Leading Your Service Team Through A Merger Or Acquisition

By Israel Lang, Executive Consultant, HTG Peer Groups

I can remember the day I had to go into my team’s normal meeting room and deliver the news that we had been acquired.  I had a prepared statement that we division leaders had prepared with the acquiring company which made the first seven minutes easy to get through.

It was the next 53 minutes of meeting time that was stressful. I knew there would be questions, fear, anxieties, and more questions. I knew there were some things I could answer and assuage. I also knew that with many things still in flux, there would be some uncertainties remaining.

However, that hour was just the beginning of the journey. The real work happened over the next year with the countless meetings, both internally and externally, the merging of cultures, the merging of leadership, and the changing of policies and procedures.

I learned a lot during our acquisition and the months following. I was thankful for the gift of peers in my peer group who were in the midst of or who had gone through a similar scenario as I leaned on them for support and advice.

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