Power of Peers: How the Company You Keep Drives Leadership, Growth, and Success

by Leon Shapiro, Leo Bottary

Birds of a feather flock together. We’re all in the same boat. Great minds think alike. While just figures of speech to some, they reflect a simple truth—it’s the company we keep that often determines the level of personal growth and professional success we achieve in life. Business leaders exchange information and ideas. They network to make deals and build partnerships. They work together to optimize best practices, and they reach out to leaders outside their companies to accelerate growth. Simply put, CEOs and business leaders provide value to one another that they can’t find anywhere else.

In The Power of Peers, authors Leon Shapiro and Leo Bottary introduce peer advantage, a concept that transcends peer influence. This is what CEOs and business leaders experience when they are more selective, strategic, and structured in the way they engage their peers. Peer advantage gives CEOs the insights to compete and the courage to act.

The Power of Peers features stories of business leaders from a range of industries to illustrate the five essential factors for peer advantage, how it impacts personal growth and why it has proven so effective in helping leaders identify future opportunities and challenges. It’s what top, growth-oriented executives have relied upon for decades to be successful in business and in life.

Genres: Leadership, Business

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 22, 2016

Reviews

[Marcey Rader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed reading this book about peer groups. I am a big fan of masterminds, peer groups, and other circles to get honest feedback from people within and outside of my industry. I thought the way the authors positioned peer groups was realistic with several stories throughout that were relatable no matter what your business. It's a shame that more people don't have the courage to join a peer group. Yes, courage. Because your friends will tell you what you want to hear. Your industry will tell you what they want to hear. Your peer group will tell you how it is.

[Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Power of Peers: How the Company You Keep Drives Leadership, Growth, and Success by Leon Shapiro and Leo Bottary offers an incisive exploration of the intrinsic value of peer relationships in the echelons of executive leadership. The oft-quoted sentiment, "It's lonely at the top," is the reality for many leaders and corporate executives. Shapiro and Bottary's work presents a compelling argument for the formation of supportive peer communities, emphasizing the significance of interpersonal connections even at the highest levels of leadership.

In this work, they delve into a seldom discussed but critical topic, igniting an insightful discourse on how peer interactions shape the trajectory of executive decision-making and overall leadership dynamics. They eloquently dispel the perception that corporate leaders are insulated from the need for social interaction and peer support, offering a more nuanced perspective on leadership's human side.

Power of Peers is neatly partitioned into three sections, each focusing on the facets of peer influence, the conditions for peer advantage, and leading with peer advantage. Each chapter unveils a valuable life lesson, applicable beyond the realms of corporate boardrooms and echoing into our daily personal interactions. Shapiro and Bottary's methodical and well-researched approach lends credibility and depth to their arguments. They skillfully incorporate real-world examples to demonstrate the tangible impact of peer relationships on leadership outcomes, thus making their content accessible and engaging for a broad spectrum of readers.

The core message of Power of Peers centers on the transformative potential of peer influence and strategies for nurturing it. Shapiro and Bottary persuasively articulate that peer influence is not confined to the leadership sphere; everyone can derive immense benefit from it. Their insights are woven together meticulously, emanating from in-depth research, individual and group experiences, astute observations, and a wealth of accumulated knowledge.

Throughout the book, the authors employ visual aids like diagrams and tables to elucidate even the most complex subjects, reinforcing their knack for reader engagement and knowledge dissemination. Readers are likely to appreciate Shapiro and Bottary for their versatility, knowledge, and adeptness at connecting with diverse audiences through their writing.

Power of Peers stands out for its factual accuracy and enlightening lessons on the nuances of networking. Its chapters abound with quotable wisdom and inspirational nuggets that are sure to resonate with readers. If you seek to understand the essence of peer power and how to harness it, this book is a must-read. From problem-solving, business management, personal growth, and achieving success to connecting with your humanity as a leader, Shapiro and Bottary cover a wide array of peer-related themes comprehensively.

[Aaron Mikulsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Less than 1% of CEOs leverage the power of a Mastermind or Peer Advisory group. What a missed opportunity! Every business leader and owner should read this book and seriously consider joining a group to help themselves and their business excel.

As a Vistage Chair and Business Owner, I lead peer advisory groups composed of CEOs, Presidents, and Business Owners, meeting monthly to advise and support each other in a safe and objective forum. My members challenge and support one another. They hold each other accountable for the decisions they commit to.

I am passionate about creating a highly confidential, non-competitive, safe and authentic environment in which leaders can grow both personally and professionally. As an Executive Coach I facilitate discussions to stimulate thinking, frame issues, guide more effective thought processes and help my members navigate through their most challenging issues.

Most importantly, we enjoy the journey along the way, together.

For more than 65 years, Vistage Worldwide has remained at the forefront of executive coaching and peer advisory. With more than 27,000 members across the globe, Vistage is helping leaders everywhere achieve exceptional and rapid growth.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. I was expecting more about just the general company you keep in business. It is completely about peer groups. Good in the beginning but then gets very repetitive. It states very early on the basic who, what, how, and why and I thought he'd move on to other aspects of business relationships. Instead the last two thirds of the book go into point by point detail on every little aspect of peer groups, repeating the same facts and ideas with different testimonials attached. I actually began to feel like they were trying to sell me something. I half expected a sales pitch at the end for a peer group they were trying to sell membership to! Glad I bought it used.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read focusing on the importance of CEO peer groups.

[Terry Morawski]

Bottary reminds us why being intentional about the others in our circle is as important as anything else we do in our workday.