Serving as the leader or CEO of an organization of any size can be a difficult and lonely job. Fortunately, there are many tools available to help you become a better leader–including things like going back to school to get your MBA, reading books, and, of course, learning on the job.
But there is also another way to accelerate your learning curve on your way to becoming a better leader: by joining a CEO peer group.

A CEO peer group is a made up of a group of CEOs, ideally who run companies of similar sizes and complexity, that meet regularly to work through business-related issues. These groups are either facilitated by member of the group or by an outside professional who has deep business expertise.

Peer groups are different than networking groups, which are informal meetings typically sponsored by a local business or organization. What makes a peer group different, especially the best ones, is that you have to pay to join one–especially one that is facilitated by a professional. The smaller and more specialized the peer group is, and the more experienced its facilitator, the more expensive it can be.

But given all the other things you could invest your time and money in, why would you want to join one of these groups? Here are 10 reasons why it’s worth joining a CEO peer group.