We are interviewing investment bankers to represent us, but we are worried their high self-orientation will push us into a deal that destroys our company culture. How do we use the trust equation to evaluate these intermediaries during our exit runway?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Evaluating investment bankers requires looking past their credentials and analyzing their underlying motivations. According to the trust equation from Charles Green's framework, trust is built on credibility, reliability, and intimacy, divided by self-orientation. An investment banker with high self-orientation is focused on their commission and transaction speed, which will inevitably compromise your culture and long-term goals.

During your interviews, pay close attention to how they interact with you. A banker with high self-orientation will dominate the conversation, talk about their past transactions, and push you to sign a listing agreement immediately. They will treat your business as a transaction rather than an asset.

To assess their trustworthiness, evaluate their level of intimacy and other-focus. Do they ask deep questions about your core values, your team's alignment, and your post-sale legacy? Do they listen to your concerns about protecting your staff, or do they dismiss them as minor operational details?

Ask them to walk through how they handle buyers who want to gut your culture. If their response is vague, their self-orientation is too high. Choose an advisor who demonstrates high reliability and a genuine commitment to your long-term success. This ensures you have an advocate who will walk away from a bad deal to protect your legacy.