Beyond the rhetoric

Beyond the rhetoric

Spotting and cleaning out greenwashing

Situation

An accelerator wanted to ensure they had high calibre people and ideas for their programme. One company was creating a new type of bottled water where a percentage of the revenues went towards water wells in Africa. A noble strategy, but was their execution in alignment?

Approach

Beyond vetting the founders, our due diligence included questions to measure the impact across the value chain:

  • Where are they getting the water from?
  • How sustainable is the water source?
  • What is the quality of the water?
  • Do people in the community where they’re extracting water have access to water?
  • Does their model increase the cost of water to the community?
  • What packaging are they using for the water?
  • Is there a better material, and if not, what are they doing to counteract this material’s environmental impact?
  • How are the bottles being shipped?
  • What are they doing to offset the environmental impact of transportation?
  • How are they allocating the funds for water projects?
  • How do they choose their partners?
  • What metrics are they using to measure success?

The founders’ reaction to the questions was, “wow, that’s a lot of work.”

Outcome

By digging deeper, we could assess:

  • The true impact the company was going to have.
  • The framework needed to address the gaps.
  • The founders’ commitment to proper execution.
  • The likelihood of actual value creation and impact.

We could provide the accelerator with insight and solid data points to make an informed decision on whether this company should join the programme.

Why it matters

With all the noise around ESG, sustainability, impact and purpose, it’s easy to get hoodwinked by sexy narratives. In our books, purpose matters but what you do in practice matters more.

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Analysing leaders, founders (and spotting rogues)

Analysing leaders, founders (& spotting rogues & scallywags)

Taking a closer look at credentials and capabilities

Situation

The client needed to find a Managing Director for their business in an emerging market. Appointing the person was time-sensitive, and a potential candidate came highly recommended by a trusted source.

Approach & outcome

On paper, the individual seemed to have the proper credentials and experience for the role with our client. He also had one of our client’s Senior Executives as a reference. But was he the right person for the role?

Interviewed the candidate using our proprietary methodology. The candidate’s track record, knowledge and experience seemed to be ideal. However, there was something that wasn’t right. It was very subtle, with no hard evidence at this stage, but enough to instil doubt and raise a red flag. We discussed the matter with the client, who looked into the issues raised.

The examples the potential candidate had shared were real, but the work he was taking credit for was done by someone else – a person already working with our client. This guy was an imposter.

Saved the client from the potential embarrassment and risk of having the wrong leader in place. Our insight and transparency enabled us to forge a long-term relationship with the client and we went on to advise them on several high-profile executives and founders.

Why it matters

Many biases can kick in when interviewing, hiring, and even investing. For instance, some assume that because someone they hold in high regard recommends someone, the person they referred must be good. A robust and consistent process goes a long way to mitigating the potential risks associated with your recruitment process, increases fairness and creates a more level playing field.

Rogues and imposters are more commonplace than you may think. Please get in touch if you want to know more about spotting rogues, how humans are hacked (and how to prevent it!)

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Analysing individuals, cultivating teams

Analysing individuals, cultivating teams

The art and science of high-performance teams

Situation

A new CEO for a private equity firm was establishing the business in a new territory, and he had to assemble his team.

He was familiar with the region and aware of some key established players. Our job was to profile them, identify other potential candidates and make recommendations. We looked at various criteria, including their experience, sectoral coverage, and personal disposition.

Approach & outcome

After profiling each person, we could determine the contribution each would make to the team and which combination would create the most cohesive team in terms of areas of business and temperament.

While some individuals had excellent track records as rainmakers, they also presented two key risks: the first was their ego, inhibiting their ability to attribute success to others or nurture the growth of others. Secondly, they were primarily motivated by money. In a market that saw global players setting up shop, the likelihood of them moving to the next biggest bidder was high.

Understanding the capabilities of the other candidates, we were in a position to recommend team configurations that would build a more stable and sustainable business.

Why it matters

Companies and investors are often tempted to hire (or invest in) people with big personalities. Our research shows that the ‘quiet’ ones are often better at building a business, both in terms of revenue and the people.

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When you press submit, we will use your details to communicate with you. Every email has an unsubscribe option. We do not share or sell your data.
Please see our privacy policy to understand more on our beliefs and practices on how we treat you and your data.