Epic21 Executive Peers in Conference 21st Century Leadership, La Crosse, WI (2026)

10/02/2025

𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 $𝟖𝟎𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩.

For six months, I watched our biggest client drift away. I saw the warning signs. I just convinced myself I could fix it alone.

By the time I admitted the problem, it was too late. The client left. Three good people on my team quit. And I sat with that failure in silence for months.

I couldn't tell my team. They needed confidence from me. The board wanted solutions. My spouse listened but didn't understand the details.

So, I carried it alone. And it made every decision after that harder.

Then I did something that felt terrifying. I shared the whole story with my executive peer group. Twelve CEOs sitting around a table. All running companies larger than mine.

The first response wasn't judgment. Jennifer said she had done the exact same thing two years earlier. Lost a $2 million contract because she ignored client feedback.

Then Michael asked a question that changed everything. "Were you distracted by something else when this happened? Chasing growth maybe?"

He was right. We had been so focused on new clients that we forgot about the foundation. But I couldn't see it until someone outside my echo chamber asked.

Over the next hour, these executives didn't offer platitudes. They asked questions that reframed my entire understanding of what went wrong. Sarah pointed out that my real mistake wasn't losing one client. It was building a business too dependent on any single relationship.

That insight alone changed my growth strategy.

The group asked me to report back in 30 days on three specific changes. Knowing I would face them again made me act faster than any board meeting ever did.

After that session, I shared the story with my team. I thought they might lose respect for me. The opposite happened. They started bringing problems to me earlier because they saw I could handle hard truths.

Most executives lead in isolation. We surround ourselves with people who depend on us or defer to us. We mistake this for strength.

The question that changed my trajectory wasn't "How do I avoid failure?" It was "Who actually knows the truth about my business?"

That failure didn't define me. But the isolation almost did.

Those twelve CEOs gave me something no consultant or coach could provide. Peers who had lived it and had no reason to sugarcoat it.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬.

Are you leading alone? EPIC21 Executive Peer Groups bring together CEOs and executives who understand what you're facing because they're facing it too. No sales pitches. No consultants. Just honest conversation with people who've been there.

Want to learn more? Send me a message or comment "EPIC21" below and I'll share details.

09/02/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲.

After 14 years building executive forums, we've learned what separates transformational peer groups from comfortable social clubs: the 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘦.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽, 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳:

Does this group challenge my thinking or validate my assumptions?
Are these peers operating at my level, or just my comfort level?
Can I admit mistakes here without career consequences?
Will they tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear?

𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀: Groups that prioritize harmony over growth, avoid difficult conversations, or measure success by member satisfaction rather than member transformation.

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀: Confidential environments where iron sharpens iron, diverse strategic experience, and members who've carried similar stakes.
The most valuable peer groups don't offer the fastest route to feeling good — they provide the challenging path to getting better.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽?

Comment "CHAIR" and we'll connect you confidentially with an EPIC21™ Chair to explore fit.

08/28/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 — 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

You've reached the executive suite through vision and expertise. But even at the top, your perspective can narrow without the right influences challenging your assumptions.

This is where the power of curated peer groups becomes transformational. The strongest leaders understand that breakthrough performance requires diverse strategic voices, each bringing distinct expertise that reveals opportunities invisible to even the most accomplished solo leader.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘁. They sharpen your thinking, challenge assumptions, and reveal what you couldn't see alone. When you're surrounded by peers who have navigated different industries and strategic challenges, you don't just see more — you see better.

At EPIC21™, our peer groups are curated with purpose: non-competing executives with diverse strategic experience, shared values and growth mindset, lifelong learners, and cultural alignment for real trust. The result is strategic clarity through a wider lens.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 — 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

𝑨𝒔𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇: Who's shaping your leadership lens? What perspectives might you be missing?

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻?

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗖𝟮𝟭™ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 👇

08/26/2025

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎-𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈.

When leaders surround themselves only with voices that confirm their existing beliefs, they create the organizational equivalent of ineffective therapy. The group becomes a comfort mechanism rather than a growth catalyst.

𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓:

𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. Members consistently leave feeling validated rather than challenged. Real peer advisory pushes you to examine assumptions, not just reinforce them.

𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒓𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎-𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈. Endless discussion of challenges without actionable outcomes. Effective groups move from "sharing pain" to "creating solutions."

𝑨𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔. When psychological safety becomes psychological comfort, the group loses its transformative power. True safety means being able to hear hard truths, not avoiding them.

The best peer advisory groups function like skilled therapists: they create space for honest reflection while pushing members toward actionable change. They validate the person while challenging the thinking.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. If every session feels affirming, you're not growing, you're just getting expensive therapy.

The goal isn't to feel better about your problems. It's to develop better solutions.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱? 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗖𝟮𝟭™ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀. Link in the comments. 👇

08/21/2025

𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪???

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱.

AI strategy 𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙨 the classic leadership challenge: high stakes, incomplete information, and intense pressure to act. Boards want momentum. Teams want clarity. Vendors promise quick wins.

In the noise, it’s easy to optimize for speed over sense.

The risk isn’t just technical, it’s 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡. Without a trusted room where you can say “I don’t know yet,” leaders may default to reactive moves that look decisive but aren’t durable.

In the right peer environment, uncertainty becomes strategy:

* You 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀-𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 before the market does.
* You 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝘄𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 — including the expensive failures no one publishes.
* You balance 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: use-case selection, data readiness, governance, and workforce impact.

