Inexperience and Bad Decisions Help Achieve the Goal   By Jack Prouty, Past President of the M&A Leadership Council It is considered a given that deal-makers want to achieve M&A success, but occasionally I witness behavior that challenges this assumption. I so often write articles about how to be successful; however, it is also important to think about what brings you to failure. Tags:  M&A training MA&D M&A failure integration ..read more

The Art of M&A® / Postmerger Integration An excerpt from The Art of M&A, Sixth Edition: A Merger, Acquisition, and Buyout Guide by Alexandra Reed Lajoux A number of general strategies appear to build the value of a company’s shares, no matter how that value is measured. Here are three to consider: Aim for continued, profitable growth ..read more

How Does Talent Selection Shape M&A Success? By M&A Leadership Council  When considering successful mergers and acquisitions from both the acquiring and acquired companies' perspectives, talent selection takes on nuanced dimensions of strategy, psychology, and corporate culture integration ..read more

Vital: A Tightly Managed Process with Disciplined Teams on Both Sides By Mark Herndon, Chairman Emeritus, M&A Leadership Council In Don’t Fumble at the Goal Line, we discussed how to finish strong by making sure you are using seven key strategies for ensuring a successful handoff from due diligence to integration. Here’s a quick litmus test to help you determine ..read more

They Should be Regarded as Significant Deals, Not Afterthoughts By M&A Leadership Council About 30% of all M&A transactions are divestitures -- so they should be regarded as significant deals, not afterthoughts. These transactions require strategic treatment due to their complexity, scope, governance, transition time ..read more

A Well Written TSA Eases IT Transitions By William Blandford, Managing Director at Blandford Associates While many people have participated in the acquisition of a business, fewer have participated in a carve-out, a type of divestiture where a part of a business is sold. However, as businesses move ...... Tags:  divestitures carve-outs IT transition services agreements divestments ..read more

Culture Success Drives M&A Success By Mark Herndon, Chairman Emeritus, M&A Leadership Council “We’ve done 50 acquisitions globally and STILL don’t know BEANS* about culture!” This transparent acknowledgement from the Division President of a global Fortune 100 manufacturer was the launch point ..read more

3 Mission-Critical Ingredients Will Transform the Seller's Business Post-Divestiture By Mark Herndon, Chairman Emeritus, M&A Leadership Council Let’s face it – once a divestiture sale closes, there’s a natural tendency for executive focus and accountability to immediately shift to other urgent priorities and let the seller’s remaining post-sale business continue on a “business as usual ..read more

Before Launching Your Next Integration Take a Good Look by Mark Herndon, Chairman Emeritus, M&A Leadership Council  ​It’s not a trick question: “How do you know you're ready to launch integration planning?” Our answer? Not until you’ve done THIS – created a comprehensive Integration Strategy Framework (ISF)...... Tags:  integration framework mergersandacquistions value drivers in MnA ..read more

The Art of M&A® / Financing and Refinancing An excerpt from The Art of M&A, Fifth Edition: A Merger, Acquisition, and Buyout Guide by Alexandra Reed Lajoux Can a buyer always finance all or part of a transaction through partial divestments or spin-offs? Not necessarily. This is possible only when the business acquired consists of separate components or has excess real estate or other assets ..read more