Private equity firms want the best management teams in place when they purchase companies. If your company is being evaluated by a PE firm, what do you need to be prepared for when it comes to your job? Where can you bring value to the company under its new ownership? Courtney Hamilton and Billy Stern discuss talent assessment in a private equity takeover and how employees can position themselves as the right talent to drive investor goals and growth.

Meetings are the most expensive use of company resources, yet they are still too long, poorly organized, and a waste of everyone’s time. But they don’t have to be. Stephen Miles describes what’s necessary to make meetings productive, efficient, and on-topic.

Working for a tough boss doesn’t mean that you are powerless in your job, says Taylor Griffin. There are strategies for adapting to a range of challenging leadership styles – from finding information elsewhere in the organization when a boss is uncommunicative to diffusing heated conversations with a boss prone to anger. Griffin explains ways to be effective in your role even in difficult situations and how working for a demanding boss can be one of the most valuable experiences of your career.

When new owners take over your organization, how do you protect your job? As five consecutive years of acquisition top $3 trillion and robust private equity markets continue to chase company investments, the reality of M&A today makes changes in management inevitable. Courtney Hamilton explains the best ways to prepare yourself for company takeovers and how to arm yourself with vital information about the company and its new leadership.

For some companies, success can be dangerous: a “stasis mindset” can take root, with a complacent “we know best” attitude capable of bringing down even the highest-performing companies. Stephen Miles explains that the best leaders actively fight off this mentality by embracing a “growth mindset” – they seek out new challenges and learn new ways of thinking by looking beyond what they already know. He discusses how both individuals and organizations cultivate this critical leadership mindset.

Boom or bust, the smartest CEOs put plans in place well before the next downturn arrives, says Stephen Miles. Without scenario planning and taking steps toward “recession inoculation” during periods of growth, leaders can be caught by surprise when the economy turns, forcing them to make decisions with less time and thought. Miles discusses how CEOs are planning with their top teams and speaking with their boards and investors about how to weather the next recession.

What are the secrets of the top performers in business? Learn from the team at TMG, who coach the world’s most successful executives and see every day how these leaders stand out from everybody else.