National Center for the Middle Market

“Culture” can feel intangible—until you see its impact on growth, retention, innovation, and performance. In this latest podcast episode from the National Center for the Middle Market, we sit down with Positive Foundry's Laura Wilkins Cooke to explore what it really takes to build high-performing cultures where people - and businesses- thrive. The conversation covers: 🔹What high-performance cultures look like in practice 🔹Why leadership behavior matters more than slogans 🔹Common mistakes companies make when trying to shape culture 🔹How middle market firms can create environments that attract and retain talent If you’re leading a growing organization, this episode is worth the listen. Listen here: https://ow.ly/YOmg50Z1fVG

Cost pressure remains a defining feature of today’s operating environment. NCMM’s latest research, conducted with the support of CBIZ, tells us that when cost pressures force protect-or-sacrifice decisions, middle market leaders show some commonality, but also differ on what’s most essential. When asked what they would protect versus sacrifice during cost cuts, middle market leaders show clear patterns: 🔹Nearly half would protect customer service or experience. 🔹More than half would sacrifice R&D and innovation. But beneath that overall pattern, we saw four distinct types of decision-makers, each with a top priority that shone through in the research. Click the images below to see the top priority for each decision-maker type. Click here to download the full report. → https://lnkd.in/g89CXAWV

What kind of decision-maker are you? And how might that influence your growth? Our latest research, conducted in partnership with CBIZ, examined the impact of tradeoff decisions in the middle market. ❓Curious about your own organization's approach to tradeoff decisions and which mindset you most align with? 👉Take the short quiz: https://ow.ly/SPc850YYimb (Note: NCMM is collecting aggregate data for informational purposes; the survey does not collect your identifying information.) View the full research report, with a deeper dive on decision-making types, here: https://ow.ly/87uU50YYima #TradeoffDecisions #DecisionMaking #MiddleMarket

In the middle market, tradeoffs are constant. Leaders must choose between: 🔹Growth or profitability 🔹Cost or quality 🔹Speed or accuracy 🔹Innovation or risk management 🔹Workload or labor costs With the support of CBIZ, we conducted a survey of 400 middle market organizations to study the role of trade-offs in leadership decision-making. What we learned is that business leaders are typically aligned in these ways: ✔ 78% would prioritize long-term value over short-term gains ✔ 78% would choose accuracy over speed ✔ 75% would choose quality over cost But, notable differences can be observed when people, margins, and risk tolerance are at stake. For example, while growth opportunity is the most cited strategic driver, more companies say they would prioritize profitability over growth when forced to choose. These moments of tension are revealing. They expose the underlying beliefs shaping how leaders define value, risk, and sustainability. You can learn more about decision-maker thinking here → https://ow.ly/krsJ50YVgVp ❓ If you’re a middle market business, and resources tightened tomorrow, what would your leadership team protect first? #MiddleMarket #LeadershipDecisions #Tradeoffs

For middle market companies, the AI conversation is shifting. It’s no longer about experimentation; it’s about impact. Our latest data shows a clear connection between AI adoption and stronger performance, sharper strategic decision-making, and greater resilience. The gap between adopters and non-adopters is starting to widen. Kim Barnhart (Roseler) shares a data-driven perspective on what’s emerging: https://ow.ly/qXgR50YVeBB #AIAdoption #AIMiddleMarket #MiddleMarketBusiness

Growth remains the dominant force shaping middle market strategy. This is according to recent research we’ve conducted in collaboration with CBIZ. But, after growth considerations, the data shows a divergence in trade-off decisions. Some leaders prioritize margin protection and risk mitigation. Others elevate talent availability, regulatory factors or geopolitical conditions. And when it comes to execution, pathways vary even more: 🔹Some double down on cost discipline. 🔹Others invest heavily in technology and new products. 🔹Still others focus on brand, capital structure, or market expansion. The takeaway: growth ambition alone doesn’t create a one-size-fits-all direction for operational decisions or the allocation of capital. Where is your organization placing its biggest bets right now? Download the research report here → https://lnkd.in/g89CXAWV

It was a pleasure speaking with ACG about NCMM's most recent research on decision-making types in the middle market. Check out the conversation in the link below. 👇 For access to the full research report, visit: https://lnkd.in/g89CXAWV

What drives performance in the middle market? Industry and scale matter. But our latest research, in collaboration with CBIZ, suggests something deeper is at work: decision-making mindset. We identified four distinct types of decision-makers when it comes to balancing short-term pressure with long-term ambition. No single mindset guarantees success. But the differences are meaningful — particularly in how leaders approach risk, talent, and capital allocation. Click through the mindsets below. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/g89CXAWV #MiddleMarket #DecisionMaking #BusinessPerformance

What separates companies that weather disruption from those that fall behind? In this episode, Justin Boardman of Chubb joins NCMM’s Doug Farren to explore how resilience is becoming a defining capability for middle market organizations in an increasingly complex risk environment. The discussion highlights the rise of cyber risk as a true board-level priority, the growing importance of business continuity planning, and how companies are moving toward more proactive, integrated approaches to risk management. Rather than treating risks in isolation, leading organizations are aligning strategy, operations, and governance to better anticipate and respond to disruption. As the landscape continues to evolve, resilience is emerging as more than just recovery—it’s becoming a core driver of competitiveness and long-term success. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gvTv6Pzu