Launching our Thought Partner Introduction Service

Here are details about our new thought partner introduction service.

We have been introducing mentors within the London CTOs for many years now, but today we are launching something new. A thought partner introduction service.

What is a thought partner?

MJ Petroni wrote a great article on Thought Partnership, he described it as the practice of sharing ideas and experience with others and different from a mentoring relationship because the thought partnership is mutually beneficial.

"Thought partnership is the practice of sharing ideas and experience with others to help them navigate complex challenges. This sounds a lot like advice or mentorship, but the key difference is that thought partnership is always mutually beneficial." MJ Petroni

It's lonely at the top

One thing that people often don't realise until they are in an executive role is how lonely it can be at the top. Whilst you have others in your leadership team, you are often the one expected to come up with the answers and it can be difficult, especially in challenging times.

You need a sounding board

Sometimes you do not need to connect with a mentor, you are not looking for a coach or an advisor, you just want to discuss a challenge through with someone. Someone who is often at a similar level to you, but perhaps with different experiences. Someone that can challenge you, offer a unique perspective and just help you work through the problem. This is the role played by a thought partner.

The thing about a thought partner relationship is that this is an equal relationship, this is not a teacher-pupil relationship, not a client-customer relationship, it's an equal relationship.

Sometimes this thought partner role is played by someone you went to university with or someone you happened to meet at a recent event... but often there just isn't the right person to speak to.

"When you pair with people who think like you do, you resonate—becoming a ‘sounding board’ for each others’ best ideas. When you pair with people who think differently than you do, you complement—stretching each others’ view of a situation to find and sort useful new approaches to a problem." MJ Petroni

Thought partners on tap

Our new thought partner introduction service is designed to enable you to connect to thought partners, as often as you like. If you don't have any friends or associates at a similar level that you feel comfortable reaching out to, then you can sign up to our new service. Just enter your details, your current challenges, the kind of person you'd like to meet and we will do what we can to connect you to other London CTOs members we feel could be a good match for you.