Mergers Mastered: Expert Advice on Successful Leadership Through a Merger

The Forward Thinking Podcast, Powered by FCCS

In this special edition episode of The Forward Thinking podcast, host Jean Cantey Segal, Chief Learning Officer, FCCS welcomes Jay Lux, Vice President of Leadership & Organizational Development for FCCS, Leslie Hilton, Vice President of Governance and Board Development, and Angie Coleman, Organizational Development Consultant with FCCS. In a roundtable format, they discuss their insights on mergers and strategic alliances. They introduce best practices to help teams, leaders, and board members navigate and thrive in the midst of a merger.

Episode Insights Include:

Successfully combining two company cultures

• Thoughtful strategies are necessary when two organizations are merging.
• Complex company cultures can be approached with intentional collaboration.
• Non-negotiables need to be outlined early in the merger to avoid employee confusion.
• Start by identifying if both organizations have a firm grasp on their own company culture.

Effective communication during a merger

• Leaders need to stay in tune with the employee pulse throughout the merger.
• Surveys can help to avoid addressing issues that may not be a real problem.
• Leaders need to offer regular and transparent communication with employees to dispel rumors and fear.
• Mission values and company culture need to be preserved as appropriate throughout the merger process.

Leadership advice for enhanced communication

• Ensure that there is clarity in the message as it is distributed to employees.
• A one page update can go a long way to prevent miscommunication.
• Senior leadership needs to be more candid about updates, with up to 10x more communication.
• Scheduled updates can provide expected and appreciated communication.
• Consider bringing back retired leadership to consult or temporarily removing employees from their regular position.

The director perspective on mergers

• From a 30,000 ft level, the board’s role in mergers requires harder conversations about the impact on stakeholders.
• The board needs to keep an eye on the long-term future direction of the organization.
• The board has to consider the culture and integration of the two merging boards into one.

Insightful questions to ask during a merger

• Who will this merger impact and how will they be impacted?
• What plans is management putting in place to manage impacts and mitigate risk?
• What opportunities and risks will this merger present?
• What does the future look like as a result of this merger?
• What key things will make this merger highly successful?

This podcast is powered by FCCS.

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