At 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗖𝟮𝟭, we see this shift every week: leaders move from isolated decision-making to informed discernment. Conversations turn into clarity.
Clarity turns into a plan the organization can actually carry out.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘼𝙄 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙪𝙨𝙚-𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨, 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙜𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚? 🤔

08/19/2025

𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 — 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩.

We all mistake perspective for truth. That certainty feels useful in the moment, but it narrows the field — especially when the stakes are high.

A curated, Chair-led peer advisory group works like a wide-angle lens. While you’re zoomed in on urgent realities, diverse peers surface the opportunities and risks living in your periphery — insights you’ll never get from a single industry view or internal echo chamber.

Don’t let a tight frame drive a tight strategy.

Design rooms that widen the lens and sharpen your judgment.

𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨: What belief would you invite trusted peers to pressure-test this quarter? 👇

08/14/2025

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 ‘𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆’ 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱?

When it becomes the only lens through which executives view strategic decisions.

According to recent industry reporting, PepsiCo closed 6 plants in the past 10 months, affecting over 400 workers. Johnsonville shuttered a 60-year facility overnight giving the mayor of that small town a 15-minute notice.

Companies across the Midwest are choosing ‘optimization’ over most everything else. But here’s the strategic blind spot that’s costing companies everything: 𝙀𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮. You’re optimizing for today’s metrics while creating tomorrow’s crisis.

The executives making these calls aren’t callous. They’re brilliant leaders trapped in isolated decision-making cycles, pressured by boards and analysts who’ve never walked in their shoes.

This is where peer advisory becomes strategically critical. When you’re surrounded by leaders who’ve navigated similar crossroads, you discover alternatives invisible from the corner office.

Options like phased workforce transitions that preserve community partnerships. Supply chain strategies that build local resilience. Stakeholder-inclusive approaches that protect long-term reputation.

𝗜𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻 — 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻.

Here’s a question for the executives here:
When was the last time your ‘efficiency’ decision was challenged by someone who understood both your profit pressures AND your stakeholder impact? 👇

08/12/2025

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒘𝒏.” — Benjamin Disraeli

08/07/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐲𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩:

What people see is what matters most.

Leadership is often judged by what's visible above the waterline — quarterly results, strategic announcements, confident presentations.

𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 90% 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒅:

· 3 AM decisions that keep you awake at night
· Stakeholder conflicts pulling you in opposite directions
· Strategic doubts you can't voice to your board
· Weight of choices that affect hundreds of livelihoods

That's the Iceberg Effect — and every executive lives it.

At EPIC21, we don't just celebrate what's visible. We create confidential space to navigate what's submerged — because that's where breakthrough thinking actually happens.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞: What's one challenge you're navigating below the surface that would benefit from peer perspective? 👇

08/05/2025

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭:

The most critical decisions are made in isolation, when they should be made in collaboration.

𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢 captured it perfectly:

"𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦."

But here's what most executives miss — 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙩.

When senior executives join carefully curated peer groups, something powerful happens. The impossible decisions become manageable. The blind spots become visible. The isolation that comes with leadership transforms into strategic advantage.

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬:

What's the most valuable insight you've gained from a peer that you never would have discovered alone? 👇

07/31/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟓-𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲

Monday, June 2nd, 2025, seemed like a normal day for the people in the city of Momence, IL. They had no idea how quickly their life was about to change.

𝐀𝐁𝐂𝟕 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐠𝐨 reports that the Momence Mayor, Charles Steele, was given a 15-minute notice, just minutes before the 274 employees were told that the Johnsonville Foods plant would be shuttering its doors effective immediately.

No transition plan. No community discussion. No strategic alternatives explored.

Just weeks earlier, the mayor discussed the new million-dollar equipment recently installed with the plant manager — investments that suggested long-term commitment, not imminent closure.

He was wrong.

The devastating question hanging over this small town: What if those boardroom decisions had been stress-tested by experienced peers before becoming irreversible?

When executives are pressured to make tough decisions like this, entire communities pay the price.

In the case of Momence, with just over 3,000 people, losing 274 jobs means empty seats at the local diner, shuttered Main Street businesses, and families forced to choose between their mortgage and their hometown.

Could it have been handled differently? Would having an unbiased, unfiltered, confidential advisory board of peers to offer advice have changed the outcome?

𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑪𝑬𝑶 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓:
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬-𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫?👇

07/29/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿? 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 — 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝘁.

Great leaders are thermostats, not thermometers.

When chaos hits your organization, do you mirror the temperature of the room, or do you regulate it? The most impactful leaders I've witnessed don't absorb the emotional climate around them — they create it.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆 "𝗦𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆" 𝗦𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗱𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. In 208 seconds of crisis, he didn't react to the panic. He responded with calculated calm, communicating clearly with his crew and passengers while making split-second decisions that saved 155 lives. His composed response set the emotional temperature for everyone on that plane.

This thermostat leadership creates three powerful shifts:

𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 – Your steady response becomes the room's new baseline, calming anxiety and focusing energy where it matters most.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 – When you regulate rather than react, you see solutions that others miss in the heat of the moment.

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – Teams gravitate toward leaders who remain steady when everything else feels uncertain.

At EPIC21 Executive Peers in Conference - Twenty-First Century Leadership, we see executives transform their organizations simply by shifting from thermometer thinking (absorbing pressure) to thermostat thinking (setting the standard). The ripple effect is profound—when leaders control the climate, performance naturally follows.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁?

What helped you stay regulated when others were reactive? 👇

𝙴𝙿𝙸𝙲𝟸𝟷 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗?

Epic21 Executive Peers in Conference 21st Century Leadership

10/02/2025

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08/21/2025

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