12 Leadership Communities Worth Joining in 2026

2. Chief - Best for private, vetted women executive groups

• Audience: Senior women executives with 15+ years of experience
• Size: 20,000+ members
• Membership Cost: Apply to join (pricing not listed)
• Platform: Website, member portal, in-person clubhouses, virtual and in-person events

Chief is a private, application-only membership network for senior women executives, co-founded in 2019 by Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan. It's built specifically for women leaders with 15+ years of experience who want peer connection and executive development at the level they've actually reached.

Why join? Chief's Core Groups give you structured, guided peer advisory sessions with other vetted executives—something you won't find in most open-access leadership networks. You'll also get quarterly Wharton Executive Education courses, access to physical Clubhouses in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., and invitations to ChiefX summits and curated industry events like CES and SXSW. I'd especially recommend it if you're a senior-level woman leader looking for a high-trust peer group and ongoing development that matches where you are in your career.

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3. Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) - Best for global CEO peer networking

• Audience: Chief executives under 45 leading large companies
• Size: 38,000+ members
• Membership Cost: From $4,790
• Platform: YPO Connect platform, local chapters, in-person and virtual events

Founded in 1950, Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) is a global, member-led nonprofit community for chief executives under 45 who lead companies meeting strict size and revenue thresholds. It's one of the most established CEO peer networks in the world, with 38,000+ members across local chapters globally.

Why join? YPO's Forum model is what sets it apart—you're placed in a small, confidential peer group where you can speak openly about business and personal challenges with other CEOs at the same stage. Beyond your Forum, you'll get access to thousands of local, regional, and global events each year, plus executive learning programs developed with institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and the London Business School. I'd recommend it if you're a qualifying chief executive who wants both a trusted peer circle and access to world-class leadership development at scale.

4. Vistage - Best for coach-led CEO peer groups

• Audience: CEOs and business owners of small to midsize companies
• Size: 45,000+ members
• Membership Cost: Pricing upon request
• Platform: Local in-person groups, Vistage website, workshops, virtual events

Founded in 1957, Vistage is the world's largest peer advisory organization for CEOs and business owners of small to midsize companies, with 45,000+ members across 40 countries. It's run by trained Vistage Chairs—former executives who facilitate local peer groups and provide one-to-one coaching.

Why join? What makes Vistage different is the combination of a monthly full-day peer group meeting, a dedicated 1:1 coaching session with your Chair, and expert-led workshops—all in a single membership. Your group is deliberately composed of non-competing business leaders, so you can be candid about real challenges without the politics. I'd recommend it for CEOs and owners of established companies who want a structured, coach-supported development experience rather than a looser networking community.

5. Athena Alliance - Best for women pursuing board seats

• Audience: Senior women executives and board-ready leaders
• Size: 3,000+ members
• Membership Cost: From $3,500/year
• Platform: Athena website, virtual events, in-person gatherings, annual summits

Athena Alliance is a membership community for senior women executives who want to build portfolio careers—think board seats, advisory roles, investments, and founder ventures. It's a women-only network with a strong track record: 600+ members have landed board seats through the community.

Why join? What sets Athena apart is the concierge-style support—every member gets a dedicated Member Engagement Advisor who makes personalized introductions, holds you accountable, and helps you target the right rooms. Beyond that, you'll get access to intimate virtual salons, cohort-based Academy courses (covering topics like AI and venture), and 100+ in-person gatherings a year. I'd recommend it specifically if you're a senior-level woman executive with your sights set on a board seat or a broader portfolio of leadership roles.

6. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) - Best for HR leadership development

• Audience: HR professionals and people leaders at all career stages
• Size: 340,000+ members
• Membership Cost: From $49/year
• Platform: SHRM website, SHRM Connect, local chapters, conferences, webinars, executive retreats

Founded in 1948, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world's largest HR professional association, with 340,000+ members across 180 countries. It's the go-to community for HR professionals and people leaders at every career stage—from practitioners to CHROs.

Why join? SHRM gives you access to SHRM Connect (a 24/7 peer networking platform), local chapters for in-person connection, and major conferences like All Things Work and BLUEPRINT. If you're a senior HR leader, the invite-only SHRM Executive Network adds a more exclusive layer—think retreats, roundtables, and a dedicated relationship manager. I'd say SHRM is one of the most credible HR leadership communities out there, and the certifications (SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP) alone make the membership worth considering.

7. The Conference Board - Best for confidential executive peer groups

• Audience: Senior executives at large global enterprises
• Membership Cost: Pricing upon request
• Platform: Website, myTCB member portal, in-person councils, conferences, virtual events

Founded in 1916, The Conference Board is a global nonprofit think tank and business membership organization built for senior executives at large enterprises across all industries. It combines proprietary economic research with invitation-only peer Councils—small groups of ~40 executives who meet confidentially under Chatham House Rule.

