I would like to take a moment to reflect on the contributions of our Alliance members who have shaped our community and strengthened our journey. I am honored to have the privilege to work with so many amazing leaders from around the world who are driving impact and positive change throughout their organizations, communities and the world. Our extraordinarily diverse community -- leaders who guide companies of every type from Northern California, across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand -- has generated fresh ideas and valuable connections that propel innovation, growth, and solutions to the real-world challenges and opportunities leaders face today.
Thank you!
For the past 29 years, I have been amazed and inspired by the optimism, creativity, wisdom and insight of the leaders within our community. Our awesome members make the Alliance what it is today, and I am so excited to see where the road ahead takes us!
Paul Witkay, Founder & CEO
The Alliance is truly grateful for all our members who have been willing to share their experiences, challenges, and insights with each other for the past 29 years. We spoke to our members to discover the many ways the Alliance has shaped their leadership journeys. Here we share some of their experiences from throughout the years.
The Alliance was founded during an inflection point when even the most experienced leaders needed to come together to learn how to overcome their challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. Netscape had recently gone public, and it was clear that the Internet was going to create massive change. And, globalization was restructuring supply chains and forcing us to compete on a global basis for customers and talent.
We’ve often viewed the world as a trillion-piece jigsaw puzzle and, although everything is connected, no single person has all the answers. Leaders have tough and lonely jobs, and leadership is critical if we are to address our most urgent and difficult problems and build sustainable organizations. Best-selling author Adam Grant commented:
"When you only listen to the smartest person in the room, you miss out on discovering what the rest of the room is smart about. Everyone you meet knows something you don’t – and has wisdom from experiences you haven’t lived. Every conversation is a chance to learn something new."
Adam Grant
Our first Alliance members were responsible for creating the unique culture of the Alliance, which was launched in the San Francisco Bay Area, arguably the most innovative and diverse community in the world. These leaders came together in safe, confidential environments where they could talk openly, candidly and directly about their biggest challenges and share their visions for the future. They valued input from leaders with different experiences and ideas. They challenged assumptions and supported their fellow CEOs. They were curious life-long learners who looked for ways to help other leaders.
In 1996, our members created the foundation of the Alliance – its culture, philosophy, methodology, which continues to drive our impact today.
During the past 29 years, we have had the privilege to work with innovative leaders who built products and services that are enabling the transformation of every aspect of our lives in ways never imagined.
We believe the Alliance community is uniquely positioned to make a difference in the future, addressing major global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, geopolitical risks, cybersecurity, talent wars, social equity and unrest and aging populations if our next generations are to live healthier lives with sustainable environments and meaningful work.