Category Archives: Governance

Finding the CEO for What Comes Next

March 11, 2026 Peter DiGiammarino Leave a comment

An IntelliVen Insight by Eric Palmer.
AI is not a feature cycle.
It is a reset of SaaS economics.

Eric Palmer, a highly successful Senior Operating Partner with more than 30 years of experience leading private, public, private equity-owned, and venture-backed companies, recently shared what he is seeing across software businesses.

Eric uses and has contributed to the development of the Manage to Lead Executive Alignment System for Operations and Governance.

His perspective comes from inside boardrooms, executive searches, and portfolio performance reviews. It is direct.

Act 1: What Is Happening Inside PE-Backed SaaS Companies

Across portfolios, three pressures are converging.

Reinvention as AI-first, not AI-augmented

Many companies are using AI to optimize what already exists. That feels safe. It preserves roadmaps. It protects org structures.
It is not enough.
The companies gaining ground are redesigning around AI economics. That requires discontinuous change, not incremental improvement.

Pricing and economic disruption

Seat counts are declining. Usage-based economics are rising. AI inclusion without pricing discipline can destroy margin.
CFOs want predictability. Customers resist variability. Boards want growth and protection of uFCF.
The old SaaS model is under stress.

Bookings uncertainty

Buyers are hesitating. Some are delaying category decisions altogether, assuming today’s leaders may not be tomorrow’s.
Expansion is harder. Contraction is visible.
Incrementalism does not solve this.

Act 2: The CEO This Moment Demands

The traditional SaaS CEO profile is now necessary but insufficient.

Operational excellence. Team building. Customer focus.

All still required.

But the differentiator now is the ability to lead discontinuous change under pressure.

Eric identifies eight characteristics that matter most:

Conviction to lead transformation, not manage transition
Audacious goals that reorient behavior before the roadmap is complete
Ruthless resource reallocation, even mid-cycle
Willingness to reconfigure strong legacy leaders
AI fluency that reshapes economics, org design, and personal workflow
Commercial ownership of the seam between Product and GTM
Resilience under sustained, ambiguous pressure
Ability to move at board velocity in a PE environment

In his words, some CEOs optimize what is working.

The ones that win are willing to discontinue what is working in order to win what is next.

Eric also points out that AI-first professionals entering the workforce understand the technology. They have urgency. They have ambition.

What most lack are the leadership and management disciplines required to:

Align an executive team
Govern resource allocation
Make hard priority decisions
Integrate Product and GTM
Drive change across a fully formed organization

Technology fluency alone does not create durable enterprise value.

The missing ingredient is not more AI capability. It is executive alignment around Purpose, priorities, and resource allocation. That is the problem the Manage to Lead Executive Alignment System was built to solve.

AI capability without executive alignment produces motion.
AI capability with alignment produces performance.

The Question for Boards and Investors

Are we selecting for transformation or comfort?
Is our CEO AI fluent or AI enthusiastic?
Can our executive team reallocate resources without waiting for the next planning cycle?
Do we have alignment equal to our technical ambition?

The Variable That Determines Value Creation

Valuations are under pressure.

The path back is not cost cutting alone.

It is radical AI-oriented change that:

Accelerates productivity and uFCF
Increases RPE at unprecedented speed
Reinvests gains into top-line expansion

Those that are audacious and aligned will capture disproportionate share.

Some will.

Many will not.

The CEO is the variable.

Read Eric Palmer’s full article:
“Finding the CEO for What Comes Next.”

Compensation, Governance, Operations, People Matters

Dual-Track Goal Setting: Harmonizing Management Ambition with Stakeholder Assurance

December 20, 2023 Peter DiGiammarino Leave a comment

The best approach to setting annual performance goals for an organization is to simultaneously pursue two paths, one for the management team and one for the board, investors, and lenders as outlined below.

Stakeholder Plan: The Under-Promise-Over-Deliver Approach

Set goals to get the results you want base — Figure-1: Under Promise and Over Deliver

Target Audience: Board, Bankers, and Investors

Objective: Manage downside risk while maintaining credibility.

