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.