Laying the foundation: an effective 100-Day plan after acquisition

When a searcher completes an acquisition, the hard work begins with taking over its operations. Since this transition involves new leadership and potentially a change in strategy, the first 100-day plan is critical for ensuring a smooth integration, establishing authority, and driving positive performance. The plan focuses on understanding the company, gaining trust from employees and partners (clients, providers, etc.), identifying opportunities for improvement, and setting a new strategic direction.

Pre-acquisition preparation

Before the new CEO takes over, careful planning is essential:

• Due Diligence: Conduct an in-depth review of the company’s financials, operations, culture, and competitive environment.
• Market analysis: Understand the industry and the company’s position within it.
• Define initial goals: Set clear short- and long-term objectives to achieve.
• Communication plan: Develop a strategy to communicate the change to employees, customers, and providers, emphasizing benefits and minimizing uncertainty.

First 30 Days: Evaluation, Communication & Stabilization

Objective: Gain the trust of employees and customers and acquire a deep understanding of the company.

• Introduce yourself as CEO: Present your vision, goals, and the benefits of the transition. Transparency is crucial to building trust among employees.
• Individual and group meetings: Hold meetings with current leadership, department heads, key employees, and external partners. This provides a clearer view of operational realities and helps understand the company culture.
• Initial financial and operational assessment: Review financial reports, key operations, internal processes, and employee performance. Identify critical areas that need immediate attention.
• Cultural and talent assessment: Understand the company’s culture and evaluate whether it aligns with the new strategy. Identify key employees and assess their importance for long-term success.
• Operational stabilization: Ensure that day-to-day operations are not disrupted during the transition. This may include temporarily maintaining the existing operational structure while analyzing potential changes.

Days 31 to 60: Detailed diagnosis and early changes

Objective: Identify improvement opportunities, make initial adjustments, and begin implementing strategic changes.

• In-depth diagnosis: As the new management gains a better understanding of the company, conduct a more detailed assessment of finances, operational capabilities, and organizational culture.
• Identify “quick wins”: Look for areas where immediate improvements can be made, such as operational efficiencies, customer service enhancements, cost reduction, or better resource utilization.
• Talent evaluation: Define key employees for the future and develop retention and motivation strategies. If necessary, consider future changes in the executive team or key functional areas.
• Review of external relationships: Assess relationships with customers, suppliers, and other strategic partners. Establish communication with them to ensure continuity and confidence in the new leadership.
• Initial operational adjustments: Implement operational improvements in areas that offer immediate benefits without causing major disruptions.

Days 61 to 100: Strategic vision implementation and organizational alignment

Objective: Align the organization with the new strategic vision and ensure sustainable operations.

• Define long-term vision: Establish the long-term vision and strategy for the company, clearly communicating it to employees and investors.
• Strategic planning: Develop a detailed strategic plan outlining the company’s priorities for the next 12-18 months, aligning financial, market, product, and talent goals.
• Prepare for restructuring, if necessary: If areas for improvement were identified during the diagnostic phase, consider restructuring departments, processes, or leadership.
• Cultural integration: Align the corporate culture with your values and vision, potentially promoting cultural change initiatives if necessary.
• Progress monitoring: Set up mechanisms to monitor progress, adjust strategy as needed, and ensure the company is moving in the right direction.
• Set medium-term goals: Define clear goals for the next 6-12 months based on the evaluations conducted and the small changes implemented during the first 100 days.

Key success factors

• Visible and decisive leadership: Demonstrate strong leadership, gain the organization’s trust, and make clear decisions to guide the company into a new growth phase.
• Continuous and transparent communication: Keep employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders informed about progress, addressing any concerns or resistance to change.
• Deep understanding of the company: The success of the acquisition depends on your ability to quickly and fully understand the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Change management: Implement strategic changes in a way that minimizes operational disruptions and employee resistance.

The 100-day plan after you step in as the new CEO is vital for building a strong foundation of trust within and outside the organization, setting a clear path toward operational and financial success in the long term.