Susan Kearney is the Managing Director, Board Member, and Partner at Newport LLC, a business advisory firm helping middle-market companies grow and exit. Before Newport, she was the COO of Network for Good, where she achieved 40% annual recurring revenue growth, and the Co-founder of Voxant, a digital media company acquired by Blinkx. Susan also held executive positions at Paragren Technologies and IRI Software.

Heather Bennett is the Managing Director and Partner at Newport LLC, where she advises CEOs and business owners on brand marketing, revenue growth, and leadership development. With over 20 years of experience, she has led P&L management for brands with over $100 million in revenue and driven innovation at companies like Kraft Heinz Company, Instant Brands, and Unilever. Heather is also the author of the Amazon bestseller Fun and Fulfilling Careers One Question at a Time and serves on the boards of the Foundation for Hearing & Speech Resources and Slipstream.

In this episode…

Strong leadership isn’t just about strategy; it’s about people, perspective, and personal growth. As companies scale and evolve, leaders are challenged to balance vision with execution while staying grounded in what matters. What does it take to lead effectively through growth, uncertainty, and change?

Leaders must make intentional choices and develop continuous self-awareness. Eric Brown recommends starting by intentionally hiring people who complement your weaknesses while staying engaged enough to value their work. Danguole Altman emphasizes choosing partners with aligned vision and values before moving forward, urging leaders to pause and confirm mutual understanding. Matt Vuckov suggests setting a clear vision, energizing your team around it, and then stepping back so they can execute without micromanagement. Jody Jankovsky encourages leaders to identify areas of unconscious incompetence and actively invest in continuing education to move up the competence ladder. As Lisa Mascolo observes, leaders should model consistency and empathy at all times, reinforcing trust by communicating the same values whether doors are open or closed.

In this episode of Growth + Exit, Susan Kearney and Heather Bennett look back on their most insightful episodes. Featuring Eric Brown, Danguole Altman, Matt Vuckov, Jody Jankovsky, and Lisa Mascolo, they discuss valuing people and complementary leadership, aligning vision with partners and teams, and building consistent, empathetic leadership practices that support long-term growth and exits.