Throughout my years of working for Alliance Strategies, I have personally seen that our biggest asset is being surrounded by motivated people who are genuinely dedicated to our vision of building and maintaining long-standing relationships.
First, we have our employers across the globe who have hired our fabulous participants over the years and do everything they can to preserve their connection with us. Then, there are our recruiting partners that we deal with in so many different countries around the world, typically maintaining business with us on a 10-to-15-year basis.
For our participants, we essentially have an eco-structure in place with a great feed of excellent talent coming from amazing places. They recognize our brand because their friends or brothers and sisters have experienced the program and have had a great experience, so they are encouraged to take their own first step to become involved.
Circling back to our hosting employers and recruiting partners, they most likely have already dealt with the friends or family members of the new participants. In that sense, our whole pattern has a very nurturing and familial feel from start to finish because it is laid upon a foundation where everyone recognizes that they are all dependent upon each other for success. If one of the pieces breaks, then that is exactly where the fix needs to take place.
Ordinarily, a breakdown occurs when one of the links in the chain recognizes that the cultural fit is not quite there due to a misunderstanding or lack of chemistry that is no fault of anyone’s. As we evaluate each new challenge, we are able to work together to fix the issue and make it right, perhaps by trying another cultural location or connecting a different set of people.
What is truly important in all situations is that we see our work in action. I often ask, “Can you feel the magic?” Every chance we have to visit our hosting employers with participants onsite gives us that fresh and amazing opportunity to talk to each individual involved and see first-hand how well everything is going. The impact of our programs is truly demonstrated by the stories told by every single person.
It is in those moments that I hear incredible experiences from participants who explain how they are determined to take what they have learned back to their home country and creatively develop the same entrepreneurial spirit that they have been given. As we capture those stories and share them with others, a wide spectrum of emotions comes out—joy, because it’s making such a difference in their lives, or even sadness, when some elements could have been better. Best of all are encountering those participants who are simply bubbling over and you recognize that they are a true superstar.
Even as we revel in each new successes of our programs, our staff also understand the importance of maintaining existing connections. Since we deeply care about where our participants are going next, we seek to encourage them on each next step of their journey, whether it means joining another program or acting as an inspiration for others like an ambassador.
Obviously, the big challenge is for those who grow up in isolated areas and do not have easy access to opportunities for mentorships but live with a deeper hunger for more. I would personally love to bring Alliance Strategies to a place where anyone from any part of the globe can easily find and tap into what we offer, regardless of their economic situation. After all, we never intended to create an elitist program but want to continue building upon our foundation and existing tactical tools to make sure that the barrier to entry is extremely minimal.
Looking forward, we are dedicated to maintaining relationships by encouraging everyone to recognize how all of us as humans have much more in common than we might first realize. After all, once we truly start to see our inherent similarities with people who might look or speak differently than we do, we learn how we all have a unique connection with one another that just needs to be discovered.
James Bell
CEO,
Alliance Strategies
