From Elite Sport to Vistage: Graham Thompson on Peer Group Leadership Coaching and Authentic Business Development
Rebecca interviews Graham Thompson on the Crap To Kickass Coach podcast. Speaking from Indonesia while based in Scotland, Graham explains his work as a Vistage chair running three peer advisory groups (CEOs/business owners/MDs, leaders reporting to CEOs, and smaller business owners) plus an emerging leaders program, combining monthly group days with monthly 1:1 coaching. He shares how his elite sport performance-director background (including curling and water polo) prepared him to coach across industries by focusing on people, mindset, and navigating non-linear growth. Graham recounts entering Vistage via networking in 2019, training moving online in 2020, and the challenge of self-led member recruitment and business development. He describes a referral-led approach using LinkedIn for research and handwritten letters, emphasizing relationships, coffee meetings, and long-term follow-up, and closes by saying he wouldn't change his life given recent personal transitions.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-thompson92/
https://vistage.co.uk/
00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:05 Vistage Coaching Overview
02:13 From Elite Sport to Business
04:13 Curling Olympics Chat
06:21 Leaving Sport and Finding Vistage
07:35 Learning Business Development
11:52 Building a Referral Engine
12:55 Handwritten Letters Strategy
14:06 Why Letters Convert
15:05 Letter Outreach Results
16:15 Authentic Handwritten Touch
17:19 Follow Up With Confidence
18:37 Make Prospecting Fun
19:00 LinkedIn Over Websites
20:13 Coffee Chats Win Business
21:10 Long Game Relationships
23:07 Coaching Journey Privilege
24:22 Community Beyond Membership
25:19 One Year Left Question
26:07 Warm Farewell
