Ep 233 : Mark Brand – Finding Your Tribe Leadership, Peer Advisory and the Power of Vistage.

In this episode of the Arete Podcast, Richard Triggs sits down with Mark Brand, Vistage Practice Chair, executive coach and leadership facilitator, to explore the value of peer advisory, the realities of leadership and why having the right people around you can make such a difference in business. Mark currently leads multiple Vistage peer advisory groups across Brisbane and South East Queensland, working with CEOs, founders, business owners and senior executives. Alongside his work with Vistage, he continues to contribute to leadership development and coach training across Australia and New Zealand. Mark shares his varied career journey, from starting his own business in his early twenties to working across technology, labour hire, career transition and executive coaching before ultimately becoming a Vistage Chair. Richard and Mark explore the distinction between coaching, mentoring and advisory work, and how leaders benefit from having access to people who can challenge their thinking while still supporting their success. Mark describes Vistage as a place where executives can have conversations they may not be able to have anywhere else, supported by confidentiality, accountability and the shared experience of other business leaders. They also discuss the vulnerability required from CEOs and founders, the importance of challenging limiting beliefs and the concept of “carefrontation” — confronting someone’s thinking from a genuine position of care. The conversation also explores what sustainable business growth can look like, why some leaders struggle to receive challenge from within their own organisations and how experienced executives can continue contributing to the business community later in their careers through coaching, mentoring and peer advisory roles.