Management Abroad

"I was a Vistage/TEC Chair from 2006-2024 where I worked with business owners and CEOs assisting them to maximise the value of their enterprises. I chaired  two CE groups." Ian Neal

 

A Vistage group is comprised business owners and CEOs.

 

The one thing that all members share is a commitment to be the best business leader possible and to drive their enterprise to be as successful as possible.

 

Vistage is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of chief executives. The promise is that Vistage helps its members outperform the competition through business coaching that enhances leadership, brings strategic focus, and practical solutions. 

 

One of my fundamental beliefs is that creating superior value requires the leadership to engage and inspire the team around a common higher purpose which focuses on serving the customer. Underpinning this psychological safety. To contribute their best the people must FEEL SAFE and it starts with the leader. 

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Start with the idea that every action as a leader needs to create or reinforce the feeling of safety in the team- then performance can flow and increase exponentially.

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Bringing people, strategy and finances together to create and build an outstanding enterprise should be every CEOs dream, which I help them achieve.  Vistage membership includes 1-2-1 monthly coaching, and a monthly confidential meeting where the members meet and keep up to date with the latest in business and engage in peer business coaching through our issue processing executive session. This is a structured, thorough and efficient approach to helping members solve problems, evaluate opportunities, and work on strategic and operational issues. In this confidential forum of experienced executives, members work to push beyond their assumptions and get to the real issues. Through these expertly facilitated discussions, perspective is achieved, and a plan of action determined.

In subsequent meetings, progress is checked and accountability ensured. We’ve stayed true to the process established by Robert Nourse when he founded Vistage in 1957 and followed by Dr Phil Meddings, bringing Vistage to Australia in 1986. Here it is in Bob's own words:

 

“Membership was to be limited to eight non-competing company presidents or chief executive officers. Full day meetings were to be held once a month, the morning to be spent listening to ‘a resource specialist’ discussing a subject of group interest, and, in the afternoon, each member was to present a problem for discussion. A chairman would plan and conduct the meetings and hold a monthly interview with each member to help him articulate his problem.” 

 

The CEO must straddle two worlds. The board room, where the conversation is about governance, risk, financial performance, strategy and shareholder returns and the engine room where the conversation is about people, engagement, purpose, serving customers. The CEOs job is to make both conversations operate in complete harmony, to create a great place to work which meets customer requirements better than competitors and thus creates an outstanding business on behalf of all stakeholders. 

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I welcome connections from CEOs and business leaders/owners who are interested in Business Coaching and the benefits it can bring, both personally and professionally