“Come on, folks — act like investors. What questions do you have?” chided Mel, the CEO of a financial services firm, in a meeting with 50 of his fellow senior managers. The firm was contemplating a management buyout from their parent company, and the stakes were huge, as each of the individuals present would personally underwrite the deal. But the potential upside made mouths water as they considered the untapped market potential that had been neglected by the current owners, for whom the business unit was a side line.