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Real Life Experiences: Leaders learning from each other

New South London area Academy Chairman, Peter Lynagh, was delighted to be given the opportunity to discuss the launch of his local leadership group by South London Business recently. The interview which follows is reproduced on our blog, with their kind permission:

Peter Lynagh

Peter Lynagh

The Academy for Chief Executives (ACE) has recently started a new group in the South London area with new Chairman Peter Lynagh spearheading the local leadership group.

ACE is the UK’s leading provider of experiential business learning, a powerful process of peer group wisdom, business networking, expert resource speakers and one-to-one mentoring.

So why is ‘experiential business learning’ such a good thing?

In answer, Peter says “When I was first introduced to ACE, I was immediately impressed by the clear differences between its leadership development process and the myriad of other programmes available. With The Academy, it is all about leaders learning from each other; using their experiences to share ideas, challenge the status quo and investigate opportunities with other entrepreneurs, in a completely safe and risk free environment. It is very powerful.

Nowhere else can a business leader meet with his or her peer group and gain real life experiences from people with many years in the hot seat. It is as if each member has access to his or her very own unbiased board of directors – we call it the ‘Board you could never afford®’.

South London Business Sept-Oct 2010

South London Business Sept-Oct 2010

The Academy has a number of groups around the UK and has been developing MDs and CEOs for over 15 years. Members see a real improvement in both their businesses and their personal lives, with a “greater work-life balance” often being quoted as a main benefit. Issues discussed between members in the confidential peer group setting range from hard-hitting business topics to more softer, people related experiences. The growing membership come from all types of sectors and sizes, and include owner mangers, family businesses and hired CEOs. As a sign of value received, around 85% of all members renew their relationship with ACE year upon year.

In conclusion, Peter explains “It is a difficult time for businesses at the moment. Sadly, many companies are not surviving the recession, but we are finding that those that invest in real-life leadership development actually see the current situation as an opportunity. Our programmes have been specially developed for MDs who know how important this is. By meeting and sharing issues and opportunities with other like-minded leaders, businesses thrive in these tough times. We know that member companies are already ahead of the competition in preparing for the upturn.”

For more information about The Academy for Chief Executives in the South London area, contact Peter Lynagh on 07711 669363 or email him on
peter.lynagh at chiefexecutive.com.

This article first appeared in the Sept-Oct 2010 edition of South London Business.
© South London Business 2010.

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