By Phil Harwood

“You’re on my list, Harwood!” Is that a good thing or a bad thing? It obviously depends on the list. I’m making a list and I’d like YOU to be on it. I promise it’s a good list. 

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After being in business for 38 years and being a full-time consultant, there are a few things I can say with confidence because I have seen the same thing over and over again throughout my career. One of these things is that business owners and managers have a desire to know what everyone else is doing. They want to be in the know. They want to keep up. They don’t want to be left out or left behind. 

One of the most common questions I receive from contractors is what everyone is up to, as if I have all of the answers. The reality is that I have some of the answers. But I don’t have all of the answers. Who has the answers? Everyone else. 

This hunger to know what everyone else is up to has led to the formation of all types of professional networking and peer groups, such as EO, Vistage, BNI, etc. In addition, many industry-specific groups are active and growing. Being part of a peer group has become quite a thing. 

Over the years, I have assembled and facilitated many different peer groups, including the SIMA peer groups for professional snow and ice management contractors. Every group has been unique with its own cadence of meetings and focus areas. And each has been rewarding for me as the facilitator and for the group members. 

Back to the list. I’m making a list of people who are interested in exploring a peer group. There is no commitment to being placed on the list. All I ask is that you tell me what kind of peer group you’re interested in so I can add you to the right list(s). 

For example, do you want to be in a peer group with business owners, sales people, operations managers, office managers, account managers, etc.? Is the industry important to you? Do you only want to talk about landscaping? Snow and ice management? Or some other combination?

Once we have enough people on a list, we can then begin to discuss group formation. If the group is meeting monthly via Zoom with facilitation, the monthly cost is only $197 per company. This is a small investment for access to your peers in a confidential setting. 

So, are you on the list? If not, would you like to be? If so, just email me at Phil@GrowTheBench.com. 

Now go forth.