On the basis of a personal recommendation, a questionnaire and a personal interview, the ELN Board composes groups consisting of 5-7 participants.

The criteria are: Comparable responsibility, a mixture of privately owned companies and corporations, and diversity in industries and functions. Special attention is paid to ensure the companies and institutions in question are unrelated.

Each group is facilitated by an experienced management consultant, the ELN Coach. For the minimum of a complete cycle, which consists of 6 meetings, the composition of the group, including the coach, remains unchanged.

Towards the end of a cycle, each group member decides if s/he wants to participate in a further cycle. There are numerous variations in continuing, such as: continuation with the same group and the same coach or change of group and/or coach.