When a company is merged with another or acquired by new management, its senior leaders often face a period of uncertainty and transition. Shifts in culture and changes in decision-making structures can easily lead to a current leader’s inadvertent missteps, quickly derailing their influence and level of effectiveness within the new system.
In these circumstances, those who adapt quickly, communicate transparently and align with the new vision are best positioned to thrive. Below, 12 Forbes Coaches Council members share some of the most common pitfalls leaders face during acquisitions, how to avoid them and what to do instead for a smoother, more successful outcome.
1. Embrace Self-Awareness And A Growth Mindset
A common pitfall for senior leaders in an acquisition is holding on to past practices. This fixed mindset hinders adaptation and growth. To avoid it, leaders must embrace self-awareness, adopt a growth mindset, build trust and focus on controllables—their response, influence and alignment with the new vision. – Scott Hicks, L.O.S.T. Consulting, LLC
2. Break Down ‘Them And Us’ Dynamics
Leaders can easily fall into a “them and us” dynamic—consciously or not—that undermines trust and slows integration. A wiser path is to view the merger as a catalyst for innovation. By surfacing differences with honesty, finding common ground and blending the best of both companies, they can avoid replicating the past and instead build on what exists to create something better. – Gabriella Goddard, Brainsparker Ltd
3. Reframe Change As A Chance To Evolve Culture
A common pitfall is talking about the loss of culture, instead of reframing the acquisition as the opportunity to evolve culture. To avoid your own slow adoption, keep a healthy pace of strengthening your change leadership skills. Senior leaders are held to a higher standard, especially during new changes, so get ready to be the leader your team needs you to be. – Linda Allen-Hardisty, Allen-Hardisty Leadership Group
4. Don’t Assume Past Credibility Will Carry Over
One pitfall I’ve seen is assuming past credibility will carry over after an acquisition. It rarely does. New management often rewrites the playbook, and leaders who lean on old equity risk get sidelined. The better move is to quickly tune into what the new team values, adapt without losing your center and show your impact using their language of success. – Laurie Arron, Arron Coaching LLC
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5. Embrace The Human Side With Transparency
M&As are always tough, especially on the personnel side. Operational and financial synergies often hit roadblocks when it comes to the human component. Including people in the decision-making process, soliciting feedback and sharing the rationale behind certain decisions can all help senior leaders communicate the value and foster new relationships after a merger or acquisition. – Ed Brzychcy, Lead from the Front
6. Adapt To New Priorities And Keep Teams Aligned
A common pitfall is that these senior executives believe they will continue to run the company in the same way they have always done. Executives who successfully navigate these transitions identify and embrace the new direction, priorities and ways of doing things, align their teams, solicit feedback from the new management and provide feedback to their teams about progress or lack thereof. – Matt Herzberg, Principled Transformation LLC
7. Prioritize Clear Communication To Reduce Uncertainty
This is among the major changes that organizations face as two cultures intersect, hence chaos and uncertainty. Communication should be the top priority for senior leaders, which should be carried from top to bottom. Make sure leaders become part of changes aligned with the new corporate strategy and proactively help in teams’ reorganization, as uncertainty spreads rumors, and that makes change even harder to implement. – Nav Thethi, The Nav Thethi
8. Understand New Priorities And Align Authentically
A common pitfall is holding onto legacy influence without adapting to new dynamics. When ownership changes, so does the unwritten playbook. Senior leaders must quickly read the room, understand shifting priorities and align without losing authenticity. The best move is to listen first, engage with curiosity and earn relevance in the new system before assuming continuity. – Dr. Flo Falayi, Korn Ferry
9. Rebuild Your Information Flow Immediately
When new power walks in, the biggest pitfall isn’t loss of authority—it’s loss of intel. Senior leaders often assume the same map applies, but in reality, the real influence shifts quietly in backchannels. To avoid being blindsided, you need to rebuild your information flow immediately, because your outcomes will hinge more on how quickly you decode the new game. – Alla Adam, Adam Impact Institute
10. Use Behavioral Insights To Integrate Cultures
Acquisitions stumble when leaders assume culture is the problem instead of how people work and adapt to change. Validated behavioral assessments uncover decision-making styles, communication patterns and natural strengths, giving leaders the intelligence to align quickly and integrate cultures effectively. When leaders align, teams generally follow. – Marcia Narine Weldon, Illuminating Wisdom
11. Don’t Assume You Have Job Security
One pitfall is that you believe the new management will retain you. Assume you will be gone in a few months and prepare for the transition. – John Cleveland
12. Avoid Acting Too Early
Being action-driven too early in the merger process is a common fault I’ve observed when facilitating transitions. While still negotiating a new way of working together, leaders may be tempted to get ahead of the process by either jumping the gun to get something through or becoming too eager to make a name for themselves. Neither will make them trustworthy to the new entity going forward. – Kelly Huang, Coach Kelly Huang