A new year is a natural moment for reflection – and for reality checks. Too often, Boards enter the New Year believing strategy is aligned and culture is healthy, only to find the gaps emerge in execution. Research shows 82% of leaders believe teams are aligned with strategy, yet only 23% of employees agree. This…

December 16, 2025 Read more >

To some the title of this article might seem like a grammatical error. However, given our long history of working with both family and non-family companies, we would observe that in both types of business a similar question arises: “How do we successfully bring in much needed “new blood” without destabilising the existing team?” Interestingly,…

December 12, 2025 Read more >

There will be a number of factors as to why a business does or does not offer “variable pay” – a.k.a annual bonuses and/or long-term incentives. These can include cultural choices, size and affordability. Often, businesses will just choose an annual bonus OR a long term incentive – with the most common choice being for…

November 25, 2025 Read more >

Boards track pay packages, bonus schemes, and KPIs. But are you clear on how behaviour is reinforced day to day – in the informal, often unnoticed moments that shape culture and execution? Performance is often won or lost here. Research and experience consistently show that culture does not just “happen.” It emerges when behaviours are…

November 20, 2025 Read more >

“Subcultures don’t signal misalignment, they reveal where strength and nuance already exist. Culture work should meet them there.” In private equity, culture is being recognised as a value lever, a driver of performance, resilience, and growth. But there’s always a catch: most companies don’t have one culture, they have many subcultures. Subcultures exist around teams,…

October 29, 2025 Read more >

Private equity investors are increasingly recognising that the success of their investment thesis depends as much on culture as on operational performance. Recent discussions among PE boards and operating partners have highlighted that even the most detailed playbooks, growth targets, or process improvements can be undermined if culture and incentives are misaligned. Strategy sets the…

September 24, 2025 Read more >