I am lucky enough to get coached by Dale Larson of Startuphappiness.com and wanted to share the latest blog post he and his partner Marcy Swenson wrote about thriving through an acquisition. They facilitated a dialogue about this topic at SXSW and I know it’s relevant for many people in my network. Please visit their site for the entire post, but to whet your appetite here are the big items:
1. If it’s not already obvious, figure out *why* your company has been acquired.
2. Expect to go through the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, & acceptance.
3. Resolve mysteries as soon as possible.
4. Give yourself some elbow room to maneuver.
5. Clarify how the power structure has changed.
5. Seek out opportunities.
6. Focus primarily on what’s working.
Having been acquired and having to integrate acquisitions over the years I agree 100% that the people integration is by far the most important piece. Senior leaders often have ADHD so they’re already onto their next challenge and delegate or simply expect people to get going purely because targets have been set or someone put in charge.
Execs would have less headaches, quits, and misses if they realized their job was actually to help ensure the human experience of merging two cultures was the most important and complex piece of the transaction. How they frame the importance of this experience for their leadership team, and how they support it (via their time with the teams, celebrating wins, and generally showing care for the people) makes all the difference in the world.
Photo credit Winston Chen
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Adaptive Talent is a talent consultancy designed to help organizations achieve amazing results and ongoing adaptability. Founded in 2008 and based in Vancouver, Canada we offer retained search, assessments, total rewards consulting, training, leadership coaching and development programs, and culture & organizational development consulting.