peer groups

 "Honestly, it is VERY difficult for me to articulate how impactful Mike has been in my life and how much I admire him!   He coached and influenced my leadership in profound ways over 10+ years.   The combination of Mike’s guidance and being in his CEO peer group resulted in a life transforming liquidity event.  (Jeff Zember, former CEO, Plidek)

 "Having Mike Richardson as a coach and being in his CEO peer group were game changers for my business.   As a founder and CEO, I have come to realize that I need to surround myself with people who can help me troubleshoot and see things differently. 

(Lisa Druxman, founder & CEO, 

FIT4MOM)

 "Mike was my peer group chair for 11 years and he is without a doubt one of the 2-3 primary influencers of the trajectory and course of my career.    I don't know anyone who has known Mike that doesn't share my same feelings about his influence. 

(Mark Neilson, career CFO, Board Member, Entrepreneur, Connector and Giver)

 "Mike is at the top of a very distinguished list of the best mentors and coaches in business.   He strikes the rare balance between the discipline of a framework, personal and professional compassion, and the nudges to look inward and outward to maximize executive and company talents and mission.  

(Kirk Michie, Managing Partner, Candor Advisors)

 I can definitely say Mike is one of the most capable peer group chairs and coaches I have ever had.   He has positively impacted my business decisions and helped me break down my problem analysis. I owe my current success to him as he was instrumental in pushing me to set up my own business 5 years ago. 

(Matt Clark, Owner & CEO,

L.A. Produce Distributors)

 Everything pointed to us not making it, but with Mike's coaching and leadership with the group we became more resilient, more agile and we persevered through it. Today we are thriving and growing and we would not have been here without Mike's "care-frontational" conversations and his confident and empathetic approach to making us what we are today. 

(Scot Dietz, CEO, 3 Blind Mice)

 During my 30+ year career, I have had the opportunity to work with many smart and capable business leaders, Mike is clearly up there with the best.   I first came to know him when he was the leader of my CEO peer group for 9 years. During that time, I had the opportunity to experience his unique skill of using elegant and replicable approaches to driving decisions involving many complex inputs and variables. Over time, he helped all of us to develop long and short-term strategic plans for our companies and personal lives. He always insisted we consider multiple scenarios with plans for each one.   Mike became a good friend and advisor as I encountered the inevitable challenges in life and in business.   I am sure that every person that he has worked with is better off because of him. 

(Claude Hooton, CEO, NucleusHealth)

  I was part of one of Mike's CEO peer groups for 7+ years and profited immensely from him. As a chair, he led a diverse group of CEOs in an effective environment of peer learning. His ability to provide enough structure for direction yet give each of us room to develop individually was key to success. He created an invaluable platform for "board-level" feedback and peer support which greatly contributed to the success of our company. Through the years and many 1on1's, we became friends which engendered deep trust in his judgement, come rain or shine. By observing Mike, I also took a key skill as a leader to the next level: Facilitation. He is one of the best I have ever seen in this discipline. I copied a lot from him (albeit not his British accent). The power of facilitation is enormous as a lot of what I do as a leader is achieved through facilitating groups towards a desired outcome. Another of Mike's superpowers is holding people accountable and on their toes by challenging and encouraging them. This helped me through some trying times which eventually led to an amazing outcome for our company in the sale to a strategic partner. Thank you, Mike! 

(Andreas Schenck, CEO, RevCult)

   For many years, I had the very special opportunity to be an active participant in one of Mike Richardson’s CEO peer groups in San Diego. What a gift! I had the advantage of Mike’s business acumen and experience while enjoying the additional input of the diverse business group that Mike assembled. Mike’s knowledge, insight and personal assistance were invaluable as I tackled the challenges as the President and CEO of a very active Junior Achievement organization. Thank you, Mike, for all you have done for me and our entire CEO peer group team! 

(Joanne Pastula, CEO Emeritus, Junior Achievement of San Diego)

  I was in Mike's CEO peer group for 4 years during a pivotal time in my career. Mike facilitated a group of executives and founders in a way that created an incredible learning environment. I was not surprised that the professional and business lessons that I was exposed to were significantly impactful to my role and company. However, I was shocked by the level of empathy, compassion and accountability via tough love Mike was able to foster among the group. Led by Mike's care and passion for each members best outcome, the level of trust and generosity were truly inspiring. I highly recommend Mike for both his expertise and his character.

(Terry Arbaugh, GM Americas, SEACOMP)

 Mike was my CEO peer group chair for over 14 years and a major influence in the success of our business. Mike's continued support and help with difficult business and personal issues was extremely helpful. Never without helping us formulate a strategy that would help move the needle in a positive direction.  To this day, Mike is a confidant and friend. 

(Tom Campanaro, CEO, Total Gym)

  I first met Mike when our software firm had but a few months before we would be forced to shutter the doors. Fast forward through recovery from DotComm Bubble and 9/11, the Global Financial Crisis and more, Mike was alongside us when we consummated our sale to a Fortune 500 company! During that time, Mike continued to ask about our “blind spots” of what were we not seeing in our professional AND personal lives, exposing both risks to avoid and opportunities to pursue, which ultimately drove our success.  Mike is a teacher, coach, mentor, builder, challenger, innovator, facilitator, counselor, truth teller, advocate and as importantly … a friend. 

(Eddie Hillard, former CEO, FDBS)

Hear from some of my peer group members below ... I have chaired CEO and Executive Peer Groups for 15 years with probably more than 300 members, facilitating more than 500 group meetings and 2000 one-to-one coaching sessions.  The biggest testimonial is that the vast majority stayed for many years and some founding members for 15 years.