My first experience with TEC Canada was not as a Chair. It was as a speaker. At the time, I was running my consulting practice and focused on helping small and medium-sized organizations improve performance. I had the opportunity to present to TEC groups across the country. What impressed me most was not how members responded to my ideas, but how they responded to each other.
I watched leaders take a concept, test it, challenge it, and turn it into something practical and powerful for their own organizations. The level of openness, trust, and shared learning was unlike anything I had seen. It became clear to me that TEC was far more than a meeting. It was a place where leaders genuinely helped each other become better.
When the opportunity came to become a TEC Chair, I accepted immediately. At first, I thought TEC would be one part of my consulting practice. That idea changed quickly. The more time I spent with my groups, the more I felt the impact of the TEC approach. Month after month, I saw how members grew through the conversations, the accountability, and the breakthroughs they achieved together.
Over time, I scaled back my consulting work to almost zero so I could focus entirely on TEC Canada. The experience was simply too compelling. What makes TEC so powerful is the way it brings together four essential elements of leadership learning. These are the Four Pillars of the TEC experience.
- Peer Advisory Groups
At the heart of TEC is the peer group itself. This is a confidential table of leaders from non-competing organizations who meet together regularly to solve real issues. Members bring their most important decisions, opportunities, and challenges to the group and receive honest, agenda-free advice from peers who understand their reality.
It is a trusted space where leaders think more clearly and make better decisions because they are supported by people who want to see them succeed.
Click here to learn more about the Peer Advisory Pillar.
- Individual Coaching
Every TEC member meets regularly with their Chair for one-to-one coaching. These conversations create time to reflect, slow down, and think through what matters most. A Chair does not provide answers. The value comes from asking the right questions, exploring assumptions, and helping leaders strengthen clarity and accountability.
For many members, these coaching sessions become the most important leadership conversations they have.
Click here to learn more about the Coaching Pillar.
- Expert Speakers
TEC Canada offers access to a remarkable roster of speakers from across North America and beyond. These experts bring deep knowledge in areas such as strategy, culture, communication, innovation, and leadership. Members learn from the best in their fields and then work together to explore how those ideas can be used inside their own organizations.
The combination of expert insight and group discussion creates learning that is practical, relevant, and immediately useful.
Click here to learn more about the Speaker Pillar.
- Networking and Community
TEC members benefit from a multi-layered network that extends far beyond the group room. Regional gatherings bring leaders together to share ideas and meet peers in other groups. National events provide access to top keynote speakers and learning opportunities at a larger scale.
Through Vistage Worldwide, members can reach out to more than 45,000 business leaders across the globe for advice, connection, or support. Industry groups, interest groups, and digital communities create even more opportunities to learn from people who understand similar challenges.
It is an ecosystem built on trust, curiosity, and shared experience.
Click here to learn more about the Networking Pillar.
Why These Pillars Matter
The Four Pillars work together to help leaders think more clearly, act more decisively, and grow more confidently. They create a structure where leaders are supported, challenged, and encouraged to reach their potential.
For me, the impact was immediate and personal. Becoming a TEC Chair has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. It has shown me what happens when committed leaders come together with purpose, honesty, and a desire to help each other succeed.
Learn More
As a TEC Chair, I would be delighted to explore your fit with TEC and help you find the peer group that is right for you, whether that is my group or another across the TEC Canada network. Please feel free to reach out.
Learn more about TEC Canada and all the options for peer groups. If you are the head of the organization, a key executive, or an advancing leader, there is an option for you.
