by Steve Terusaki, MBA 89, Haas Alumni Forums Director
T magine you’re going on a long road trip.
You’ve got a great car and a good plan, but as you travel along, you realize there are some unexpected detours, tricky turns, and unfamiliar roads. You may start to feel unsure about the directions, the road conditions, or even your own driving skills.
That’s when it’s helpful to have a trusted co-pilot, someone who’s been there before, who can offer guidance and support, and who can help you navigate through the challenges.
The same is true in business and life.
As you go through your career, you may encounter unexpected obstacles, complex situations, or tough decisions. You may feel uncertain about the best course of action or the potential outcomes. And you may be tempted to go at it alone, relying on your own expertise and intuition.
But imagine if you had a group of trusted peers, who have been through similar situations, who understand your challenges, and who can offer unbiased feedback and support. A group that can serve as a sounding board, a brainstorming session, and a source of inspiration.
Those are the benefits of joining a peer forum like Haas Alumni Forums. It is a community of like-minded individuals who come from different industries, backgrounds, and experiences, but who share a common goal: to learn, grow, and succeed together.
By joining a peer forum, you can:
- Stand on the Shoulders of Giants – Leaders who seek diverse perspectives on important decisions from trusted peers find a wealth of knowledge from those who have tackled similar issues in different situations. These peers offer fresh perspectives and reflected feedback from their experiences on how they addressed a similar challenge.
- Challenge Your Thinking – Great leaders welcome new ideas from trusted sources that challenge their thinking. Peer Forums help leaders actively work to prevent insular thinking and confirmation bias through these discussions.
- Focus on the Big Picture – Taking time away from the day-to-day operations to actively engage in a Peer Forum allows leaders to focus on key strategic decisions. It is imperative to carve out time to “work on the business” when the default often is “working in the business” to handle the daily demands. Peer Forums offer a regular schedule and a time commitment to set aside the time and bandwidth to do so.
- Learn More, Faster – Peer forums are an exponentially expanded knowledge base. Leaders can tap into new ways of thinking and fresh perspectives that challenge the status quo.
- Get to the Root of the Issue – Sometimes, leaders may be thinking about a challenge in a way that doesn’t get to the true underlying issue. Peer forums offer a safe space to share and explore this issue and get to the root cause.
- Give and Take – Listening closely to others’ processes of their issues often unlocks a solution for your business that you might not have considered.
Haas Alumni Forums can be essential for any anyone interested in joining. They provide a unique opportunity for personal and professional growth. By surrounding yourself with executive peers who offer differing points of view and push you to achieve your next peak of success, you create a fundamental condition for leadership growth.
At Haas Alumni Forums, we’re dedicated to helping all members become better leaders, make better decisions and get better results. We believe in sustainable growth with integrity, not growth at all costs.
About Haas Alumni Forums
Haas Leadership Forums are comprised of 8-12 alumni who meet monthly—currently online only—to gain perspective and insight on the challenging issues they face as business leaders.
Forums are confidential settings where open discussion can lead to transformational professional and personal growth.
Find more information about the program:
