Journal · Formats
CEO clubs and networks: how to choose one
Every club promises the same thing. What separates them comes down to six questions, and none of them appears in the brochure.
How do you choose a CEO club or network? By looking at six things: who gets in, how many of you there will be, who runs the room and who pays them, the real rhythm, what happens between meetings, and what stays written down. The programme matters far less.
The six criteria, in the order they matter
- Who gets in. That is the actual product. A revenue threshold, a sponsorship rule, an age limit: each rule builds a different room. With no rule, the room is whoever the organiser could find.
- How many of you. At twenty-five you listen to a speaker. At twelve you discuss. At six you get put under pressure. Three different services, not interchangeable.
- Who runs it, and who pays them. A facilitator protects the airtime, which is worth real money. They also sell the programme, which quietly shifts the conversation. Know which of the two you are buying.
- The rhythm, and what it costs you. A day a month is twelve days a year plus travel. That is not a diary detail, it is the question that decides whether you last into year two.
- What happens between meetings. Most of your decisions land between sessions. Ask members how they handle it; the answer is always revealing.
- What stays written down. Six months later, what survives of the work? If the answer is "our memories", you start from zero on the next call of the same kind.
What each family does best
| Family | Does best | Does not do | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local business club | Roots you in a place and builds a real address book. | Work a decision in depth: the room is too large and too fluid. | Someone new to a city or a market. |
| Speaker-led club | Teaching, getting out of your own head, catching up on a subject. | Settle your call: the centre of the day is the speaker. | Someone who feels intellectually stuck. |
| Chair-led small group | Working real cases, with a frame that holds and genuine regularity. | Answer quickly: the rhythm is monthly and the seat is earned. | Someone who can give a day a month for two years. |
| Mastermind | Starting fast, often remotely, with high intensity. | Guarantee the calibre: selection follows the organiser's audience. | Someone testing the format without a long commitment. |
| Five Peers | Answering in the week the decision is due, and keeping what was decided. | Introduce you to anyone: these are not people, they are five methods. | Someone whose problem is a decision, not a network. |
The right club is not the most prestigious. It is the one whose rhythm you can still stand in year two.
Two questions to ask on the visit
First: "who left last year, and why?" A healthy group answers that. Second: "what happens if I miss two sessions?" If the arrangement collapses, it was not built for someone whose diary gets wrecked.
See also Vistage, YPO and EO compared, what peer advisory groups do well and mastermind groups.
Five Peers editorial note. No club is named in the table: these are families of format, not a ranking.
If your problem is a decision rather than a network, the answer does not have to wait for the third Thursday of the month.
Compose my board