Q Councils *

In these fiercely competitive, belt-tightening times, companies are trying to accomplish more and more, on less and less. And with no respite in immediate sight, the challenges loom ever more large. Sooner or later, leaders of Canada’s small to mid-sized companies find themselves thrust into situations they have not previously encountered, lack the specific experience to handle confidently, and are at a loss to know where to find outside help that… a) knows its stuff and b) is affordable.

Unable to share the ways of their behemoth rivals, “smaller” companies improvise, compromise - and oft-times struggle. At such times, a desk in a darkening office is the loneliest place on earth.

Q Councils help correct the imbalance, enabling leaders to shed light on the problems.

So what are Q Councils? (And please do read the next couple of paragraphs to learn why these sessions truly differ from anything else out there.)

In short: 16-strong presidential peer groups gather around the table, bringing their differing experiences to bear in tackling major business problems. They are based on a concept described in Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”. Hill, who made it his life’s work to study the habits of highly successful people (business owners, in particular), says that one of the traits shared by these leaders is that they regularly draw on the knowledge and support of people who want them to succeed. People with the smarts and savvy to give them simple but powerful business advice. As well as people who know enough – and care enough – to let them know when their ideas still need work before being shown the light of day.

Sound like other services on the market?

Perhaps… but Q Councils take the concept one step further. They differ from other programs in specific ways that make a big difference. To wit:

1) Q Councils are facilitated by a business owner and MBA lecturer with 25 years hands-on marketing experience spanning a wide variety of industries in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

2) Q Councils are supported by a cadre of seasoned experts in Business Organization & Leadership, Consumer and Corporate Research, Marketing and Tax & Finance.

Combined with the experience and expertise brought to the table by fellow corporate presidents and their ilk, the result is a very powerful group able to generate creative, sound suggestions for the problems that can plague companies. They can also be called upon to make recommendations for growing an already prosperous and profitable enterprise.

3) Frequently people attend events for senior business executives, thinking, “If I get even just one good idea it was worth my time”, only to be disappointed because there was nothing revolutionary or revelationary to be gleaned. If a session is too superficial or general in nature, it can lack meaningful value.

The difference with Q Council sessions is that there is in-depth analysis of matters at hand.

Each member has the opportunity to be the featured company at a Q Council session (it goes without saying that confidentiality is of paramount importance). When this happens, a specific business challenge goes under the collective microscope. Over several hours, probing questions are asked, views tabled, solutions raised, debated, and proposed. The harvest? True understanding – much of it equally valuable to other council members.

4) Post-event, the group’s input is studied by appropriate Q Group members and further recommendations tabled.

Does it work?

Andrew Carnegie (billionaire steel magnate), Hendry Ford, Walt Disney, William Wrigley Jr., Mark Victor Hansen (author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series) and thousands of other highly successful business owners credit part of their success to using the principles upon which Q Council sessions are based.

One example from council sessions run by one of our colleagues: A large US corporation had been trying to increase revenues for about 14 months. The ideas from one council session caused the company to make specific changes. Within one year, revenues had increased 6% - but profit had increased by over 400%! The president attributes this success to the process.


P.S. Q Council membership is comfortably affordable.