Private equity is often described in the language of numbers — returns, multiples, and margins. But as Mohamad Chahine, author of Private Equity Next and Operating Partner at Meritrium OmniVentures, reveals, true value creation depends on something far less quantifiable: people. In this episode, Mohamad joins host Lindsay Guzowski to trace his journey from engineer to operating partner to author, exploring how resilience, integrity, and emotional intelligence shape outcomes across deal teams, operating partners, and portfolio leadership. Together, they unpack why the learning curve may be more important than the J-curve, the behavioral blind spots holding back many PE firms, and what leadership will need to look like in the era of AI and global transformation.