Unlocking Successful Mergers: The Power of Coaching and Human Connection

What if the secret to a successful corporate merger lies not in strategy binders or legal negotiations, but in the power of genuine human connection? As we unravel this thought-provoking idea, we illuminate the transformative role that coaching can play during pivotal transitions. Our discussion centers on how leaders can seamlessly integrate new team members by engaging them in meaningful conversations about their past experiences and expectations for future leadership. These seemingly simple dialogues can reveal profound insights, shaping a foundation for deeper engagement and mutual respect. By nurturing these connections, leaders can set the stage for a harmonious and cohesive corporate culture.

Drawing inspiration from a real-life example of a credit union's successful absorption of a bank, we showcase how structured social interactions can significantly enhance organizational cohesion. Implementing rotating schedules for casual meetups, whether over coffee or in the lunchroom, can foster connections that cross departmental lines, even in smaller organizations. Such initiatives boost employee morale and reinforce their sense of belonging. Discover practical strategies for using coaching as a strategic tool in mergers and learn how fostering social connections can transform your organizational culture, creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and engaged.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:37

When companies merge, how do we go about leveraging coaching as an integration tool or even an integration strategy? You know, when I think about people for lack of a better description being thrown together, one of the things that leaders bringing it down to a leader level not just an organizational level, but a leader level. What can we do as leaders? Number one I think one of the best questions that you can ask someone who's new to an organization as a result of a merger is what did you like about prior management, what did you like about the prior culture? And just listen. Now, that doesn't mean you give it to them. What it means is you have contextual understanding of what not to try to change, understanding of what not to try to change. Number two ask the following question what is one thing you want from a leader you've never had before? No criticism to prior leaders, but what's one thing you want from a leader that you've never had before?

Speaker 1: 1:38

Now, when people have done that in this type of a merger activity, it's amazing some of the responses. Leaders have come back and said here's what I've heard. You know, I want to meet with you once a week, I want to get on a career path, and they're really blocking and tackling very simplistic things and the amazing thing is we don't think about those things as not happening. So a lot of times it's not a pot shot, it's not a criticism of the prior organization. They may have done it differently and maybe they're taking it out of context, but by asking that question, you now have a leverage point. Leaders have a leverage point to engage deeper. Number three this is the one that I'm telling you that people think it's corny, it's cliche, it's over the top, it's theatrical. Oh my gosh, this is so dumb because it doesn't really have teeth.

Speaker 1: 2:27

When it comes to in-depth strategy, when you integrate people from different organizations, set up peer-to-peer conversations, have a schedule throughout the whole organization, not just within departments, do it across departments and start to create connections. You know and I forget where it was, it might have been Harvard Business Review I read an article that when people join an organization and certainly people when they're merging are joining an organization they're being absorbed, but they're joining an organization, an organization they're being absorbed, but they're joining an organization that within the first 72 hours, the decision-making or the thought process begins of did I join the right place? So what happens is we tend to have emotional reactions. We hear a policy we don't like or something the new organization does that the old organization does not do, and it's uncomfortable. The way you supplement that, the way you counter that, is by connecting people. It seems so trite. So years ago I was working with a credit union which actually absorbed a bank, which is very interesting in itself, and they started to do this.

Speaker 1: 3:47

And all of a sudden, when we connect with people, two things happen. As silly as it is, two things happen. We have awareness of each other and then we have commonality. Not all the time, but most of the time. We find things we have in common, whether it be kids or gardening, or coaching or volleyball or baseball, and when you do that, you create a connection to the organization. It's a very thoughtful endeavor and here's how you do it. You create a master schedule and you just rotate people, assign them to rooms, assign them to go on a coffee break, assign them in the lunchroom or wherever you want to assign them, but give them 15 to 20 minutes.

Speaker 1: 4:29

Next week you're going to meet with John Smith. Following week, you're going to meet with Jackie Smith, and what you do is you just sit and say well says well, I'm in the marketing department and say, well, how long have you been here? It seems so dumb. It's not when you connect and my organization is very small, we're 10 people or less. We still do that today. I encourage everyone to have social conversations, schedule time just to chat, I don't care if it's about work.

Speaker 1: 4:57

See, when you have connection, when you have awareness of each other, when you have commonality with someone else, guess what happens? The connection to the organization improves. See what we tend to do when we merge, when we tend to bring people in. We've got to onboard them, we've got to train them to do the job, we've got to let them know of our policies and our procedures. And those are all important things. Nobody goes home and says, honey, I had a fantastic day. The policy they threw out there was fantastic. I bet you're laughing Versus saying I met a really nice lady today. Or I met this guy in the marketing department and you know what? He loves to go to volleyball matches as much as we do. I think we're going to get together with he and his wife. That's a connection to the organization. So coaching is a great tool for mergers and acquisitions. It is a great tool. Let us know if you have any questions or comments.