I had coffee with a client last week. Brilliant COO. She has twenty-five years of operational excellence and is ready for her next C-suite role. Her LinkedIn profile had 247 connections and hadn't been updated since 2019. She told me, "I don't want my CEO to think I'm looking." Here's the problem: Her CEO wasn't the only one who couldn't tell she existed. Recruiters couldn't find her. Board nomination committees couldn't find her. The opportunities she deserved? They went to executives who...

If you've spent your career in traditional corporate environments, interviewing with a private equity or venture capital-backed company will feel like a different universe. Because it is. I've worked with hundreds of senior leaders navigating this transition, and I see the same missteps repeatedly. Talented executives who should land these roles stumble because they don't understand the fundamental shift in what's being evaluated. Let me be direct: your traditional corporate interview...

Click the image above to see a video of Michelle Merritt sharing additional insight. Unlike earlier in your career, where responsiveness...