created state. No one was born courageous. It is a manifestation of loving yourself enough to push through the fear.
Loving life enough to intentionally create fun. Whatever you do for fun, the reason it’s fun is because it calls you into being present. And you can’t be too present. And the more present you are, the better your life will go. What do you do for fun? How often are you doing it, and what if you did it a little more often? Are you having fun at work? If not, why not? What would you need to do to make work more fun?
Purpose has a strong relationship with something powerful in the human condition called discretionary energy. The higher the purpose, the more willing we are to give our discretionary energy. In terms of leadership, the critical question is, are you pulling the discretionary energy out of your direct reports? If not, why not?
One place to look is purpose. Specifically, is the purpose of your organization clear and compelling? Would your employees know the purpose of your business? FYI, money is not a purpose; it is a result of a purpose.
Presence is the portal to everything meaningful as a human being. I have never met a person who could articulate one positive, meaningful experience they’ve had when they weren’t present. How present are you with your direct reports? Or more importantly, how present are you at home? What if you were 10% more present in your life?
Being present is not a skill; it’s a willingness thing. Am I willing to slow down with the person right in front of me and overwhelm them with my presence? What would that do to the quality of your life and the relationships in your life?
Victim vs. Owner. It is the vital choice. What mindset are you choosing today?
Want to learn more? Then check out Todd’s discussion, The Victim vs. The Ownership Mindset. The discussion includes a Q&A session with Vistage Chair Ola Sage.
8 CEO leadership styles and how to discover your own
Mindset 2.0: Making hard things easier [Webinar on-demand]
Following the high of the 2024 election, the introduction of tariffs has deflated the optimism of CEOs of small and midsize businesses. Our latest research reveals that nearly 70% of CEOs expect negative impacts of changing tariff and trade policies, a major driver of increasing economic pessimism among CEOs. While the tariff playbook has not changed, the uncertainty about when, where and how these changes will impact makes planning challenging. The issue at hand may be tariffs, but the problem is uncertainty.
This CEO Pulse collects insights around the topic of tariffs, bringing together both expert and peer perspectives to help you navigate decisions around these changing policies, mitigate the risk and plan effectively. Here’s the latest from Vistage Research, which includes a “tariffs playbook.”
To help with decision-making, we have curated:
AI Adoption Surges Amid Economic Uncertainty: What You Need to Know
Economic downturns are accelerating technology adoption. Explore how today’s tariff uncertainty is driving AI adoption by CEOs and leaders.
Small Business Confidence Rises; Costs, Tariffs Bite Margins
The May WSJ/Vistage Small Business index rose slightly, but uncertainty still looms, affecting demand, investments and hiring plans.
Why Tariffs Are a Pricing Strategy Problem
Vistage Chief Research Officer Joe Galvin explains how tariffs drive uncertainty, forcing CEOs to rethink pricing, supply chains and investments amid rising costs, inflation and market instability.
Volatility and Uncertainty Erode Confidence
The April WSJ/Vistage Small Business index dropped to 69.7, revealing that 57% of CEOs expect a declining economy over the next 12 months as they prepare for more volatility and uncertainty. Read more in our report.
Developing Pricing Strategies while Navigating Uncertain Times
Iris Pricing Solutions President Kirk Jackisch shares his insights into managing pricing strategies amid inflation, tariffs, stagflation and other economic concerns.
Handling Tariff Turbulence: Strategies for Stability Amid Uncertainty
Boost Profits President Casey Brown delves into the recent tariffs and shares insights on how SMB CEOs can adjust prices to stabilize profits.
Tariffs Continue to Erode Small Business Confidence
The March WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index dropped to 85.4 as concerns over tariffs and economic uncertainty continue to rattle confidence.
More Practical Steps to Take as Tariffs Are Implemented
Some tariffs are currently in place, with more expected soon. The situation is changing as U.S. policy develops and trade negotiations unfold. ITR Economics offers strategies for positioning your business in this tariff environment.
Tariff Risk Assessment Tool
Our partners at TEC Canada have developed this exercise to help you systematically assess key risks, focus on high-priority issues and make informed decisions in the wake of changing tariffs and trade policy.
TEC Canada: Tariffs and Trade Policy Resources
Gain industry-leading insights and the latest resources for Canadian SMB CEOs and leaders navigating the recent tariff and trade policy changes.
5 Priorities to Manage During a Crisis
Whether the Dow drops by 1,000 points or a work stoppage severely impacts your supply chain, it is crucial to accept the situation and take action. Vistage speaker Corrine Hancock outlines 5 key crisis management priorities that CEOs should focus on.
Daily Guide for Leaders During a Crisis
Vistage CEO Sam Reese explores 6 crisis management principles, inspired by his experiences and discussions with successful business leaders, that could help you steer your organization through tough times.
Tangling with Tariffs in 2025: CEOs Share Their Strategies
As new policies emerge, 3 Vistage CEO members share their insights on overcoming past challenges. Discover their strategies and how they built resilience in their operations.
Inside One CEO’s Impossible Mission to Stay Ahead of Tariffs
Learn how member company Tormach and its CEO, Daniel Rogge, are slicing spending and raising prices to blunt the damage of a potential trade war in this piece from The Wall Street Journal.
Have a question? Need a recommendation? Want a referral? Ask your peers in My Vistage Networks or join an existing discussion. [My Vistage password required]
Find conversations about tariffs taking place across ALL Vistage Networks.
Here are some of the most relevant conversations:
‘We’re in a New Reality’: Small-Business Owners Suffering From Tariffs Are Speaking Out [Inc.]
Tariffs will impact the economy … and so will uncertainty [Deloitte]
How Contracts Can Help Firms Navigate the Uncertainty of Global Tariffs [HBR]
Navigating Tariffs: How Businesses Can Adapt Pricing Strategies [Forbes Council]
Do Tariffs Mean Raising Prices? The Question For Small Businesses [Forbes]
Tariffs, Trade and Other Economic Trends [RSM, U.S. Chamber of Commerce]
Tariffs on Imports Rocking Small Businesses as They Scramble to Adapt [U.S. Chamber of Commerce]
U.S. Chamber Urges Swift End to Tariffs Set to Go into Effect [U.S. Chamber of Commerce]
Tariff Mania but No US Recession [ITR Economics]
Ahead of the Curve – How to Position Yourself in a Tariff Environment [LinkedIn Pulse]
Navigating Economic Uncertainty with Artificial Intelligence [MSRcosmos]
The CEO Pulse Resource Centers
Q4 2024 Vistage CEO Confidence Index