Private equity does not need to become less ambitious.

It needs to become more deliberate about the human conditions that make ambition sustainable.

PE-backed environments can be genuinely energising: a clear value-creation story, fast learning, meaningful transformation, proximity to decisions, talented colleagues, visible results and, in some cases, shared upside. These factors can give people a real sense of momentum and purpose.

And yet, we also see the other side.

When urgency becomes permanent; when priorities multiply to preserve optionality without explicit trade-offs; when roles and decision rights are unclear; or when “high performance” quietly becomes synonymous with always being available, energy starts to drain.

The strongest portfolio companies are not necessarily those where everyone works at maximum intensity for the longest time. They are the ones that combine pace with focus; accountability with autonomy; and high expectations with the capacity, clarity, and trust to meet them.

As one PE investor puts it: “There’s a correlation between good culture and good performance.”

PortCo CHROs: Are we helping the business build the conditions for sustained performance? Where in your business is energy being created — and where is it being consumed without creating value?

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