If You Want To Be Acquired by Private Equity, Fix This First With Felicia Shakiba
Up Arrow Podcast
· with Felicia Shakiba
· January 13, 2026
· 78 min
Summary
Founders often believe strong financials alone guarantee private equity acquisition success. However, post-acquisition, leadership breakdowns, communication issues, and cultural friction frequently derail growth. This episode with Felicia Shakiba, CEO of CPO Playbook, reveals how focusing on leadership alignment, trust-based communication, and data-driven decision-making is critical for successful acquisition and sustained value creation, far more than just the numbers.
Key takeaways
Prioritize leadership alignment and clear communication to prevent post-acquisition breakdowns, as private equity loses money when leadership fails under pressure, not due to incorrect financial math.
Implement data-driven leadership assessments to identify and mitigate risks related to team dynamics and culture, shifting from intuition to measurable insights.
Foster psychological safety and consistent feedback channels to uncover hidden organizational issues and ensure decisions are grounded in reality.
Cultivate an ownership mindset through accountability and incentives, encouraging employees to act like owners and drive sustained value creation.
Prepare teams for change, especially with new technologies like AI, through transparency and support to reduce resistance and ensure successful implementation.
Felicia Shakiba is the Founder and CEO of CPO Playbook, a leadership and human capital advisory firm serving private equity and venture-backed companies. As an industrial-organizational psychologist and certified Korn Ferry coach, she has over two decades of experience driving people strategy across Fortune 500 and high-growth companies. Felicia is also an Advisory Council Member for Harvard Business Review, hosts the CPO PLAYBOOK podcast, and developed PIA360™, the first tool that quantifies leadership and culture across a portfolio. In this episode… Many founders assume that strong financial performance is enough to ensure long-term success. Yet after an acquisition, organizations often encounter misalignment, slowed decision-making, and cultural friction that undermine results. Why do businesses with solid strategies struggle when leadership dynamics are tested? Leadership and organizational effectiveness expert Felicia Shakiba argues that these challenges stem from leadership behaviors rather than flawed economics. She advises aligning mission and vision across the company, building trust-based communication, and replacing intuition with data-driven insights. Leaders should surface issues early, reinforce accountability, and build decision agility so teams can adapt without losing focus. In this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris talks with Felicia Shakiba, Founder and CEO of CPO Playbook, about leadership risk and value creation in private equity-backed companies. She shares common concerns investors have after deals close, how ownership mindset and decision agility drive performance, and the key questions founders should address before entering the boardroom.
Frequently asked about this episode
What does this episode say about finance & fundraising?
Prioritize leadership alignment and clear communication to prevent post-acquisition breakdowns, as private equity loses money when leadership fails under pressure, not due to incorrect financial math.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Implement data-driven leadership assessments to identify and mitigate risks related to team dynamics and culture, shifting from intuition to measurable insights.
What does this episode say about ai & automation?
Foster psychological safety and consistent feedback channels to uncover hidden organizational issues and ensure decisions are grounded in reality.
What does this episode say about finance & fundraising?
Cultivate an ownership mindset through accountability and incentives, encouraging employees to act like owners and drive sustained value creation.
What does this episode say about finance & fundraising?
Prepare teams for change, especially with new technologies like AI, through transparency and support to reduce resistance and ensure successful implementation.
