" But three central facts remain: first, PE has become a major force in global financial markets. With trillions of dollars of PE capital afloat, neither tax legislation nor public criticism is likely to reverse the long-term trend toward PE ownership of more assets on a global basis. Second, the best PE firms have set a concrete and inescapable benchmark for global business performance. Third, short-term fluctuations in credit markets and economic cycles aside (such as the subprime credit panic of the summer of 2007), hardly any company escapes consideration as a PE takeover target." (Page 11)

" Today, the truly outstanding PE firms have replaced passive stewardship with a hands-on approach to building value in their portfolio companies. " (Page 26)

		Lessons From Private Equity Any Company Can Use was written by Orit Gadiesh and Hugh MacArthur and is available through the Harvard Business Press. To purchase a copy of the book, please click here. The first chapter of the book is available for download in PDF format.

"Of paramount interest to most PE buyers is the time frame to reach full potential.  While the key initiatives on their short list typically range from immediate to longer-term impact, many PR buyers adopt a three- to five-year time horizon for their full potential plan to materialize—which corresponds with their average anticipated length of overall investment in the company." (Page 32) 

" PE players are absolutely unbending in their insistence on performance. It’s not that they’re cold-blooded, or heartless, or inhumane. It’s just that their three-to-five-year time horizon doesn’t allow for very many misfires. They are systematic about thinking through what they need, what they’ve got, and where they need to fill the breach. This doesn’t leave much room for turning a blind eye to missed performance goals." (Page 75)

"In the current business environment, increasingly impacted by PE firms and other activist investors, people demand performance. They demand value creation. They are impatient with results that are only average (or worse)." (page 104)