St. Cloud's Professional Dialogue Groups Accepting Applications

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) - Applications are now available for St. Cloud’s Professional Dialogue Group.

Get our free mobile app

The program works to foster open and frank communications between small groups of business owners from different area businesses.

Doug Cook is the owner and senior value advisor for Headwaters Strategic Succession Consulting and a long-time group participant. He says the goal is to share solutions to common problems.

Well, it is composed of people who generally are looking to continuously improve and continuously be educated. The group is really business owners and managers who are from private businesses, government, and nonprofits, and the programs through the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, and just provide a supportive and collaborative environment for professionals to share experiences, ideas, and challenges all confidentially. That's, that's one of the most important parts is the confidential piece.

Applications are now available for the fall cohort of the Professional Dialogue Group are being accepted at the Chamber. The groups are set to start meeting in September.

The applicants will be sorted into small groups with similarities in their business, but not in competition with each other.

The groups meet once a month, and the meetings can focus on a wide variety of topics. Cook says the topics are chosen mostly by the group’s members.

Some of the topics we explore are leadership strategies, team building, employee retention, growth strategies, work-life balance comes up a lot. The nice thing is that it's what we decide.

The group members must be from businesses that belong to the St. Cloud Area Chamber.

For more information on the Professional Dialogue Groups, find details here.