In his review of thousands of org charts, serial acquirer Brad Jacobs flags managers with only one direct report as a key indicator of organizational bloat. He calls this "companionship" rather than management, highlighting it as an inefficient layer that slows communication, adds cost, and ultimately harms shareholder value.
Beyond capital access, being a public company offers constant, free marketing. The visibility from quarterly earnings reports, analyst coverage, and media attention can attract acquisition targets, investors, and top talent who might not otherwise have been aware of the company.
Contrary to standard M&A practice where integration begins post-close, Brad Jacobs makes immediate, unrestricted access to a target company's employees and operations a non-negotiable term upon signing. This allows his team to begin the integration process weeks or months earlier.
In M&A integration, ambiguity is the enemy. Brad Jacobs' "throat to choke" principle ensures extreme accountability by assigning every single task, no matter how small, to one specific individual with a firm deadline. This prevents tasks from falling through the cracks and clarifies ownership across thousands of line items.
Unlike founders driven by negative pasts, Brad Jacobs demonstrates a shift to a positive fuel source. His motivation comes from the love of the work itself, creating a self-sustaining loop of energy and ideas that compounds over time, rather than a goal-based motivation that can be depleted.
Drawing from Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Brad Jacobs combats perfectionism by reframing rigid demands (e.g., "I must be liked") as flexible preferences ("I prefer to be liked"). This simple linguistic shift prevents setbacks from being perceived as total failures, fostering a more resilient and healthier mindset for leaders.
Brad Jacobs designs org charts based on the optimal structure for achieving goals, defining necessary roles first. He resists shaping the chart around existing employees and their "fiefdoms." This role-first approach means leaving a seat empty is preferable to filling it with a poor fit, ensuring the structure dictates personnel, not the other way around.
One of Brad Jacobs' favorite tools is a simple employee survey he deploys immediately after an acquisition. It asks just three questions: 1) What's working well? 2) What needs fixing? and 3) What's your single best idea? This quickly surfaces crucial insights and signals to new employees that their input is valued.