In this article, I'd like to share the benefits from the experience of someone who has seen real measurable benefits that far exceed the cost in time and money for being part of a facilitated peer group.

To quote John Dini, owner of a peer-advisory franchise in San Antonio (The Alternative Board), the value of a peer group is that, "You get more out of discussing someone else's issue in a constructive manner than you do talking about your own."

For many people, the ideal way to do this is in person since it bars the distrust and uncertainty that is sometimes bred by background distractions over the phone.

And when you add a trained expert facilitator, you have a winning recipe: maximum benefit for the time and cost involved.

"Of course, it's not always practical to meet in person, but many of the ideas presented here would work in facilitated peer group discussion using the telephone when geographic distance becomes a major hindrance," says Henry Barbey, director of the Center for Coaching and co-founder of Strategic Conversations™.

"Members of the same industry scattered throughout the country may find it valuable to share information, discuss business challenges and brainstorm about new ideas. In this case, facilitated peer group strategic conversations over the telephone can be the perfect solution." You can find out more about this at www.strategicconversations.com.

I recently interviewed Tony Hutti, who has personally experienced the amazing results that come out of facilitated peer groups. He has over 35 years of leadership and management experience and describes himself as a peer group facilitator or Forum Leader, for Renaissance Executive Forums.

He has also been the CEO/Owner of three separate companies and has been the driving force in the turnaround of various companies. Renaissance Executive Forums is an international company dedicated to helping top executives accelerate positive changes in their businesses and in their lives.

When these members are looking for an idea that will help them take advantage of an opportunity or problem solve regarding an issue they're facing, they are able to pull information from the other 10 members in their group. Since some of the members have twenty-plus years of experience, an entire group might have 300 years of experience.

The synergy of the peer group situation is unparalleled in any other forum. Certainly, the power of the collective minds offers optimal solutions to each business challenge. Once a peer group member describes an issue in a meeting, the facilitator and group members ask clarifying questions to better define the problem.

"Members of a peer group tend to be frank in their responses," explains Hutti. "They have no reason to hold back since they are not from the same organization and don't have to concern themselves with office or family politics."

With the problem clearly defined, other members in the group relate experiences where they have encountered similar situations and discuss how they handled them. The member who brought up the question takes the problem clarifications and experiential feedback into consideration, and then presents to the group his idea of how he or she is going to address the problem. At the next month's meeting, the member is expected to give a progress update, instituting accountability to the process.

The issue of accountability is greatly needed by executives, says Hutti, who has been facilitating peer groups for over 10 years. "Most CEOs look for that and they don't get it from their staff; and they don't get it from their management team; and they really want someone to hold them accountable."

Here's an example of how Hutti would keep everyone at a meeting on topic with the purpose of achieving focused results.

Let's say one member of a group has a problem with a Sales Manager. While members are taking turns asking clarifying questions about this, Hutti would further guide the process by keeping it on track, noting, "Perhaps the issue is not really the Sales Manager; it's the product or the service that's being provided; or there's not clear definition of who the customer really is."

Other CEOs might share their experiences in similar situations and the CEO with the problem will incorporate their thoughts into his planned action steps to address the situation.