Executive Leadership Traits That Accelerate M&A Integrations

For a merger or acquisition to succeed, you need leaders who are familiar with the challenges and can guide your team through them.

We analyzed the profiles of 100+ executives who were under consideration to join a NewCo following a transaction and have outlined what distinguishes the top 10% of assessed executives from their peers.

Below are the skills and characteristics that lead to success in this type of environment.

Personality attributes of an effective integration leader

Calm and composed

• Maintains composure and resilience in environments defined by change and disruption
• Conveys a sense of thoughtful planning regarding NewCo’s future, despite the near-term turmoil of the integration

Ambitious and optimistic

• Driven and results-oriented
• High levels of energy, assertiveness, and self-assuredness
• Sets the bar high for driving accountability and expectations for the team

Empathetic influencer

• Adept in a variety of social environments
• Embraces collaboration with others
• Builds relationships and coalitions quickly by effectively “reading the room”
• Communicates confidently by creating trust and engagement with others

Curious and thoughtful

• Takes risks and explores new options in a structured manner
• Are not beholden to tried-and-true methods for achieving goals
• Institutionalizes industry best practices

Leadership competencies of an effective integration leader

Setting Strategy

• Adept at developing strategies that shape the enterprise
• Strong understanding of growth levers and can quickly translate data into action
• Balances the execution of near-term deliverables of the integration while keeping in mind long-term integration goals

Executing for Results

• Strives for best-in-class execution and are comfortable breaking new ground
• Thrives on identifying opportunities amid change and ambiguity
• Tests new and different approaches to improve the delivery of services and products
• Overcomes obstacles easily while demonstrating flexibility in finding solutions

Leading Teams

• Raises the collective performance of their teams
• Holds team members accountable for stretch goals
• Champions collaboration
• Enables leaders to inspire their teams
• Engenders trust and leverages it to the benefit of the organization

Building Relationships

• Deploys political and interpersonal savvy to drive a particular agenda
• Distills strategy into clear goals that rally others into action
• Invests time in building strong relationships across the enterprise and consistently role models expected behaviors

Sample success profile - HR integration leader

Here is what an exceptional HR leadership profile might look like.

Strong HR business partner

• Coaches effectively at the top of the organization
• Reaches out to colleagues proactively across the business
• Reinforces and links the M&A business case to the enterprise talent agenda

Holds others accountable

• Believes in doing the right thing and stays close to what is important
• Drives tough decision-making regarding talent and is decisive in managing performance

Positive facilitator

• Shows a positive attitude in the face of challenging people situations
• Provides an uplifting and realistic outlook on what the future holds for the business

Focus on alignment

• Views all decisions and actions from multiple vantage points – both legacy organizations and NewCo
• Uses this insight to ensure leadership attends to these perspectives

Additional Authors

Research Author - Eric Wimpfheimer