Pod Circles
Insightful, Empowering, Connected
What is a Pod?
- A selected international group of 6 C-Level leaders from similar management levels but different industries
- Commitment to meet 6 times a year in an atmosphere of confidentiality, vulnerability, trust, openness to share in each other’s business experiences, challenges and opportunities
- Pods are conducted by a skilled and experienced moderator
- Pods are each 3 hours over a light non-alcoholic dinner, excluding the months of August and December
- Pods offer in addition several Mixers, professionally and personally
- Annual membership fee is 2,100 Euros, excluding VAT
| A Pod is NOT about... | coaching, mentoring, being passive, a therapy group, a social members club, a chit chatty group, a competitive environment, a need to deliver |
| A Pod is about... | commitment, peer coaching, bench marking, being active, appreciating that “I am not alone”, structured, time kept, confidential, and discussions are guided by a trained moderator |
"Experiencing one of Anna's CEO Pods has been an opportunity for me to look into my own business challenges in the context of other industries, cultures and professional backgrounds. The change of sceneries, yet relating to similar stories, allows for a very insightful perspective on how I can improve further."
Eloi Malta-Bey, Former Managing Director, Head of South East Europe Market, TMF Group
"Being part of a POD is like being part of a close-knit family, where trust and honesty are the cornerstones of our discussions. We thrive on the warmth of the teamwork and the shared passion for our goals. Together, we create an environment that fosters development, encourages open communication and values each individual's unique contributions. Great to be part of the journey."
Robert Wagner, Head of Image Guided Therapy and Health Systems Marketing, CEE, Country Head Hungary, Philips
PERSONAL GROWTH
International Pod members grow from exposure to other members business and personal experiences. An effective Pod is a powerful platform for strengthening their EQ skills (emotional intelligence), stepping into the other's shoes, developing themselves as better leaders, becoming inspired and more importantly a reminder that they are "not alone" in their roles
Benefits
BUSINESS BENEFIT
By being exposed, listening and sharing with different industry leaders, Pod members grow and take away fresh perspectives, coaching tools and insights adding value in their own company and teams, allowing them to benchmark with other industries, sharing concerns/challenges/opportunities in a safe space and reaching a level of trust and depth that they do not receive in other platforms
"For me the biggest value of a Pod is to have the opportunity to reflect my own thoughts and leadership practices in confidential, diverse and psychological environment. It is great to learn from other senior leaders, who are facing similar situations at work and in their private lives. Coming originally from Finland, Pods offers me also an opportunity to widen my business network in Hungary."
Heli Aalto, Managing Director, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kone
"Being a POD member goes beyond sharing and learning; it was an enabler for my integration into the culture of the country, a trusted place with amazing insights and most importantly building deep friendships with an amazing group of string and inspirations peers."
Sonia Dimogli-Stathi, former Managing Director Hungary, The Coca-Cola Company
uniqueness
Pod Circles remains an exclusive, member-based platform that purposefully selects new leaders based on gender, nationality, industry and emotional intelligence. This ensures that the Circles continue to cultivate a high-calibre community where genuine connections are made effortlessly, and no ice needs breaking.
"We are all from diverse industries, leading various size companies in different periods of its life cycle, but we are all leaders and humans. The intimacy and openness of these Pod discussion are so unique and valuable. With Anna’s moderation, it's like a little living MBA course in TOP management."
Timea Pesti, Managing Director, LeasePlan, Hungary
"One of the biggest concerns top managers face nowadays is loneliness. We want to be energizing and motivating towards our people while we sometimes need to share and discuss our concerns and frustrations with someone. Anna found a great way to bring people with these management challenges together and put our actions into different perspectives. Top managers have common problems regardless of the industry we are in. In our Pod we found peers, could connect and became friends and while listening and challenging each other towards a solution...and all this is done in a comforting setting."
Tibor Bodor, Country Manager, ING Wholesale Banking Hungary
MODEL OF A PRESENT POD
01
SETTING
18.30
Welcome and a safety container of confidentiality and no judgement is created together, introduce agenda, assign timekeeper (10 min)
18.40
Icebreaker (1 min pp)
18.50
Updates – all participants share their highs and lows from work without interruptions, no small talk (5 min timed per person)
02
the core
19.30 – 20.15
Moderated discussion based on themes that have come up from sharing in the updates and members’s MIT (most important topic). Themes can turn into deeper exploration of a member’s challenge or present issue which s/he is willing to share and get new perspectives, guiding the Pod into self-reflection and new learnings. Themes that have been discussed are: how do you practice leadership resilience? How do you assess a team’s problems with compassion? How do you help teams embrace change? Building trust with your colleagues for more effective teamwork. Every voice gets heard through asking questions, sharing experiences and more importantly with no judgement and no advice giving (45 min)
20.15
Break (10 min)
20.25
Second Hot T0pic/Exploration is explored through shared experiences (45 min)
03
the wrap up
21.10
personal takeaways, confidentiality reminder, housekeeping, feedback for next session (20 min)
21.30
END A non-alcoholic light dinner is served according to the agenda to assure as little interruptions as possible.
“For me, the PODs circle is a business incubator, where people can be weak, tired, confused or even in a fighting
mood - but this special top management environment, professional and human attention, experience, and
openness can really put things right. I'm not alone.”
mood - but this special top management environment, professional and human attention, experience, and
openness can really put things right. I'm not alone.”
Dr. Ágnes Fábián, President/ Managing Director, Adhesives for Consumers & Craftsmen, Henkel, Hungary
"Anna’s Pods are easily among the safest places I have ever been to. She has a way to make Pod members – who are usually complete strangers to each other at the beginning – immediately feel not just welcome, but also trusted and valued for who they are and what they do. Right from the start she creates an encompassing atmosphere in which you get to feel what you very rarely feel in business: that you are ok, and others are ok too.
Gyorgy Nagy, Country Manager, Sigma Technology Hungary