With our economy booming, it seems that mergers and acquisitions are increasing at an even higher pace than when things were bad just a few years ago. But mergers and acquisitions can cause significant stress for those involved.

Within just the past 3 months, two friends’ companies announced they were either merging or being bought by another company, and two other friends were in the process of dissolving their different partnerships that impacted quite a few employees.

In short, transitions are happening all the time, either joining together or breaking apart.

In my career in IT, I was involved in no less than 5 mergers/acquisitions or separations. Each came with its own unique set of challenges. In one case, I was charged with coming up with a plan to select and relocate employees that wanted to come from the UK to the US to continue working with the new, merged company. This meant some of my friends would lose their jobs while others would be starting a new life in a new country. And I was the person setting the ground rules. Talk about stress!

The good news is that there are steps you can take to make the transition easier for everyone. Here are 3. (These are primarily targeted to managers/leaders who are not heavily involved in the merger planning – you are the ones who must implement it without much say in the process):

1. Be as transparent as you can possibly be! There will be all sorts of unknowns in this process. The more you can keep your team in the loop, the better the transition will be for everyone. There will certainly be things that cannot be shared for legal reasons; that’s okay, tell people that. And there are things that you cannot share because you don’t have the answers yet. That’s okay as well, and it’s okay to tell people that. Showing that you, as a leader, don’t have all the questions answered just yet helps them to realize you are human as well and trust can be built. A word of warning here; if you can’t answer ANY of the questions, that is a different problem. Do your best to get the answers that you can.
2. DO NOT promise employees something that you cannot deliver! A former colleague of mine promised his staff that none of them had to worry. The problem was that he wasn’t in a position to guarantee that; these weren’t decisions he was in charge of making. Several of his staff were shown the door. His credibility took a huge hit. Some of his team thought he intentionally lied to them (he didn’t, he just didn’t realize how little influence he had).
3. Have a positive attitude. When changes occur, everyone’s stress level goes up. If you’re still with the new company, you’re not sure how you fit in. If you are “taking over” the other company, you’re not sure what you’re getting into. In fact, you may end up competing for a job that you thought was yours. During these times, the leader will set the tone for their group. Having a positive attitude helps reduce other people’s stress and keeps productivity higher than normal. More importantly, by focusing on a positive attitude, you’ll reduce your stress and be better able to handle the surprising things that come your way (and I guarantee you will be surprised).

Transitions are exciting, but they can also be devastating to some on your team, either directly or indirectly. As a leader, you can show your value to your organization (or another if that’s the outcome) by how you handle the situation and how you keep your team on track and focused on what must be done.

It’s not always easy, but it can be rewarding, both personally and professionally.

Embrace that which you cannot avoid.

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With personalized leadership and communication training backed by some of the best in the industry, the Colorado Leadership Institute helps you get the most out of your team. As part of Crestcom International, they use methodologies and techniques proven to give managers and leaders throughout the Denver Metro area skills that can be put into practice right away. Visit the website for more on their leadership training programs, get more business tips on Facebook, or call (720) 515-8081 to get started today.