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The Importance of Peer Learning

It can be lonely at the top of an organization. While frontline employees have each other to lean on, executives and senior leaders can end up feeling isolated. Why? They often lack colleagues for discussions about improving their companies, managing their teams, and being successful leaders.

Peer-to-peer learning can and should play a key role in a business leader’s development. By joining a peer network, you can garner fresh ideas, skills, and perspectives from like-minded leaders who understand your industry and business model. 

Peer networks facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas. They provide a venue for business leaders to share their struggles, celebrate their victories, gain fresh perspectives, and learn new skills. They also promote critical thinking and true collaboration. Peers can identify your biases, challenge your preconceptions, and guide you and your company toward better solutions. 

What’s more, research shows that leaders who belong to peer networks tend to run companies that outperform industry averages.

How a PIMA Membership Can Help With Peer Learning

PIMA is a network of high-performing insurance and financial services executives. Its members are eager to exchange insights, discuss industry trends, and form professional relationships. 

PIMA puts great stock in peer-to-peer learning, offering several avenues for knowledge sharing, networking, and collaborating. PIMA’s members-only online portal hosts discussion forums and interest groups that allow business leaders to seek and share advice on best practices, common pain points, and industry changes. 

In addition, PIMA offers downloadable resources such as case studies and whitepapers to its members. It also frequently publishes educational e-newsletters and magazines that feature articles written by industry thought leaders.

Are you interested in forming strategic partnerships? Members can browse PIMA’s proprietary online member directory to spark conversations. In addition to company profiles that highlight the products and services that member organizations offer, each member has an individual profile to provide contact information and biography information. As a result, this directory is a valuable resource for leaders who seek specific advice from specific sources.

At various points throughout the year, PIMA also hosts in-person peer learning opportunities. Its semiannual conferences, for example, feature presentations from fellow members. One recent presentation offered a firsthand account of how a president and CEO identified, navigated, and overcame a ransomware attack. Attendees also enjoy using PIMA’s event app to connect and schedule one-on-one meetings between group sessions.

Here’s what some business leaders have to say about the benefits of peer-to-peer learning with PIMA: 

• “I’m engaging with my peers and learning we’re facing the same challenges.”
• “I’ve been in different roles throughout my career. In each of my roles, I got something different. Collectively, it has been great to be able to talk to peers and take that back to my organization.”
• “We participate in PIMA to collaborate, brainstorm, and then apply what we’ve learned.”

Published on April 17, 2020.

PIMA^® (Professional Insurance Marketing Association^®) is a member-driven trade association focused exclusively on the group-sponsored benefits market. For more information on becoming a member, click here.