Is securing that initial, primary investment a goal of yours as an SME owner/founder?
Private Equity funding has the potential to revolutionise business performance, fast-track your growth journey, and bring you closer to realising your ambitions.
Embarking on a PE journey can be uncharted territory for many SME owners. One of the initial requirements of PE investors is to establish a senior leadership team that aligns with their rigorous standards and the unique challenges of your journey. But how can you determine ‘what good looks like’ in this context?
‘What good looks like’
Different business leaders adopt various approaches to address this question. Some rely on gut instinct, others seek references, some look for years of experience within the same industry and some look for the best personality fit. It is important to recognise that there is no universally correct answer as to what the right leadership team should look like.
There is no ‘right answer’
However, with the proprietary ‘Leadership Dynamics’ product suite, we can bring objectivity and data-driven insights to the search for the right leadership team.
We look at the behaviours using our PACE behavioural evaluation tool, alongside reviewing the experience within teams, to ensure that potential candidates have the best chance of adding value to that team. ‘Situational experience’ (i.e. having been on the same growth journey’) is a key driver of success, but its importance can vary slightly depending on the role.
We can ensure that there are minimal deficiencies within the team, and reduce the dependency on specific individuals to deliver growth strategies and fulfil the value creation plan.
We can also ensure the team, and any potential additions, complement each other and can avoid ‘groupthink’ through diversity – but that no individual is alienated by being too different.
Your SME is unique and is treated as such by Leadership Dynamics. Whilst there are typical ‘archetype’ profiles, what might be a good fit for one business might be slightly different to yours. Our expert search teams, utilising the product suite, account for this variance and base our recommendations on the current structure of your leadership team and your unique value creation plan.
What next?
Once you understand ‘what good looks like’, how do you find and attract those high-calibre, ‘PE-standard’ individuals that can drive growth and effect change?
There is where our best-in-class search-and-assessment process – refined over a decade and enhanced by data – comes to the fore. We’re a research-driven team, and our researchers spend their time making sure they are at the cutting edge of the SME and PE candidate markets. They scour the market and utilise our very own talent banks to locate the best candidate matched to your unique SME – many of whom are not openly looking for a new position.
When we have found potential matches, our leadership experts here at Rowan are responsible for engaging with these business leaders, assessing them against your SME’s current team and value creation plan, and running the appropriate PACE behavioural analysis.
When we have a number of suitable, engaged individuals, which align to your current team, investment thesis and value creation plan, we will deliver our shortlist recommendations. And our expert team will be with you at every step of your business journey. From making that first appointment to working with you to make further additions to your team, to introducing you to investors when the time is right.
We understand that finding the right talent to achieve PE investment is a critical endeavor. By harnessing our expertise, tailored recommendations, and cutting-edge search-and-assessment processes, you can unlock the potential of your investment and propel your SME towards success.
