Vistage International Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Vistage International

Pros – The mission of the company is a fabulous one.

Cons – Exceptionally high turnover (60+%), zero top down communication, no standards for sharing legacy information with new employees, departments operate as isolated entities rather than functioning cooperatively, lack of acknowledgement of employee accomplishments, high pressure environment where it is unnecessary. The company is owned in part by Michael Milken who is far from respected for his business accumen.

Advice to Senior Management – STOP THE TURNOVER... replace leadership elements who create the toxic work environment and prevent positive growth/progress. Return to the original purpose of the organization rather than focusing solely on revenue growth - especially in a challenged economy. Create programs whereby employees feel valued rather than abused. Leverage your exising talent for nurtured growth.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Vistage International as a contractor for more than a year

Pros – You are your own boss, it can be rewarding work, good group of peers. Good mentoring by Lead Chair. If you are very aggressive, are a good closer, and in a growing market, you can make a decent living.

Cons – Very rigid formula for success, condescending attitude to Chairs from home office support staff, minimum of 2 years before you have a shot at success. Very big on writing out and saying scripts verbatim to prospective members.

Given the alternatives to how CEOs try to grow their business, Vistage has an antiquated business model that is overpriced.

Advice to Senior Management – Stop trying to grow market share at the expense of existing Chairs. Protect existing Chairs -- meaning, stop adding Chairs in maxed markets -- and provide them with marketing support. Help keep their groups full and grow new ones. Be honest with new Chairs about the lifecycle of Chairs and be candid about prospects for success.

Treat your Chairs like customers. That's the best piece of advice I can give. For all the talk about "helping you to be successful," oftentimes you feel like just another 1099, outsourced salesforce.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Vistage International

Pros – A place to learn, grow and work, with others who value these core values. The core values are so well estgablished that they drive success.

Cons – Senior managers are hire guns, and since they don't do "the work" the core value are simply words to them.

Advice to Senior Management – Learn from those that do the work. Let the field drive growth. Don't try to disintermediate the Chairs or they will disintermediate you.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Vistage International

Pros – The mission of the organization. Externally, the work done by the Vistage Chairs is exceptional and helps lead small to medium sized business owners to success professionally and personally.

Cons – Vistage Headquarters. The executives (they make up one fourth of the staff) do not communicate or work well together. The lack of collaboration at the top impacts the entire organization. The staff level employees are expected to work long hours with little pay (compared to similar positions at similar sized companies). The long hours are mostly based on turnover. The turnover is so high that most end up taking on the work of two or three employees. If you prove that you are capable and willing to take on that type of workload they will not replace the positions of those that left or were terminated.

My recommendation to a person considering working for Vistage is to run! The employee morale could not be any lower. Within an extremely short time frame new employees are miserable to be involved in this type of corporate culture. Up front promises and talk about improving corporate culture are constant, but consistently fall far short of the desired result.

Do your research, the positive feedback about the organization comes from our Chairs doing the work. Their role and work is admirable. Their work is separate from what occurs at the office located in San Diego.

Advice to Senior Management – Practice what you preach! Spend more time training your management than training your staff, it starts at the top. Treat your employees with respect.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Vistage International

Pros – The "worker bees" are good solid people with the desire to do a good job. They soon realize they are not appreciated and morale takes a dive.

Cons – The Executive Leadership team in Vistage is some of the worst I've seen. The incidents of deception, lies and unprofessional conduct are so extreme, I'm surprised the company has survived this long.

In a two year period the rate of employee turnover was 65%, the morale there is constantly at a low. This is an environment of fear not leadership.

Advice to Senior Management – Bring on true professionals who are dedicated to the mission and the employees who come in each day and give their all. Right now leadership are dedicated to their own agendas.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Vistage International

Pros – A place where employees can start in one position and move steadily upward into positions of increasing responsibility. Senior leadership is exceedingly transparent about the organization's financial status. There is also ample opportunity for professional growth.

Cons – As noted elsewhere, the company should do more to embrace alternate work schedules. There should also be more consistency in communications and a more streamlined project approval process.

Advice to Senior Management – Continue to hire outstanding employees and do everything possible to retain them.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend