As Yogi Berra once said: “The future ain’t what it used to be.” Those words ring particularly true now, as everyone—from investors and business owners to teachers and healthcare workers—transition to living in a world with COVID-19. The numbers are in, and realistically this isn’t going away any time soon. The good news is that, while the not so great cards have been dealt, we’re starting to see people embrace our new reality and play the hand. In turn, we’re seeing some amazing proactivity and...

A rapid transformation of the global workforce has been taking place, fueled by digital transformation, specialization, and an increasingly on-demand labor pool. This transformation will only accelerate in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. Your company can’t afford to be paralyzed. In fact, when the world starts rotating again, now more than ever you and global workers need to proactively embrace these changes and be ready to act. Just look at what’s happening at the government level: a task...

Oh, what a difference a month makes. Prior to the coronavirus sending the world into a health pandemic and a global economic downturn, Bain & Company released its annual “Global Private Equity Report” to provide context and insights for the current year. While these reports often top 100 pages (which makes them somewhat cumbersome to digest), they are filled to the brim with useful information. I took a dive into this year’s report and pulled out some highlights. While it’s interesting to look...

There are currently more than 4,000 private equity funds competing for limited opportunities. Economics 101 is hitting the PE industry hard: since the demand for investment opportunities has been growing and the actual number of opportunities has stayed consistent over time, PE investors are facing an uphill battle. To succeed in a crowded field, PE funds must now run their own organizations like their portfolio companies. Private equity funds are in the business of taking enterprises operating...

When used correctly, service providers can meaningfully improve the efficiency and productivity of your business and can dramatically help increase value. In a perfect world, your service providers work autonomously and efficiently to make universal improvements to your business. But that’s not often the case. Service providers not only need the right capabilities, but also ongoing guidance to perform their tasks to maximum effect. When done well, choosing and using the right service provider...