Oh, one of my favorite expressions! “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”. So true on life at the Farm, but also true during Post Merger Integration (PMI). The reality of all players getting on board and actively participating in stages of integration doesn’t always happen the way we would like. There is typically at least one horse who won’t drink or better yet one who will pretend he/she is thirsty but when at the watering-hole will absolutely not take part. Or my most favorite horse that desperately needs water but still won’t drink! So, the million-dollar question…what can be done? There are lots of strategies to use, the first being to allow time and space. This of course takes mindful patience. There may not be space for this in an organization, i.e. if this “horse” is disruptive or causing other problems. If time and space doesn’t work, then it’s time to talk to the human of course. Find grace and discuss things openly. Then hopefully all can drink!
The Serial Acquirers 