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Lancefield on the LineAuthor: David Lancefield
Are you looking to taking your leadership to the next level? Perhaps youre in a new role, in charge of a big initiative, or looking to move roles. Youve come to the right place for strategies, tips, lessons distilled from the world's leading management thinkers, entrepreneurs, executives and academics. Language: en-gb Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Jennifer Fondrevay: How to navigate organisational grief
Wednesday, 21 January, 2026
What if the reason so many mergers, acquisitions and restructurings fail isn’t strategy or execution but grief?That’s the case my guest, Jennifer Fondrevay, makes in this episode. She’s the author of Now What: A Survivor’s Guide for Thriving Through M&A and an advisor to leaders navigating high-stakes transitions.We explore why unacknowledged grief can quietly drain 25–30% of productivity, and sabotage deal outcomes. Jennifer takes us through the five stages of grief in an organisational context, offering practical strategies leaders can use right away.You’ll hear how to recognise the signals of grief, give people language for what they’re experiencing, and channel that energy into performance and purpose. We also discuss why high performers often struggle the most, and why keeping customers as your North Star helps teams overcome turf battles.If you’re leading change in your organisation right now, this conversation will give you a new lens and actionable tools to turn loss into momentum“They’re mourning the loss of the future that won’t be.” — Jennifer FondrevayYou’ll hear aboutWhy productivity drops 25-30% after M&A announcementsThe five stages of organisational grief explainedPractical leadership scripts for major change announcementsHow to handle anger without dismissing concernsKeeping customers as your North StarThe former rock star phenomenon during transitionsPreparing boards and leaders before deals happenWhy high performers struggle most with changeThe employee engagement and customer relationship linkAbout Jennifer:Jennifer J. Fondrevay is the field-tested Founder and Chief Humanity Officer of Day1 ReadyTM, the M&A whisperer for CEOs and leaders who know "synergies" don't magically happen by themselves.After navigating multibillion-dollar deals, Jennifer wrote the manual everyone wishes they'd had: "NOW WHAT? A Survivor's Guide for Thriving Through Mergers & Acquisitions", helping executives lead when the playbook gets thrown out the window.Crowned #1 M&A Speaker by Research Leadership Institute, Jennifer's the go-to expert when uncertainty strikes. Her wisdom graces Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Inc.Resources:Profile: https://shorturl.at/i1go1Book: https://shorturl.at/ufZRqArticle on employee grief in organisational transitions: https://shorturl.at/gLxsKMy resources:Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ)Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.For more details about me:Services (https://rb.gy/ahlcuy) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.About me (https://rb.gy/dvmg9n) - my background, experience and philosophy.Examples of my writing https://rb.gy/jlbdds)Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)
