Michael Polk, an experienced executive of large public companies, says smaller private companies have great potential for offering leadership development opportunities.
Polk has worked at Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods, Unilever, and Newell Brands where he served as CEO.
In 2020, Polk was appointed to lead the transformation of Private Equity firm Berkshire Partners’ portfolio company, Implus LLC.
Polk attributes the growth he sees in smaller private companies to the fact that it offers leaders the chance to develop deep, wide-ranging competencies and expertise.
Leaders in small private companies deal with leadership moments much earlier than their counterparts in large companies, offering them the chance to learn by doing.
Polk says accountability for delivery is no different as CEO of a large public company or a mid-cap private company like Implus LLC.
Although he was the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar public company from 2011 to 2019, he says that his current role as CEO of Implus LLC is the time of his professional life.
In his current role, Polk spends much more time doing brand and business development work with his team.
Polk considers the accountability for driving value creation, which he had at Newell Brands, the same as at Implus LLC.
According to Polk, the biggest difference he experiences at Implus LLC is that he gets to work directly with his team in the crucible, which makes his work even much more fun.
In conclusion, smaller companies offer leaders the chance to develop deep, wide-ranging competencies quicker than in large public companies.