Episode 6: Jennifer Fondrevay

What role does EQ play in company culture? Do workers going through the mergers and acquisitions process experience the stages of grief? These are some of the questions that today’s guest tackles in this episode.

Jennifer Fondrevay is the Founder of Day1 Ready Consultancy. She advises forward-thinking business leaders, owners, and C-suite executives on how to prepare for the human capital challenges of mergers and acquisitions. She’s also a speaker and the author of the book Now What? A Survivor's Guide for Thriving Through Mergers & Acquisitions. Listen in to hear what Jennifer has to say about the role of EQ in a company, why Jennifer decided to give up a C-suite role and go out on her own, and what really happens inside the mergers and acquisitions process.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• Jennifer’s background
• Jennifer’s education and early career
• How much of a role EQ plays in company culture
• Whether having a female perspective affects EQ
• Tools that can increase EQ
• Jennifer’s opinion on nature vs. nurture
• How Jennifer decided to venture out on her own
• What “us vs. them” means when two companies come together
• Why Jennifer works with executives in the pre-deal announcement phase
• Whether self-awareness is a skillset that can be developed
• Whether there’s a playbook for enhancing the success of mergers and acquisitions
• Key pieces of advice for young entrepreneurs

Related Links

Jennifer Fondrevay

Jennifer’s Website

Now What? A Survivor's Guide for Thriving Through Mergers & Acquisitions

Quotes From the Show

“Where I do think that females may register higher is the empathy/compassion/intuition aspect.”

“My experience is when people feel heard, and they feel that they’re able to contribute to that final solution, they’re invested in it, they want it to succeed.”

“My belief is, if you wait until the announcement, if you consider “day one” the day the deal is announced, you’re dead in the water, frankly.”