Why join? The Councils are what set The Conference Board apart—they're vendor-free, off-the-record spaces where you can speak candidly with same-level peers about the challenges you're actually facing. Beyond the Councils, you'll get access to proprietary data like the Consumer Confidence Index® and CEO Confidence surveys, plus Center Briefings, roundtables, and summits spanning topics from governance to human capital. I'd recommend this one if you're a C-suite leader at a large company who wants research-backed peer exchange—not just networking.

8. Association for Talent Development (ATD) - Best for leadership development practitioners

• Audience: L&D and talent development professionals worldwide
• Size: 30,000+ members
• Membership Cost: From $299
• Platform: Website, online community, webinars, conferences, local chapters

Founded in 1943, the Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world's largest professional association for talent development and L&D practitioners, with 30,000+ members across 120+ countries. It's run as a nonprofit and serves professionals who design, deliver, and lead learning and development at their organizations.

Why join? ATD is the right fit if you're in an L&D or talent development role—not for general executives, but for the people building leadership programs and learning strategies. Membership gives you access to a private online community, research reports, tools, and deep discounts on ATD's certifications (APTD and CPTD) and its annual International Conference & EXPO, which is the largest L&D conference in the world. The 100+ local chapters are also worth mentioning—if you want in-person connection with peers in your region, that's a genuinely useful feature.

9. International Leadership Association (ILA) - Best for leadership scholars and educators

• Audience: Leadership scholars, educators, coaches, and practitioners worldwide
• Membership Cost: From $140
• Platform: Website, webinars, virtual summits, in-person conferences, podcasts

The International Leadership Association (ILA) is a global nonprofit membership community that connects leadership scholars, educators, coaches, and practitioners across 60+ countries. It's organized around advancing leadership as a serious discipline—bridging academic research and real-world practice in a way few other communities do.

Why join? If you're a leadership educator, researcher, or coach who wants to stay connected to both the theory and practice of leadership, ILA's cross-sector network and programming are hard to match. Membership gives you access to live and on-demand webinars, virtual summits (including an AI & Leadership series), an annual global conference, and ILA's peer-reviewed book series and journals. I think the income-tiered dues structure is also worth noting—it makes membership genuinely accessible at different career stages.

10. Chief Executive Network - Best for vetted CEO peer groups

• Audience: Sitting U.S. CEOs of mid-market private companies
• Membership Cost: From $995/year
• Platform: In-person peer groups, virtual meetings, conferences, member portal

Chief Executive Network (CEN) is a vetted peer advisory community run by Chief Executive Group—the publisher behind Chief Executive magazine—designed exclusively for sitting U.S. CEOs. It places you in a custom-matched peer group based on your industry, company size, and geography, with expert-facilitated meetings held in person and virtually throughout the year.

Why join? What sets CEN apart is the 24-hour anonymous peer-match feature—if you're facing an urgent business challenge, you can submit it confidentially and get connected with a CEO who's already navigated it. Beyond peer groups, you'll get access to proprietary benchmarking data on KPIs, compensation, and profitability, plus online masterclasses, leadership conferences, and quarterly briefings with Chief Executive's editorial team.

I'd say this is the right fit if you're a sitting CEO who wants structured, high-accountability peer learning—not just networking.

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11. Ellevate Network - Best for women building leadership careers

• Audience: Professional women seeking leadership and career growth
• Size: 280,000+ members
• Membership Cost: Free
• Platform: Website, Zoom, in-person chapter events, annual summit

Ellevate Network is a global community for professional women that's been connecting and developing women leaders since 1997—originally as 85 Broads before Sallie Krawcheck acquired and rebranded it in 2013. With 280,000+ members worldwide, it's one of the largest networks of its kind, organized as a Certified B Corporation and Women-Owned Business.

Why join? The standout aspect is Ellevate Squads—hand-picked groups of about eight women who meet weekly over 12 weeks via Zoom for structured peer mentoring and accountability, with 8,000+ participants since the program launched. Beyond Squads, you get access to local Chapter meetups in cities around the world, year-round Roundtables, and the annual Mobilize Women Summit. I think this community is a strong fit if you're a woman in any industry who wants both local, in-person connection and a structured virtual support system to grow into leadership.

12. Lean In Circles - Best for free peer mentoring circles

• Audience: Women at all career stages seeking peer support
• Size: 1,000,000+ members
• Membership Cost: Free
• Platform: Website, in-person meetings, virtual meetings (Zoom)

Lean In Circles is a free, grassroots peer mentoring movement launched by Sheryl Sandberg's nonprofit LeanIn.Org following the release of her 2013 book, now spanning 150,000+ Circles across 180+ countries. Each Circle is a small, self-organized group of 8-12 women who meet regularly to work through leadership goals together.

Why join? What sets Lean In Circles apart is the structured-but-accessible format—you get research-backed discussion guides and meeting agendas covering topics like negotiation, confidence, and resilience, so meetings stay focused without requiring a facilitator. If there's no Circle near you, you can start your own for free using Lean In's step-by-step resources and leader training. I think this is the right fit if you want consistent peer accountability without the cost barrier that comes with most leadership communities.

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