Leo Bottary is the founder and managing partner at Peernovation, LLC. He is a keynote speaker, author, workshop facilitator, adjunct professor, and thought leader on the topic of peer advantage. Peer influence is something you’ve experienced for your entire life, often without a great deal of thought or effort. Peer advantage is what can be realized when you engage your peers in a manner that’s more selective, strategic, and structured.
During his tenure at Vistage Worldwide, Leo directed a thought leadership initiative on the power of peers in business, which resulted in a book he coauthored with Leon Shapiro titled: The Power of Peers: How the Company You Keep Drives Leadership, Growth & Success. The premise of the book is as simple as it is powerful. Who you surround yourself with matters and, because of this, business leaders can help each other in ways they just won’t find anywhere else. It’s essentially provides a look into how and why formal peer groups are so powerful.
Leo’s new book is titled: What Anyone Can Do: How Surrounding Yourself with the Right People Will Drive Change, Opportunity, and Personal Growth. With the help of Leo’s Year of the Peer podcast guests (and illustrations by Ryan Foland), you’ll discover that success isn’t enjoyed only by people possessing superhuman qualities; it’s also realized by those who enlist the support of others to help them do the things anyone can do that most of us never will. The narrative steps outside the formal peer group arena to examine all the important relationships we have in our lives (parents, teachers, spouses, mentors, children, mentees, etc.) and how if we enlisted their support more frequently and pointedly, we would all do the things anyone can do far more often.
In addition to his work as a speaker and thought leader on the topic of peer advantage, Leo also serves as an instructor for Rutgers University and Opinion Columnist for CEOWORLD Magazine. Prior to that, he was an adjunct professor for two of Seton Hall University’s graduate programs, where he led online learning teams and on campus residencies. In April 2015, he was named adjunct teacher of the year for its College of Communication and the Arts.
Before joining Vistage in 2010, Leo enjoyed a 25-year career counseling leaders in strategic communication. During that time, he served as a Senior Vice President (Corporate Practice) and Director of Client Service for the US at Hill & Knowlton. He also founded an award-winning public relations agency, which he sold in 2000.
Leo earned a BA from Jacksonville University, an MA in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University, and completed his doctoral coursework (organizational leadership concentration) at Northeastern University.
