Leadership Quotient

The Crucible
  • 5.0 (6)
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Leadership Quotient, powered by The Crucible, explores the people side of private equity—how operating partners, portfolio executives, and advisors build, align, and scale leadership teams. Each episode offers candid conversations from across the PE ecosystem on the strategies, challenges, and decisions that drive value creation.

  1. 4D AGO

    The Clock Is Ticking: Leadership in PE-Backed Companies

    In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Andy Drummond, Founder of ShireGrowth Partners, joins The Crucible CEO Lindsay Guzowski to explore what leadership requires when time is finite and the clock is always ticking in private equity-backed businesses. Drawing on experience across SC Johnson, industrial distribution, and multiple PE-backed operating roles, Andy explains how the shift from “planning in decades” to “planning for exit in three years” changes decision-making, urgency, and execution expectations. Andy and Lindsay dig into one of the most common breakdowns between investors and operators—when value creation levers look great on a spreadsheet but play out very differently with real customers—and how leaders can bridge that gap by asking better questions, grounding disagreement in facts, and speaking candidly before a lever is pulled. They also discuss why trust-building with the deal team is priceless, how operating partners can serve as translators between strategy and execution, and why sustainable value creation ultimately depends on leaders who care about results and carry responsibility for the people they lead.

    35 min

  2. FEB 10

    Backing Women: What Investors Miss and How to Fix It

    In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Hanim Dogan, Partner at Prime Advantage Capital Partners, angel investor, and venture partner, shares why enabling more female founders is both a leadership imperative and a value creation opportunity, and what investors often miss when evaluating early-stage teams. Drawing on her journey from founder (including an early software exit) to investor and advisor across multiple ecosystems, Hanim explains why the global investment community is smaller than people think, how trust and relationships shape access, and why authentic leadership presence matters as much as the pitch deck. Hanim and Lindsay explore the gaps she sees most often for female founders in fundraising—particularly the pressure to “perform” rather than lead—and how investors can get closer to real founder potential through deeper, more human diligence beyond the first screen (especially as AI becomes more common in sourcing). They also discuss how building great companies ultimately comes down to building great teams, why founders must upskill in team-building or bring in support early, and how leadership expectations are evolving in a more remote, AI-influenced world where soft skills are becoming differentiators. The conversation closes with a clear call to action: increasing female representation on the investor side, and ensuring men and women are in the same room driving change—because progress won’t happen in parallel conversations.

    30 min

  3. FEB 3

    Empathy at Scale: Keeping the Customer at the Center

    In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, David Norton, Managing Director at Gale Partners, shares why empathy is one of the most underrated leadership strengths and how customer-centered thinking becomes a competitive advantage in investor-backed environments. Drawing on a career that spans American Express and the brand transformation era at Caesars Entertainment, David explains how leaders can combine analytical rigor with creativity to turn insight into action, build momentum inside complex organizations, and earn trust across functions. David and Lindsay explore what it takes to drive transformation without burning relationships, including why “points on the board” matter early, how to bridge silos through stakeholder alignment, and why great leaders keep the customer “above every door.” They also discuss the growing importance of omnichannel experiences—where loyalty, personalization, and service connect the physical and digital worlds—and what CMOs must develop to remain effective as the role expands beyond brand into revenue, data, and technology. The conversation closes with a forward-looking lens on the leadership tradeoffs many executives face: balancing today’s pressure for results with the investments that create long-term value, building durable relationships that compound over time, and staying anchored to the customer even when the business is optimized for the present.

    25 min

  4. JAN 27

    The Right Way Is the Only Way: What Great CFOs Teach Leaders

    In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Jeff Glick, Head of U.S. Operations at Outsourced CFO (OCFO), shares why in investor-backed environments “the right way is the only way” and how financial rigor becomes a leadership advantage. Drawing on a career that spans internal audit, global M&A and integration, private equity diligence, and decades as a CFO, Jeff explains how strong controls and trustworthy reporting create the foundation for better decisions, better valuations, and ultimately better outcomes. Jeff and Lindsay explore what great finance leaders look for when assessing management teams, including how leaders respond to hard questions, whether they build policy and process with intention, and how they balance speed with operational risk. They also discuss why the best CFOs are mentors—developing teams so they can operate strategically rather than reactively—and the common failure points when finance leaders struggle to adapt after an acquisition. The conversation closes with a practical view of value creation today: using technology as a tool, leading with trust, and building teams that go the extra mile because they feel supported, developed, and accountable.