Strategy: Present conservative, achievable targets to ensure a high probability of meeting or exceeding expectations. This approach builds trust and reassures stakeholders about the management team and their investment, offering a solid foundation for the future.

Outcome: Exceeding conservative estimates provides a reason for celebration and reinforces stakeholder confidenceas suggested by the under-promise and over-deliver lines graphed in Figure-1.

Management Plan: The Aim-High-Do-Better Method

Set goals to get the results you want full — Figure-2: Aim High and Do Better

Target Audience: Internal Management and Operating Teams

Objective: Maximize team performance and drive to achieve top-tier results.

Strategy: Set aggressive, yet attainable goals, understanding that they might be achieved 75-80% of the time. This encourages teams to stretch their capabilities and innovate, often leading to superior results compared to a conservative approach even when the goal is not attained.

Adaptation: If mid-period results deviate significantly, either above or below, from plan, be prepared to revise the goals to maintain momentum and direction through the rest of the performance period.

Outcome: Even if actual results fall slightly short of ambitious goals, the organization often ends up in a stronger position than if it had set more cautious targets as suggested by the aim-high and do-better lines added to the graph in Figure-2.

Summary: The Dual-Faceted Approach for Business Growth

Key Insight: Leaders of growing businesses should adopt a dual strategy in goal setting. Internally, aggressive but achievable goals fuel motivation and high performance, while externally, conservative, and intelligent goal setting satisfies the risk-averse nature of bankers and investors.
Result: This balanced approach ensures robust operational performance while maintaining the confidence and support of external financial stakeholders.

Do & Review, Executive Reviews, Governance

Optimizing Your Board of Directors: A Guide for Fast-Growing Private Companies

July 12, 2023 David Halwig Leave a comment

Growing private companies often encounter challenges in establishing an effective board of directors. Typically, boards comprise well-meaning individuals who meet periodically, usually for a few hours up to a couple of days. However, these meetings frequently become sessions to celebrate company successes rather than critically examining company performance against its board-approved plans and strategic initiatives for the year.

For these companies, it’s vital to have a diverse board, including external directors who offer unbiased insights and prevent family / founder / owner dominance. Establishing clear governance policies and procedures is essential, as they define the roles and responsibilities of each board member. Moreover, regular board meetings focused on progress towards strategic goals, rather than on operating details, are crucial.

This post outlines best practices for efficient private company board meetings, ensuring that your time together is well-spent. We also provide a template for an effective board meeting agenda.

The Board Agenda – Your Roadmap to Efficiency

Preparation is Key

The board chair should distribute a draft agenda 4-5 days before the meeting, soliciting upgrades and additional topics.
Agendas must be clear, concise, and focused on performance metrics, strategic goals, and pressing issues.

Best Practices for Productive Meetings

Limit meetings to three hours to maintain focus and energy.
Introduce new items for information only, with decisions deferred to subsequent meetings after thoughtful review.
Distribute materials a day or two in advance, allowing members to come prepared.
Allocate time for informal interaction before and after the meeting to foster trust and collaboration.
Record and distribute key action items, decisions, and insights promptly after the meeting.

Agenda Template

10-min: Administrative matters (e.g., by-law updates, approve minutes from prior meeting, etc.)
15-min: CEO’s overview of the business state
20-min: Financial performance review of actual results vs. plan and projections
20–40-min/ea: Updates and discussion of strategic initiatives (up to three) and / or committee (e.g., compensation committee, governance committee, audit committee) reports
10-20-min: New or walk-on items
5-20-min: Future meeting topics
5-min: Adjournment and reminders of meeting Action Items, Decisions, and Insights

This template is flexible and can be adjusted to fit the unique needs of your board.

Conclusion

Setting up and managing an efficient board for fast-growing private companies is both challenging and rewarding. By adopting these best practices and using a structured agenda, boards can offer valuable guidance and oversight, enhancing their collaboration with the management team.

About The Author

David Halwig, IntelliVen Co-Founder and President of Mid-Atlantic Region, provides strategic management consulting and advisory services to leaders whose organizations are at critical inflection points. David helps improve governance, leader development, strategic planning, and risk management. He also has substantial experience with merger and acquisition strategies, valuation, and transition approaches.

Connect with David on LinkedIn

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