As I’ve been looking at LinkedIn over the past few weeks, especially on the various M&A hashtags, there is no shortage of advisors pitching their particular focus as the one that is the one that will make or break the success of your deal. Yes I’ll admit, I’m one of them too.

However lets take a step back and put things in perspective by looking at what your definition of success looks like:

  • What is the ultimate goal of your merger or acquisition?
  • What are your success metrics (how will you know it is successful)?
  • Is everyone/everything in alignment?

That third item is the most complex as it involves the people, process, and technologies, it isn’t what ultimately defines your success. That is the other two items I highlight.

However, that third item what enables the first two points. If the first two points aren’t clear, then it doesn’t really matter whether the tech or people are rock solid. It will still fail.