Build a trusted peer group

Each Sidebar group is expertly curated to support your professional journey—it’s a blend of science and human touch that results in a dynamic, supportive environment tailor-made for accelerating your learning and growth. Sometimes, the rationale behind a match might not be immediately clear. Trust the process; often, the person you least expect is the one you learn the most from.

Our matching process includes:

• In-depth understanding: We start with an interview and a detailed matching survey. This allows us to understand where you are today and where you aspire to be. Everything we learn about you, from your membership interview onwards, informs our matching process.
• Algorithm + human insight: We use our highly sophisticated algorithm as a foundation, pairing members based on career stage, job function, industry, and areas of expertise.
• Qualitative The algorithm provides the foundation. Then we add a crucial human layer, taking key qualitative factors like goals, preferences, personality traits, and personal connections.
• Complementary goals: We strive to ensure the professional aspirations within each group are aligned and complementary, fostering a dynamic where everyone grows together.
• Diversity and balance: Demographic diversity is crucial. We aim for a balance that ensures enough common ground for mutual understanding, while also embracing diverse perspectives.

Timing and logistics: We recognize the importance of timing. Your time zone and schedule preferences are key factors to ensure your group can meet successfully and consistently.

Sidebar meetings are carefully designed and expertly facilitated to catalyze your professional transformation and growth. Here's what to expect:

• 90-minute, interactive sessions: Twice a month, you meet with your small group. Every minute is optimized for maximum impact.
• Sharing challenges and solutions: Each meeting is an opportunity to share your biggest work-related challenges, strategic advice, and practical solutions with peers who can move you forward.
• Continuous learning: Every meeting is an active learning lab. You’re not just passively absorbing information; you're applying insights, practicing new strategies, and evaluating your growth trajectory. It's peer-to-peer coaching at its finest, ensuring everyone is heard and helped.
• Accountability and action: Sidebar groups are about turning insights into action. You will establish clear next steps, share progress on your goals, and receive support from your group to ensure you're meeting them. This approach guarantees that every session contributes to tangible progress in your professional journey.

Curating the perfect group for you—the people you will learn the most from—is one of our superpowers. It's important to remember that building relationships within your group takes time. Often, those who seem quite different from you offer the most insightful perspectives. Diverse viewpoints can be incredibly valuable, providing new angles and ideas you might not have considered otherwise. Embracing diversity within your group can lead to richer discussions, deeper understanding, and more meaningful learning experiences. So, we encourage you to stay open and curious about each group member; you may be surprised by how much you can learn from each other. That said, if you feel like you’re not in the right group, reach out to your group facilitator.

We do periodically calibrate groups, and if your group isn’t delivering what you need (or your needs change), we may reconfigure your Sidebar group or move you to a new one.

Sidebar's curriculum is an invitation to experience intentional, facilitated growth, requiring nothing more than your commitment to show up and engage. The environment, the content, and the collective energy of your Sidebar group do the rest, guiding you to achieve your most audacious goals. The program is the product of extensive research and has been honed over thousands of hours of meetings with a diverse global group of leaders and innovators. It blends scientific principles of effective group dynamics with proven coaching practices to foster individual brilliance and collective growth. Here's what to expect:

Structure: Each meeting is carefully structured with a unique goal, agenda, and outcomes.

Progression: Each meeting is carefully sequenced so that insights and actions from each meeting drive progress for the next

Expert facilitation: Every session is led by a highly trained facilitator to guarantee efficient use of time, equitable participation, and a safe space for confidential dialog.

Practical value: Each meeting is engineered to yield practical strategies you can immediately put to work in your personal and professional life, propelling you closer to your goals.

Perhaps most importantly, the Sidebar program is a dynamic, living system, and we are always iterating to make it progressively better.