Howard Gutman of MorganFranklin Consulting: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In Your Industry
An Interview With Dina Aletras
Build Trust: The first step is understanding that trust is a marathon, not a sprint. To begin, consistently meet your day-to-day takes. This will set the foundation for helping those around you understand how they can depend on you. As you progress, identify gaps you can fill in your industry internally and externally, such as creating new internal processes, mentoring junior employees, or joining resource groups outside your company. These small wins add up, and the credibility you will create holistically in and out of your organization can help shape your expertise and pave the way to becoming an impactful thought leader.
As part of our series about how to become known as a thought leader in your industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Howard Gutman.
Howard Gutman is part of the private equity leadership team at MorganFranklin Consulting, specializing in M&A lifecycle services and operational value creation. With 15 years of private equity experience, he previously led tech-focused PE business development at AWS and managed a $600M division at Anheuser-Busch InBev. Before that, Howard founded and led a PE M&A strategy practice at a Big 6 firm, executing hundreds of M&A projects. Howard holds a bachelor of science degree in Labor Economics and International Relations from Cornell University.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. What establishes you as an authority on thought leadership? Could you briefly share your expertise with our readers?
After working in the private equity industry for over a decade, I am now part of the Private Equity leadership team at MorganFranklin Consulting, which provides M&A lifecycle services to PE firms and portfolio companies. I’ve built my career out of my passion for problem-solving and being a voracious learner. I’ve been fortunate to have valuable mentors who fostered environments where I could ask questions both in and outside of my field. As a result, I’m fortunate to be a leader of the firm’s national and New York PE Services leadership team, where I serve private equity clients across industries to help them prepare for value creation and exit readiness, as well as advise them on technology and finance transformation.
Can you recall a funny mistake you made when you were first starting out? What lesson did you learn from it?
When I began my career as an analyst, I worked all day on a report only to find that I had forgotten to save the document when I returned to work the next day. It was a simple yet painful mistake, and it taught me that little details can add up in big ways.
What are the most significant disruptions you foresee in your industry over the next five years, and how can businesses adapt to these changes?
In today’s market, private equity firms are holding onto companies longer and delaying exits. As a result, those who will come out of these market conditions successfully will be the firms that can stand out from the crowd and be the best at driving value while holding onto those assets. One way organizations will look to gain a competitive edge in that area is the adoption of AI. However, companies across every industry are beginning to realize that they cannot integrate AI successfully into their organization without a sophisticated tech stack and organized, clean data. Over the next few years, companies that will want the competitive advantages that come with AI must take an honest look at themselves and ensure they have the right infrastructure in place for seamless integration.
Can you explain the benefits of becoming a thought leader? Why is it valuable to invest time and resources into this?
One of the most significant benefits of becoming a thought leader is the trust it brings between your company and your target audience. When a client or customer is unsure how to solve a problem, you become that source of advice. Being a recipient of that trust gives your organization the ability to retain top talent, maintain customer loyalty, and attract new business. Additionally, the role of a thought leader is personally fulfilling. As people seek your insights and share new ideas, it not only validates your expertise but also fosters your growth and development.
Can you share an example of a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you leveraged innovative thinking to overcome it?
One of the most challenging times in recent history across the finance industry was the 2008/2009 Great Recession. At the time, I was mostly working on growth and strategy. But when the economy took a downturn, I had to pivot my skill set because that’s just not what my clients needed, and I still needed to answer the question, “How do I help my customers evolve?” The way I was able to overcome it was to lean on my mentors who had seen crises like that before, check my ego at the door, and ask for their advice about how they’ve overcome similar challenges. Relying on their counsel and doing the work to make a 360 change during that time shaped me into the person I am today. It’s given me the experience I needed to face today’s economic headwinds.
Now that we have covered that, we’d love to hear your advice on becoming a thought leader. Can you share five strategies that someone should follow to gain recognition as a thought leader in their industry? Please include examples or stories from your own experience for each strategy.
- Build Trust: The first step is understanding that trust is a marathon, not a sprint. To begin, consistently meet your day-to-day takes. This will set the foundation for helping those around you understand how they can depend on you. As you progress, identify gaps you can fill in your industry internally and externally, such as creating new internal processes, mentoring junior employees, or joining resource groups outside your company. These small wins add up, and the credibility you will create holistically in and out of your organization can help shape your expertise and pave the way to becoming an impactful thought leader.
- Develop Intellectual Curiosity: To succeed in any job and especially to become an impactful thought leader, it’s critical to open your mind to concepts outside your industry. A good thought leader is a visionary thinker who can identify trends several years before they happen. To build that muscle, you must be genuinely interested in meeting people who can challenge your thinking and expose you to concepts you can apply to your field. For example, it was invaluable for me as I entered the private equity world to have friends in industries such as technology and entertainment. They helped me become aware of factors that could have a ripple effect in the financial world. This allowed me to think of things like artificial intelligence early on, so I already had an opinion when it started applying to the private equity space. Finally, intellectual curiosity will help you learn to ask the right questions. This ability can improve how you break down complex issues and solve common problems in your industry. The enthusiasm to learn about areas outside of your subject matter expertise is contagious and will inspire others to follow and engage with you.
- Foster Genuine Relationships at Every Level: As you begin your career, we know how important it can be to identify a good mentor to guide you in achieving your professional goals. I would add that it’s equally important to connect with your colleagues at all positions, regardless of title. Every level can offer a unique perspective, whether a C-Suite executive or a recent college graduate entering their first job. As you develop intellectual curiosity, you can open yourself up to professionals in your network who are experts outside your field. This will create opportunities to build relationships with those who can challenge your current ideas and expose you to ones you would never have learned about if you only connected with experts in your industry. The more open you are to others, the more you will find they will reciprocate and eventually rely on you as a thought leader.
