Are You Building a Team of ‘A Players’?

In Private Equity, execution is everything. Strategy provides direction, but it’s people who turn ideas into outcomes. Without the right leaders in place, value creation plans stall, complexity compounds, and momentum fades. That’s why the question every CEO should be asking is not just “Do I have good people?” but “Do I have enough A Players?”

The term gets thrown around easily, but few define it rigorously. A Players aren’t just high performers. They are the people who consistently raise the standard. They don’t just hit targets—they build systems, shape culture, and make others better. They scale themselves through others. These are the individuals you can build a business around.

Jim Collins, in *Good to Great*, offers a helpful evidence-based lens. He describes Level 4 leaders as those who drive performance. But Level 5 leaders—the rare few who create lasting greatness—combine fierce resolve with deep humility. These leaders don’t crave attention or accolades. They’re obsessed with outcomes. They credit others when things go well and take responsibility when they don’t. This is what A Players look like in practice: character, consistency, and compounding leadership.

Too many hiring decisions fixate on CVs and credentials. Yes, technical competence is essential—but it’s just the ticket to the game. In leadership roles especially, what matters far more is a person’s ability to drive performance through others.

The higher up someone goes in an organisation, the less direct impact they have through their own output—and the more their success depends on influencing, enabling, and leading teams. This is where personal qualities—integrity, judgment, adaptability, resilience—become non-negotiable. It’s why someone who looks perfect on paper can still damage your culture. And why the best leaders aren’t necessarily the most experienced—they’re the most effective at getting the best out of others.

What often sets A Players apart isn’t just what they do, but how they think. These individuals have a distinctive mindset: they put the needs of the team before their own, and they approach their role with a strong sense of service—whether they’re leading or following.

They are highly effective leaders, but also excellent followers. They set their leaders up for success by giving them honest, well-considered opinions—even when it’s uncomfortable. Their ability to offer feedback without ego is rooted in a mindset Kim Scott describes as *Radical Candour*: the ability to challenge directly while caring personally. A Players understand that silence serves no one. They contribute with courage, not compliance.

This mindset is rare—and vital in high-performance environments where clarity, honesty, and trust must move faster than hierarchy.

Another defining trait of A Players is the level of personal accountability they operate with. They own their mistakes. They don’t hide behind excuses or shift blame. When things go wrong, they’re the first to raise their hand. When things go well, they shine the spotlight on the team, not themselves.

Crucially, A Players don’t just talk a good game—they follow through. There is no ‘say–do’ gap. If they commit to something, it gets done. That reliability builds trust. It reduces the friction and noise that slows execution. When you have people who mean what they say, and do what they promise, the organisation moves faster—because trust reduces the need for checking, chasing, and second-guessing.

Elite sports organisations have long understood that raw talent isn’t enough. Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, once said: “Talent sets the floor. Character sets the ceiling.”

He’s not looking for stars—he’s looking for consistency, coachability, and the ability to elevate a team. He values players who turn up early, do the hard, boring work, and make decisions that compound over time. The ‘grinders’ who improve others, not the ‘heroes’ who chase individual glory.

It’s the same in business. Too often, companies chase pedigree and overlook substance. But the real impact players are those who bring clarity, stay calm under pressure, and lead when no one’s watching.

Elite military units like the Royal Marines and US Navy SEALs have developed some of the most rigorous talent assessment systems in the world. They’re not just testing physical fitness or technical skill—they’re evaluating who will make good decisions when cold, tired, under pressure, and surrounded by chaos.

In the Royal Marines, we used to say: “You don’t rise to the occasion—you sink to the level of your training.” It’s a powerful reminder that performance under stress is the ultimate test of character.

Military assessments often include a strong focus on teamwork, selflessness, and the ability to adapt. You need people who will find a way to win—regardless of the obstacles, ambiguity, or constraints. That mindset of adaptability and responsibility—“It’s on me to make this work”—is exactly what separates A Players from everyone else.

Another critical trait of A Players is their ability to read the room and adapt. Not every business needs the same kind of leadership. A turnaround requires different behaviours from a scale-up. A family business going through professionalisation will need different leadership than a highly-leveraged buy-and-build strategy.

The best leaders aren’t just resilient—they’re situationally aware. They understand what the business needs right now, and they adjust accordingly. They flex their style, shift their priorities, and keep people aligned through change. They take ownership, not just of their own role, but of the outcome.

A Players aren’t just hired—they’re developed. They’re shaped by the expectations, feedback, and standards around them. If your senior leaders aren’t growing A Players beneath them, they’re not multiplying value—they’re bottlenecks.

This is one of the key blind spots in many portfolio companies. CEOs often assume that because someone is “experienced” or “technically strong,” they’ll automatically scale. But the truth is: if they’re not developing the team around them, they’re not scaling the business. They’re sustaining the status quo.

In Private Equity, time is compressed. The pressure to execute is high. And the quality of your people—especially your leaders—will either accelerate or derail your value creation plan.

So ask yourself:
– Do I have enough A Players in the business today?
– Are the people I’ve hired developing the next generation of A Players?
– Am I measuring success by outcomes—or just activity?

You don’t need perfect people. But you do need the right ones.

Because without A Players, you don’t just risk falling short—you risk building a business that was never capable of delivering on the opportunity in front of it.