If the leader has a background of working in companies that are then sold then they will be focused on cutting costs. So to make the company as attractive as possible for a buyer. New business or innovation is not important. Everything is about reducing costs (people, infrastructure, inventory etc)
If the leader has a background of working in companies that grow in value and market share then they will be focused on innovation, process improvement and new business. Their aim is to improve the company’s position in their segment and / or to go into a new segment (new products, new customer types, new market – internationalisation). This means that everything related to growth and efficiency are the most important.
So it is important to understand who is the leader and what are their aims – sell or grow.
Successful International Project Management 