Building Talent Density: The Key to Sustainable Growth
After researching more than 200 companies, including many within General Atlantic’s portfolio, and engaging with executives and consultants around the world, I am convinced that talent density is the most predictive indicator of company performance.
Talent Density can be defined as the percentage of critical roles filled by A-players. Our research has shown that when over half of these roles are held by top talent, companies consistently outperform.1
A-players are not just high performers. They create, build strong teams, and elevate those around them. They have a vision for the future, set high standards, and ensure everyone is clear on their goals. Their presence creates a multiplier effect that fuels innovation and produces sustained results.
How to Improve Talent Density
Raising talent density starts by asking the right questions: which roles are most central to the value creation plan? Are those filled by high-impact professionals? And can those leaders scale as the business grows?
Leaders must be willing to challenge their standards, to align on what true excellence looks like in a role, given the company’s aspirational goals.
Defining and recognizing the need for A-players is one thing; doing something about it is another. Over the years, General Atlantic has built a talent bank of over 10,000 C-suite executives who we’ve met, think highly of, and would be proud to see within our portfolio.
Just as elite sports teams rely on scouts who constantly watch, assess, and build relationships with top players, often years before they are recruited, we take a similar approach. Our investment professionals and the talent teams stay close to outstanding and emerging leaders across sectors, tracking their progress and understanding where they might fit best. This proactive mindset ensures that when opportunity meets needs, we already know who can step in and elevate the game.
In 2024, we helped hire nearly 150 senior executives into our portfolio companies, over 40% of sourced directly from the talent bank. Over the last 5 years, more than 30% of all senior hires (~250 executives) have come from this network. On average, filling roles from the talent bank takes us one-third of the time it would take through a search firm, allowing our companies to act on growth opportunities with speed and confidence. And that speed matters: companies that move swiftly to improve talent density outperform those that wait.
Increasing talent density is also about developing the talent that is already within the company. Individuals with growth mindsets, adaptability, and a collaborative spirit often rise to new levels when given the chance to stretch. With the right support, they grow into roles they may not have seemed ready for but ultimately excel in.
At General Atlantic, we’ve invested in this belief by creating programs designed to accelerate the development of CEOs and leadership teams. Over the past 18 months, we’ve delivered nearly 50 targeted workshops across our portfolio, each focused on strengthening management capabilities and inspiring leaders to cascade the same growth mindset throughout their organizations.
The Right Mix of Talent
In our experience, the most successful companies balance internal development with external hiring and, critically create an environment where outside leaders can thrive once they join.
By combining internal growth with strategic recruitment, they build the right mix of capability and culture, fueling sustainable outperformance over time. A strong talent platform should empower people already in the organization to rise, while also enabling new talent to integrate, contribute, and succeed quickly.
When done well, this dual approach creates a dynamic, resilient leadership pipeline, one capable of sustaining performance through cycles of change, challenge and opportunity.
1General Atlantic research and analysis; Jan. 2025
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