"I Love You. You're Perfect. Now Change."

The title of this theatre production (the second-longest running Off Broadway musical) reminds me of the bait-and-switch experience that acquired companies often complain about.

Romanced by the dealmakers, and seduced into selling, they leave the merger courtship psychologically unprepared for the realities of corporate marriage.

Such naivete.  Why do grownups believe it when acquirers say things like “It will continue to be business as usual” ?     

It won’t.   Not even if the acquirer is honest at heart in saying such a thing.

So instead of trying to calm your people (or yourself) with platitudes from the dealmakers promising things won’t change, promise that they will.  This protects your credibility.  It also helps position your people to deal with the inevitable.