Insights Into the PE World
THE MAINSHEETOP BLOG
Listening to the ‘Leaners’: A Critical Lesson in Business Transformation Analysis
Millions from both sides of the political aisle – including the pollsters and pundits who predicted a Clinton victory – are understandably flummoxed by the outcome of the recent presidential election. How did so many get it so wrong? And for our purposes, can any of these lessons extend to those of us in the business of private equity investing? As it turns out, the answer to both of these questions lies less in the polling data political experts used to (incorrectly) predict the election’s results, and more in the habits of conventional thinking [...]
Operating Partners: Friend or Foe?
In the very earliest days of a newly acquired portfolio company, “I’m from corporate and I’m here to help” is probably one of the worst things that a leadership team can hear, particularly coming from operating partners. While that “help” can be of immense value, the initial reaction is usually one of defensiveness. The role of Operating Partner within the PE world is very much a live issue, but if you have chosen to pursue that route it’s worth considering how to maximise the effectiveness of the role and, frankly, give your Operating Partners [...]
Keeping the Main Thing, the Main Thing
I learned early on in my career the problems of the “busy fool syndrome.” In my first role, we worked on solving organisation problems, usually as solo analysts and with multiple projects at any point in time. We became professional plate spinners. This makes for a great spectacle but of itself does not add value. In contrast, in my second career role, we looked at redesigning failing areas of the organisation using dedicated multidisciplinary teams. We designed out issues that would have been considered problems to solve in my first role. This resulted in quicker and deeper change. [...]