Participation in the Strategic Advisory Boards is by invitation only. It is for a select number of Business Owners, Leaders, Top Executives, and Professionals that hold either managing control; serve and act as the leader of the organization; or, work in a significant capacity in an SMB (Small and Midsize Business).
In well-matched groups of peers, participants work on and to improve their companies, through our specific tailored executive business education program, in a confidential monthly Advisory Board meeting where The Strategic Growth Navigator™ is utilized; and in one-on-one confidential coaching sessions that take place between Advisory Board meetings.
The Advisory Board meetings and confidential coaching sessions are led by the CEO of Strategic Advisory Boards, Ken Keller. He is an experienced business professional with unique credentials and has been facilitating peer groups continuously since 1997; he is considered an innovator in using the Peer to Peer process for tangible results for executives in many different industries.
The Strategic Growth Navigator™ is a proprietary tool that has been created for the exclusive use of the participants in Strategic Advisory Boards.
Strategic Advisory Boards is not simply about meeting once a month and sharing war stories, or the latest complaint about a client, supplier, or an under-performing or disengaged employee.
Strategic Advisory Boards is for professionals who believe that “without formal accountability there is no substantial growth.”
As such, The Strategic Growth Navigator™ blends the goals of the business, financial, and otherwise, with the chosen strategies creating a leadership and management tool to be used daily in the organization.
It serves to recap results to be measured and is reviewed once a month to determine necessary action plans to remedy obstacles or address shortfalls.
There is no doubt as to the Return on Investment of participating in Strategic Advisory Boards when the participant can see the tangible results month by month, year after year.
Individuals must have profit and loss responsibility for the organization.
Each participant of an Advisory Board is matched with individuals who share similar challenges, are focused on growth, and want to sit at the table with peers they can help and who can help them.
There are no competitors in the same Advisory Board.
Each month participants will invest in at least five hours and work on improving their own leadership and management skills, and also must work on their company instead of always working in it—addressing the strategic issues and challenges that are relevant and timely for leaders in organization.
Those who participate in an Advisory Board will put the Power of Collaboration to work; tapping into the diversity of education, experience, successes, and failures along with the expertise from up to twelve true peers.
Diversity is key—fresh eyes, different perspectives, and new ideas will contribute to unique solutions that will not come from being part of any other organization.
Leadership and business challenges are not generally related to the specifics of an industry.
Rather, the challenges arise from the strategic business issues every company faces— leadership, strategy, execution, accountability, recruiting, creating and building performing teams, empowering employees, compensating employees, dealing with strategic challenges and threats, weighing opportunities for growth, perhaps divesting under-performing products or services.
Diversity on a Strategic Advisory Board is a distinct advantage. However, some issues will be very industry-specific. In those instances, time will be taken to explore the specifics in depth so the collective experiences of the participants on the Strategic Advisory Board can come to bear, and connections to the issue can be made.
When an agenda item requires expertise beyond the collective experiences of the participants, the role of Ken Keller, the CEO of Strategic Advisory Boards is to find the subject-matter expert needed and connect them to the client having the issue.
The extensive network of participants and outside experts available to Strategic Advisory Boards ensures that there is someone who can help, regardless of the opportunity or challenges that needing to be addressed.
Each meeting starts with a signing and re-affirming, in writing, that the meetings are confidential. Those participating know that they must be free to say share information with their peers and that it will not be repeated outside of the room.
Each Advisory Board meeting includes an Executive Education component providing strategic tools and insight.
The Advisory Board meeting agenda depends on the goals and objectives of the participants.
For Business Owners, Leaders, Top Executives, and Professionals, the meetings are:
Dynamic—built on the strategic and tactical needs and desires of the participants;
Focused—each monthly meeting is dedicated to an in-depth discussion of one participant’s company;
Strategic – use of The Strategic Growth” Navigator™ is an essential part of each meeting and in all one-on-one coaching sessions.
Tactical – use of The Strategic Growth Navigator™ is critical to ensure that key departments are executing strategies and that milestones are being achieved.
Typical Advisory Board agendas contain:
Business Updates – where participants update the group on past initiatives and new issues.
Strategic Issues – a discussion of a topic that is relevant to a majority of the participants, e.g., hiring in a tight labor market, competitive challenges, changes in state or local laws; and so forth.
Tactical Issues – a roundtable of a specific issue for one (or perhaps more than one) participant. This is when the collective expertise of the group focuses on that single challenge.
If finding just five hours each month is a difficult task for the top executive, it is highly likely that the entire company is tactical, day-to-day mode, which is highly reactive and stressful.
Put another way, the business is running the leader, not the other way around.
This is the only place where the Business Owner, Leader, or Top Executive can dedicate adequate time to working on, and not in, the critical, make or break, short and long issues facing their company.
Since most corporations have a formal Board of Directors in name only, having a Strategic Advisory Board to use as a sounding board is almost essential.
Being part of Strategic Advisory Boards affords an opportunity to address the Strategic Issues and Challenges of leading a company, by being in a room and securing input from peers who “have walked in your shoes.”
Finding five hours a month, or less than three (3) percent of the total time spent in an executive level position (estimated at 2500 hours per year, minimum) will help gain control and run the company strategically.
The bigger question is do you have the time and resources to make sure that these tools are in place to run a first class meeting:
- Strategic Focus
- Use of The Strategic Growth Navigator™ as a participant
- Peers at the ownership and leadership level
- Professional organization and logistics of the monthly meeting
- Professional Facilitation
- Formalized Agendas and Follow-Through
- Diversity of Participants
- Opportunity for candor and honest feedback
Help each participant establish goals they want to accomplish
Work with participants to monitor progress in achieving their goals
Build monthly meeting agendas that are timely, relevant, and engaging for all participants
Professionally facilitate each meeting so participants remain engaged, and meeting agenda items are covered completely and successfully
Ensure that the Strategic Advisory Board meetings and processes deliver at least one item of value to each participant monthly
This will be discussed during the first meeting.
Yes, there are other organizations but they do not do what Strategic Advisory Boards delivers: tangible results to measure your Return on Investment for participating.
Often, these groups meet at different places each month, which adds to the cost and time of attending. Strategic Advisory Boards meet in the same location each month.
Often, these groups require all day attendance. Strategic Advisory Boards meets for half a day each month.
Often, these groups have no one on one coaching or they require it even if it isn’t needed. Strategic Advisory Boards offers monthly coaching but never forces it on a participant.
Often, these groups are led by leaders who play favorites with their members. At Strategic Advisory Boards, every participant is called on to contribute and has ample time to bring forth issues of importance to be addressed.
Often, these groups are social in nature. At Strategic Advisory Boards, it is all business.
Often, these groups are led by people who are employed to run peer groups and spent a lot of time selling additional services from their own companies to clients. At Strategic Advisory Boards, we run Advisory Boards for Business Owners, Leaders, Top Executives, and Professionals: that is all we do.
Our mission is simple: To provide education, resources, and formal accountability ensuring continued business growth.