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Employees Betrayed?

As the
president/CEO of a professional services firm, an issue that is consistently
top-of-mind is how to most effectively communicate with Strategic
Communications Group’s (Strategic) senior team, employees and network of
high-caliber consultants.  It is their
expertise, market knowledge, skill set, capabilities and passion that helps us
deliver on our philosophy – great work for great clients.

I came to
learn very early on in my experience running Strategic Communications Group
(Strategic) that my priorities related to personnel management are fairly
straightforward: 

·        
Put people in a position in which they are set up for
success

·        
Provide an environment which is engaging

·        
Recognize and reward those who take ownership of their
careers and consistently perform at a high level

·        
Be consistent in messaging

To deliver
on this promise to colleagues I’ve tried to implement an open, honest and
straightforward communications style.  This
is especially important when addressing issues or topics related to corporate
developments or individual performance.  A person may not like what I have to say, yet
it’s better to know where things stand.

I suspect entrepreneur
Cheryl Amyx shared this philosophy about internal communications and employee
relations.  In less than a decade, her
government services firm established a high growth and profitable niche in the
defense market, ultimately being recognized by Washington Technology magazine as
one of the fastest growing firms in the region.

Yet, when
Cheryl went through the process of positioning and then selling her company she
chose to keep the matter private, fearful of employee defections due to the
uncertainty that comes with new owners.  She even elected not to inform her senior
team.

This
morning at an ACG National Capital (http://www.acgcapital.org)
event which featured an inside look at the sale of Cheryl’s company, I asked
her if her employees felt betrayed once they learned of the sale.  She acknowledged that some did and a few
elected to leave the company.  Yet, the
new ownership moved quickly with a transition strategy that involved in-person
meetings to reassure employees and customers.

While I respect
Cheryl’s decision about how she managed employee relations during the M&A
process, I would have counseled her to be upfront and honest once it became
apparent that a sale of the company could possibly go through. 

Most employees
invest their time, energy and effort to build a company of value.  They’ve earned the right to know about major
corporate initiatives, even if it makes them nervous.

The Amey
Group, Inc. Acquires Amyx, Inc. (1.18.08)

http://www.amyx.com/download/AcquisitionPressReleaseAmyx.pdf