- Stay Authentic: As you build credibility and your network continues to grow, staying authentic is crucial. There is a reason you built your relationships, so changing your identity to fit a certain mold usually proves to be a self-destructive endeavor. To do this, clearly understand your values and principles, then periodically revisit them as a reminder to remain on your path. Being authentic is especially important because as you become a thought leader, your network will look to you as a very specific resource. If you betray that trust, audiences can usually sense it and will quickly throw away everything you have built.
- Become an Innovative Thinker: An innovative thinker has a strong ability to foresee emerging trends and effectively communicate them to their audience. However, they don’t just accurately predict what will become important several years from now — they also understand how to adapt or take advantage of any upcoming changes or developments. To do this, a successful thought leader must combine everything mentioned so far. It starts with building trust and becoming intellectually curious about topics inside and outside your subject matter. Then, identify and seek out a well-rounded network of experts at every corporate level to humbly learn about areas currently unfamiliar to you. Authentic conversations with them will help pressure-test ideas and accelerate personal growth. Being an innovative thought leader is the difference-maker from being an influencer. An influencer comments on what’s popular today, but an innovative thought leader discusses what may not be currently popular but what will be crucial to their respective industry tomorrow.
How do you foster a culture of innovation within your organization, and what practices have you found most effective in encouraging creative thinking among your team?
The first step is to understand each team member’s working style. Are they more creative? Would they rather brainstorm solutions on the spot or take time to think about them? For our team, we find the “gamification” of our work to be a successful method of fostering creativity. We use our company’s scorecard to incentivize each other to perform at our best, but we also use it to maintain the right mindset and reinforce the purpose of our team’s goals.
Who do you think is an outstanding example of a thought leader? What specific qualities impress you about this person?
Right now, I think Adam Grant is a great example of a thought leader. His intellectual curiosity enables him to bridge his knowledge to various other disciplines. Most of all, he’s able to take complex topics and communicate them in an easily digestible way, allowing those who are outside his field to creatively engage with his ideas.
How do you stay informed about the latest trends and developments in your field, and how do you incorporate this knowledge into your strategic planning?
The first step is to be actively involved in your industry. This goes back to what I said about leveraging your diverse network. Attending industry events and conferences to understand what the leaders in your field are discussing is a great way to ensure you are part of that conversation. Another way to break out of your bubble is to seek perspectives outside your local network, city or even country. Personally, I realized that to eliminate my own bias, I needed to look at what was happening in private equity outside of the U.S. to gain a more holistic perspective. For example, even though I don’t work with clients in Europe, I know their demand is increasing due to a drop in interest rates. Watching those events unfold helps me prepare for when the same thing happens in our country.
Some people feel that the term “thought leader” is overused and has lost its impact. What are your thoughts on this?
More than ever, you’re seeing a growing number of self-proclaimed “thought leaders” who are not adding value to their industry. A thought leader elevates an organization by bringing their visionary thinking to create competitive advantages. Unlike a traditional leader who relies solely on historical knowledge and expertise to succeed, a thought leader can identify future challenges and provide invaluable, forward-thinking perspectives to their clients and customers. This unique capability is the product of long-term, intellectual curiosity about emerging trends outside their field as well as the development of a diverse network. Thought leaders drive innovation and set their organizations apart in the marketplace.
How do you balance short-term business goals with long-term strategic vision, especially in a rapidly changing market?
When our managing partner, Jawad Hussain, took over the business, he first laid out his long-term vision for the team’s direction. Over the following months, we united as a team to refine the short-term business goals to optimize our greatest strengths. For example, we initially had a goal to publish a monthly article, but the way that we collaborated on them gradually evolved. We were able to find our method to execute short-term goals efficiently because we could always use the fundamentals and core values of our long-term vision as a compass for success.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? How has it been relevant in your life?
One of my first mentors used to say, “Trust, but verify.” For him, it was essential to surround himself with people he trusted. However, that doesn’t mean he would close his eyes until the end of the project. He would still have his hands in the work with us, validating that the numbers were correct and the messaging was cohesive with the story we were communicating to our audience. And this philosophy goes both ways. I recently spearheaded a large client project, and although my team trusts me, I valued their second set of eyes to verify my data. We trust each other but also rely on each other to verify the details.
Many influential figures in business and entertainment follow this column. Is there someone you’d love to have lunch or breakfast with? They might notice if we tag them.
I’d love to have lunch with Warren Buffet to pick his brain about his credentials for selecting the right companies to invest in. There is no denying he’s consistently chosen clear winners, and there’s plenty of writing around “The Warren Buffet Method.” However, we also know that underneath that method is a “secret sauce” for picking the right companies — and that’s what I’d love to discuss with him. I would ask him how much weight he places on a company’s people, culture, and structure before investing. How does he balance trusting the numbers versus following his instincts? Perfecting the balance between hard and soft skills is a concept that fascinates me, and I’d love to learn from a thought leader like Warren Buffet to master that art.
Thank you so much for your insights. This was very insightful and meaningful.
About the Interviewer: Dina Aletras boasts over 20 years of expertise in the corporate media industry. She possesses an in-depth understanding of growth, strategy, and leadership, having held significant roles at some of the UK’s largest media organizations. At Reach PLC, the UK’s largest tabloid publisher, she served in various director capacities. Additionally, she held leadership roles at The Independent Magazine Group and DMGT. Her extensive knowledge spans editorial, digital, revenue, sales, and advertising.
Upon relocating to Switzerland, Dina took on the responsibility of managing and promoting the international section of Corriere del Ticino — CdT.ch pioneering the English page “onthespot.” She also was the Co-Editor of Southern Switzerland’s first official Italian and English bilingual magazine.
Howard Gutman of MorganFranklin Consulting: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.