When a small business changes hands, the biggest factor for long-term success isn’t the sale price, the operating model, or even the financials. It’s the leadership. But how can you identify the right leader for the right business?
We’ve built a structured, scalable framework to assess, support, and empower next generation business leaders – the people who will carry forward a founder’s legacy and oversee longterm, sustainable performance.
Our leadership blueprint is probably more like a philosophy than a hiring process. It’s how we identify and assess not just strong business leaders, but future business owners.
What we look for: The GLIDE Model
Every leader we place is assessed across five essential personal attributes, which we call GLIDE:
- Grit: The ability to persevere and deliver under pressure. We seek leaders who stay focused through uncertainty and keep the business moving, even when the path gets tough.
- Leadership: The capacity to inspire trust, set direction, and act with integrity. We value leaders who build capable teams, lead by example, and foster long-term growth.
- Intelligence: Clear, structured thinking. Great leaders assess challenges quickly, make informed decisions, and know when to seek guidance.
- Drive: The energy to take initiative and move the business forward. Proactive, self-motivated leaders are essential for sustainable success.
- Engagement: A deep commitment to people and purpose. Leaders must build strong relationships and stay connected to the team and the business mission.
These attributes aren’t just ‘nice to haves’ – they’re essential. They help ensure that the person taking over doesn’t just have the technical expertise, but has the right leadership constitution as well.
What talent can do: FORGED capabilities
Beyond personal traits, we assess incoming leaders using the FORGED model, which captures the practical skills needed to run, maintain and grow a business:
- Financial management: From budgeting to risk, leaders must know how to manage financials wisely.
- Operational efficiency: The ability to streamline and scale. Leaders improve systems, adopt technology, and ensure day-to-day excellence.
- Relationships: The ability to build trust. Communication and collaboration are non-negotiables in small business leadership.
- Growth leadership: Great leaders build great teams. We assess their ability to coach, inspire, and align individual growth with business outcomes. We also look at a leader’s business development capabilities, and their ability to be opportunistic with customers, suppliers and employees.
- Execution: Setting goals and delivering outcomes. We look for leaders who are accountable and performance-driven.
- Decision-making: The ability to take timely, informed action, balancing short-term moves with long-term strategy.
Together, these competencies define a leader who can take over a business and continue building its future.
A legacy to protect
Succession isn’t just about the incoming leader. It’s very much about the original founder too. That’s why we invite outgoing business owners to reflect on their vision of future leadership. We ask them questions like: what mindset and values are essential? What type of technical knowledge and industry experience is required? Which qualities are non-negotiable?
Their insights help us identify and shape the right leader for their business – someone who fits the roles and responsibilities, but is also values-aligned.
A pathway to ownership, not just employment
Unlike traditional hiring models, every leader we place receives equity in the business from day one, and based on business performance, they can transition into majority owners. They’re not just employees. That’s why we take the leadership assessment process so seriously, and why we provide ongoing support, coaching and mentorship for the leaders we integrate. We’re not just finding great leaders, we’re also helping to build them.
