When the Deal Slips Away: Cautionary Tales from the Post-Close Fog (INTRO)

M&A deals rarely collapse in a single moment. They drift off course quietly, until leadership realizes too late that the value they once counted on is slipping away. Decisions stall. Teams pull in different directions. The energy of Day 1 fades into silence, tension, and missed deadlines. By the time the warning signs reach the boardroom, impairments are already being prepared. In early 2025, a European company wrote off €100 million, only afterward pledging stricter profitability tests and tougher assumptions. Their story isn’t unusual, it’s a cycle we see again and again.

The trouble isn’t always poor strategy or intent. More often, it’s momentum lost, assumptions left unchallenged, and teams pushing forward without pause. A mid-integration reset may feel risky, but in reality, it’s the safest move once things begin to drift. The best leadership teams understand this. . They pause. Reset. Realign. Act before value erodes beyond repair. Because the real danger isn’t admitting that something’s off. It’s letting the deal unravel quietly while everyone hopes it will somehow right itself. [Click to read the full story on Substack]