It’s not a group where people stand up and introduce themselves by saying, "I’m Bill and I’m a CEO."
It is, however, a group where chief executives of companies with $5 million or more in annual revenue can speak freely and get help from leaders of other companies that are successful to the tune of $250 million in annual revenue. They are trusted because each signs a confidentiality agreement.
David Keuning, a longtime Honolulu business executive who recently returned to Hawaii from Japan, has started just such a group under the banner of Vistage International Inc. It’s the second Vistage CE group in Honolulu. The first one is led by Chair Nina Cherry and was launched in June 2011. Vistage uses the title "chair" to keep the facilitator role gender-neutral.
A synonym for the group is "brain trust," Keuning said.
While in Japan, Keuning led a software company he established, and as issues needing resolution would arise, he thought to himself, "This has been done before. Somebody has solved this. …I need a group of peers to help." Vistage didn’t have a group in Japan, so he formed his own advisory board and "I got a lot of benefit out of it personally," as did other members.
At a Vistage CE group, "you go in and you have a group of people in noncompetitive industries," he said. "There are no client-vendor relationships. You can sit at a table with eight to 10 of your peers in an unbiased group setting," and "unlike with employees, consultants or family members," they have no ax to grind. With no agenda, the experiences and advice shared are more valuable.
Members like to speak up about steps they have taken that have worked, though absolute solutions are not guaranteed. However, clear warnings about what not to do also are helpful. A CEO might say, "I’ve been down that street. You go down about a mile and there’s a brick wall." In other words, "I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you what I did that wasn’t right."
It’s not all about revenue generation, either.
Say a group member has a sensitive matter to discuss with their No. 2 person. The CE group is a safe place to practice wording and body language and get feedback. "So, maybe poking him in the chest isn’t the right thing to do," Keuning kidded.
Vistage CE groups’ best practices include accountability, so a CEO who raises an issue and gets help at one meeting will be asked "How’d it go?" at the next meeting. "Because everybody procrastinates, the answer might be ‘Well, I had the conversation yesterday … and it went really well,’" he chuckled.
Monthly meetings convene on a weekday morning and start with a guest speaker. Lunch is eaten together, and in the afternoons executive sessions focus on operational challenges. "It’s 5 percent of your month, but what the people tell me is that it is the most productive 5 percent of their month because it’s the most strategic," he said. Members typically don’t have time to think globally or strategically because they’re "in the weeds dealing with manini problems that come up." A line of people needing decisions is typically formed outside their door, he said.
Between Keuning’s and Cherry’s groups, Honolulu has two Vistage facilitators and 20 members.
Keuning’s group first met in January and presently has eight members. He’d like to see it grow to 10 to 12 members but no more than that. He can be contacted via email at david.keuning@vistage.com.
"I would be happy to talk to anybody, no matter what their stage," Keuning said. "If they’re interested in improving, I could find a way to help them. I have a higher calling to try to help companies in Hawaii succeed." In addition to facilitating monthly meetings, Keuning has one-on-one executive coaching sessions.
CEOs who pay the $14,090 annual dues generally hang around.
"We have 16,000 members around the world, and the average retention is seven years," said Leo Bottary, vice president for brand strategy and communication. "There are various levels of sophistication required (of CEOs as companies grow), and Vistage groups oftentimes play a huge role in helping companies evolve."
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
