It takes a village– how to develop your own personal community of advisors

Don’t go it alone

It can be lonely at the top but it doesn’t have to be. Just as your employees rely on each other for collaboration, brainstorming, feedback, etc., you too, as the leader, need this support. But it doesn’t always come naturally when you’re the CEO. For example, since employees won’t necessarily feel comfortable providing you honest feedback, it’s difficult to gauge how you’re doing and how they feel. By forming a reliable network of resources based on your needs, you create an environment to bounce ideas, get expert guidance, feedback and more.

There is research that measured the impact advisors have on a senior leader. Assembling Your Personal Board of Advisors by Yan Shen, Richard D. Cotton and Kathy E. Kram highlights, demonstrates that CEOs can’t go it alone AND succeed in today’s business environment. The researchers provide an in-depth look at how to identify needs, pull together a personal board of advisors and what to do when all your needs aren’t met.


In today’s complex business environment, one mentor is no longer sufficient. Executives and managers need an array of advisors, mentors and role models to provide critical information and support at defining moments.


We all get advice from many sources, friends, family, books, webinars, and the media. Rarely is this sufficiently focused and tailored to you. A formal arrangement achieves this dedicated focus, exclusivity and confidentiality. Start with one and grow from there. As a business advisor who understands technical minds, functioned in many engineering technical and executive roles, Doug Reed, P.E. of FosterGrowth.biz could be a powerful tool in your toolbox.  Contact him now to explore this experience.