Alliance Perspectives

First Time CEO Advice That Experienced Leaders Wish They Had Known
September 25, 2020

Over the course of his four decade entrepreneurial career, Alliance Founder & CEO Paul Witkay has learned his fair share of tough business lessons. Here, he shares some thoughts for first-time CEOs in the hope that these six points will help lay a strong foundation for their long-term success.

Case categories include: Executive Development   Founder’s Insights   Leadership   

Diversity Matters
June 05, 2019

It’s more comfortable to surround ourselves with people who share similar views and values. But we must learn to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. The world is changing more rapidly than ever and our ability to change typically happens when we think differently than we did before. Therefore, it’s imperative that we seek out as many intelligent people as we can with experience, knowledge and ideas different from our own. In this article, Alliance Founder & CEO, Paul Witkay, describes the need for CEOs to surround themselves with intelligent diversity so they will be better equipped to think creatively, and to make big, strategic decisions that move their organizations forward.

Case categories include: Executive Development   Founder’s Insights   Leadership   

How Anyone Can Achieve Breakthrough Thinking
October 20, 2017

While the world is changing at an exponential rate of speed as industry after industry is being transformed, most CEOs are either seeking breakthrough ideas that will disrupt back, or are in fear of falling behind – or both. Here, Alliance Founder & CEO Paul Witkay shares four types of breakthroughs as learned from Olivia Fox Cabane and Judah Pollack’s latest book, The Net and the Butterfly: The Art and Practice of Breakthrough Thinking. The authors describe not only their findings based on neuroscience, but also provide practical tools one can use to increase the probability for creating breakthrough ideas.

Case categories include: Entrepreneurship   Executive Development   Founder’s Insights   Leadership   

In Pursuit of Smarter, Better Leadership
May 30, 2017

Every successful CEO strives to be more effective, make better decisions and become more productive, which are key reasons why we bring leaders together at the Alliance of CEOs. Learned through Charles Duhigg’s new book, Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity, Alliance Founder & CEO Paul Witkay shares three valuable concepts for improving individual productivity.

Case categories include: Executive Development   Founder’s Insights   Leadership   

The CEO Answers to Everyone, but How?
October 13, 2017

Accountability for CEOs can range widely depending on the structure, size, ownership and stage of the business. But the bottom line is that CEOs are accountable for delivering on their promises to all stakeholders and doing what is best for the organization. Learn how Alliance members Sunil Bhatia of Infogain, Christopher Burnley of Corefact, Jonathan Corr of Ellie Mae, Craig Goehring of Brown and Caldwell, JR Matthews of Tregaron Capital, Sean McCarthy of CytomX Therapeutics, and Doug Murray of Big Switch Networks, meet the complexities of accountability head on.

Case categories include: Entrepreneurship   Executive Development   Leadership   

How To Avoid Throttling Your Startup’s Growth And The Burnout That Comes Next
July 24, 2017

New businesses that tap into large and severely under-met needs are destined to grow rapidly. But if the founders starve the company of capital, their conservativism eventually will kill growth. Even more important, it will burn out the founders. It is also avoidable. The story of Koshland Pharm and its Founder, Alliance member Peter Koshland, illustrates this well. In this Forbes article from Alliance Director and Founding Principal of CEO to CEO, Robert Sher, learn how the key to stability and long-term sustainability for growing, profitable businesses is increasing throughput.

Case categories include: Executive Development   Leadership   Operations   Strategy & Planning   

Stop (Frequently) and Think About the Big Picture
September 27, 2016

With so many demands on their time, CEOs often struggle to take pause and give unfettered thought to the long-term plan. In a recent Alliance meeting, the gathered CEOs were inspired by the approach of Alliance member Sid Nandi, Founder & CEO of TeqTron. This case study focuses on his successful steps to set aside time, think about goals, plan for the long-term, and keep on track for success, all while maintaining transparency and accountability to his greatest assets – his employees.

Case categories include: Entrepreneurship   Executive Development   Leadership   Marketing   Operations   Sales   Strategy & Planning   Technology   

How I Became a CEO
August 10, 2016

In this feature story, Alliance members Kirsten Bay of Cyber adAPT, Rachel Haurwitz of Caribou Biosciences, Nadim Maluf of Qnovo, Sameer Padhye of FixStream Networks, Chris Rivielle of Plant Construction and Timothy Robertson of Vium, talk about the expectations and challenges that came with sitting in the top chair.

Case categories include: Entrepreneurship   Executive Development   Leadership   Strategy & Planning   

Scaling Up Starts with Looking In
October 21, 2015

Businesses are run by people. When people liberate themselves from indecision resulting from insecurity, their businesses benefit and are more suited to scaling up. This case study features Alliance member, Rajesh C. Subramaniam, CEO & Founder of embedUR systems, who made good use of an Alliance presentation designed to identify and present the obstacles of his business' growth, and questioned whether Rajesh was a contributing factor.

Case categories include: Executive Development   Finance   Leadership   

CFO: Need to Know
October 24, 2014

Today’s CFO faces more challenges than ever. Staying ahead of vital business trends is one of those challenges. Hear from a panel of Ernst & Young professionals and CFOs, include Alliance member, Rick Martig, as they discuss what every CFO needs to know about digital.

Case categories include: Executive Development   M&A   Technology   Trends   

How Mid-Market Companies Can Develop High-Performers
July 25, 2012

How important is it for mid-market companies to have employees who consistently strive to perform at high levels? Should mid-market CEOs worry when some employees are unenthused with their work? The answer is an emphatic yes - if strong company growth is crucial. Find out the causes of a disengaged workforce and the keys behind creating a high-performance culture that can make a real difference for the mid-market firm.

Case categories include: Executive Development   Leadership   Strategy & Planning   

Member Survey: CEO Compensation
July 03, 2012

CEOs put their heart and soul into the companies they lead or found. But with a poor contract or weak negotiations, the board or a sale can leave them significantly under-rewarded.

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Case categories include: CEO Survey   Executive Development   

Why a Loyal CEO Can Be Deadly
April 30, 2012

Chief executives who are loyal to their lieutenants can be the enemies of performance. Such CEOs have kept many a company from hitting its numbers and sunk more than a few. A company whose senior managers are coasting on long ago accomplishments is a company that isn't firing on all cylinders.

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Case categories include: Executive Development   Leadership   

Spurring Government Bureaucracy to Action
July 23, 2010

Summary: Finding a way to reach people at the top levels of a government bureaucracy requires time and planning, and is one of the most important roles for a CEO. Eric McAfee, CEO of AE Biofuels, had been waiting for more than a year for his business to get funding from a grant program until he launched a three-step campaign that eventually pushed bureaucracy into action.

Case categories include: Executive Development   Strategy & Planning   

Your Loan Is In or Near Default—Here’s What You Should Do
March 10, 2009

Scott Smith of Hanson Bridgett provides guidance to business owners on how to prevent loan defaults, as well as what to do if one occurs.

Case categories include: Executive Development   Finance