UPFRONT Joining the dots

If it’s true that life at the top is lonely business, $16,000 year could help New Zealand CEOs feel less isolated in the future. For that kind of money, The Executive Connection (TEC) is offering to connect up CEOs from non-competing businesses in 16-person groups for monthly full-day sessions and one-on-one follow-up reviews.
Launched in New Zealand earlier this year, TEC already operates in 14 other countries and boasts of 75 groups in Australia where CEOs have been collectively mulling over their problems for 19 years now.
Kicked off in this country by Australian chief executive Mike O’Neill, the local Wellington and Auckland branches will be run by New Zealanders John Jenner and John Henderson respectively.
Membership, which is by invitation only, is restricted to companies with turnover of at least $3 million and with 10 or more employees. But Jenner says he’ll look at each company on its own merits and will take into account the complexity of the business and the sorts of issues that the CEO faces.
TEC is aiming to recruit around four percent of CEOs in each of its geographical areas. Executives who sign up shouldn’t expect an easy time. As Henderson says, TEC is gym not hospital.