    25 min

  5. JAN 20

    Atoms Over Algorithms: Why the Future of Venture Is Physical

    In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Deborah Magid, Co-Founder and Managing Director at NextStar Venture Partners, shares why leadership is ultimately defined by the opportunities you create for other people—and why trust sits at the center of both numbers and relationships. Drawing on her path from GE to IBM’s corporate venture world and into building a new fund, Deborah explains how her background in cognitive psychology shapes how she evaluates founders: not just on experience, but on how they engage, build credibility, and influence others across an ecosystem. Deborah and Lindsay explore why remote investing makes team assessment harder, how great leaders avoid micromanagement by distributing ownership and responsibility, and why many early-stage teams stall by chasing too many opportunities at once. They also discuss what founders need to understand about enterprise selling, how to use networks and external validation to drive focus, and why “AI dust” is the new “blockchain dust” in startup storytelling. The conversation closes with Deborah’s view of the next wave of value creation: investing in the physical world—energy, healthcare, agriculture, and other real-world systems—where enduring moats are built through trust, community, and impact.

    34 min

  6. JAN 13

    Always Asking for the Ball: A Trader’s Guide to Leadership

    In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Michael Frank, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Gildre, shares how a career on the trading floor shaped his leadership philosophy and why the habits that create success in markets translate directly to entrepreneurship and private equity. From his early days on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange to building and exiting a multi-exchange trading operation, Michael reflects on what it means to reset every day, take accountability for outcomes, and stay sharp in environments where the rules can change overnight. He explains why great leaders listen before they act, including a pivotal story about taking a painful loss after finally trusting his partners’ instincts and how that lesson mirrors the founder’s challenge of letting smarter people run with the ball. Michael and Lindsay explore the difference between “organized chaos” and the real-world messiness of startups, including why credibility, execution, and incentives matter more off the floor than most investors expect. They also discuss how value creation is shifting as distribution becomes the true barrier to building, why Michael believes more entrepreneurs should consider search funds and acquiring durable businesses instead of starting from scratch, and how AI is changing the risk landscape for leaders across every industry. The conversation closes with Michael’s practical advice for founders: work hard, build community, hire people who are better than you, and always be the person willing to raise your hand and ask for the ball.

    34 min

  7. JAN 6

    The Mirror of Entrepreneurship: What PE Talent Reveals About Leadership

    In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Henry Myers, Co-Founder and Managing Director at High Water Search, shares why entrepreneurship is one of the clearest mirrors for leadership and what that reveals about talent in private equity today. Drawing on his path from finance into building a global PE-focused search firm, Henry explains how personal responsibility, self-awareness, and discernment shape effective leaders on both the investor and operator sides of the table. He unpacks why great recruiting is less about volume and pedigree and more about pattern recognition, timing, and deep alignment between a firm’s culture and an individual’s direction of travel. Henry and Lindsay explore the growing bifurcation between mega-funds and emerging managers, how incentives like carry structures shape behavior and collaboration, and why many investment professionals struggle when moving from large institutional platforms into more entrepreneurial environments. They also discuss the behavioral traits that increasingly differentiate successful PE leaders—empathy, adaptability, communication, and the ability to build trust with founders and management teams—and why reputations travel fast in a small ecosystem. The conversation closes with a look ahead at how private equity talent needs are shifting as value creation replaces multiple expansion, AI reshapes deal teams, and a new generation of leaders reassesses what kind of firms—and cultures—they actually want to build.

    42 min

  8. 12/30/2025

    Beyond the CV: Rethinking CFO Search in Private Equity

    In this episode of the Leadership Quotient Podcast, Neil French, Co-Founder & Director at STOIX, shares why the executive search industry needs a more iconoclastic, evidence-driven approach—especially in private equity. Drawing on his unconventional path from aspiring musician to finance recruiter through the 2008 crash, Neil explains how that “challenger” mindset shaped Stoics and why the traditional black-book model still holds back outcomes. He and Lindsay unpack what makes PE roles so attractive to CFOs—finite goals, transformation mandates, and wealth creation—while also acknowledging the reality: these are some of the hardest jobs in business, often with longer hold periods and shifting leadership needs across stages. Neil outlines why many processes still overvalue confidence and prior PE experience, and how that bias can crowd out high-potential, left-field candidates who outperform once given the shot. They also discuss the modern CFO profile—cross-functional influence, calm under pressure, comfort in ambiguity, and learning agility—as well as the importance of aligning stakeholders early, building a realistic scorecard, and evaluating CFO fit in the context of the broader leadership team.

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Leadership Quotient, powered by The Crucible, explores the people side of private equity—how operating partners, portfolio executives, and advisors build, align, and scale leadership teams. Each episode offers candid conversations from across the PE ecosystem on the strategies, challenges, and decisions that drive value creation.

Information

  • Creator
    The Crucible
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Crucible
  • Show Website
    Leadership Quotient