Our company is doing a merger of equals with another company and I don't feel my leader is advocating for me.

7 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 15,2025 at 3:26PM UTC

   Things are in serious limbo and you will need to be patient. There will be initiatives and possibly transit teams assigned so try and volunteer wherever possible.

   No one will advocate for you because they under utilized you so you will not be pulled into the newer organization chart at a higher level by your management. They are worried about themselves and those handpicked reports they admire this point. You will need to be very proactive and pay attention for opportunities. Connect with your new colleagues and be helpful. You will need to do all of this yourself.

2. Dr. Patty GrossAugust 15,2025 at 4:12PM UTC

   As one who has been through multiple mergers, the only thing you can count on at this point is chaos. Everyone is jockeying for the best position, so if you are expecting your boss to do that for you, think again. Your boss(es) are only thinking of themselves right now and how to position themselves, unless they already know they won't be part of the merged company. If they know they aren't moving on, they are focused on finding their next opportunity, so you are your best advocate.

   When I was involved (as a manager) in mergers, I brought in the new people after it was finalized, and I interviewed everybody, even my existing staff, to see how they would best mesh together with the new direction of the company. Some of my biggest surprises were with my existing employees. Not every company encourages this, and not every manager follows through if they do, though, so rather than going over their heads to the leaders of the new company, if you know anyone on your same level there, you may want to try reaching out that way. Be careful, because sometimes edicts come down from the CEO, usually when they announce the merger to all the staff, and it is in writing, that nobody is to contact people at the other company. So find out why your leader wouldn't be happy, and review any announcement documents before you reach out to the merging company. All you may be able to do at this point is take a deep breath and wait. If management changes when the deal closes, you will have plenty of opportunities to advocate for yourself.

3. AnonymousAugust 16,2025 at 4:44PM UTC

   I don't have a proactive approach for you, but I love your enthusiasm and "take initiative" character. However , now is not the time that strength is going to serve you.

   Why not channel your energy in setting up meet and greets with your new manager and your colleagues. Get to know them, get to know their role, and listen for opportunities where you can (firstly) build rapport and (secondly) help your new team mates. Maybe some quick tips and tricks. Empathize with them ("yeah, the software is super finicky. I've been working with it for over 5 years, but it was so hard when I started. Hey do you wanna show me what you're trying to do? I think I can help.")

   So at this point in time, you already know you can't rely on "others" to help you get to where you want to be. You need to self-promote and self-advocate.

   This may take a long time, and your patience may be tested. But once you build trust and become dependable, you also become indispensable... And a joy to work with! You become that person everyone goes to. And then you can make your move to finalize it.

   It may feel like you're going through the whole job search again, where you have to prove yourself to everyone, again. But that's what a merger is like. You're no longer at the same company with the same people. In fact, many have to start at a lower rung than previous, or maybe even they are feeling "stuck". Just be thankful you don't actually have to go through the job search and hiring process again, trying to convince hiring managers to take a chance on you.

   One thing I would point out is that you are *assuming* you will be pigeon-holed. Don't do that. Avoid telling yourself "this is for sure going to happen." Mergers are a scary, unpredictable time, so I understand why you might be feeling this way. But acting on assumed "truths" won't help. The truth is your leader won't advocate for your skills. But there is no evidence that you will be pigeon-holed.

   My advice is, try not to rock the boat right now--there's already enough ripples in the water. Big sweeping changes in companies cause huge rifts. Managers have an intolerance for B.S. during these times (get on board or get out).

   Bide your time, build relationships, focus your energy on just being a fantastic human being that others want to be around, then volunteer and self promote when the waves settle down a bit.

4. AnonymousAugust 17,2025 at 3:05PM UTC

   Create a rubric that shows your strengths and where you excel. Have that at hand as the company goes through the M&A process. You are not at the top of mind for your manager at this time and should not expect her to advocate for you. Instead use that documentation to share with each new person you meet within the new leadership and also anyone that you will interact with on a daily basis regardless of your hierarchical relationship to them. Within that document share how you are best communicated with (email, text, phone, slack, etc.) Be available to knowledge share when asked about things. Ask the receiving parties for their bio too, or perhaps just a short conversation about how they like to communicate and work with you. As you make yourself indispensable others will realize your true value. Do note that if/when the merger is finalized any duplicate roles may be condensed so this may help you if your role is a potential to be rolled up under another existing resource. Take a deep breath, be a part of helping your manager and any others through this sequence which may take months to unfurl. Self promotion at this time and pushing your own agenda ahead may harm more than help you. Tread gently but firmly.

5. AnonymousAugust 17,2025 at 9:43PM UTC

   Thank you. It's frustrating because, even though we began merging several months ago, we are not "allowed" to talk to anyone over there. They talk about these great processes they have and I've created very similar processes but my leader hasn't even mentioned it. I fear they think I just do this "admin stuff" when I have a huge portfolio. They're going through org structure now and frankly, it sucks. I don't know if they even know what I do.

6. AnonymousAugust 19,2025 at 2:37PM UTC

   Again (OP above) it's not about you right now. Dial down the me, take my advice and when the time is right your light will shine. The reason they don't want you talking to folks in the other company is a sound one. Until the deal is completed and finalized they don't want to muddle businesses and processes and employees and such until its done done. There are legal aspects of that which factor in as well as financial ones. Keep doing you and showing your strengths and going past what you have been tasked to do. This is a good time to take on more if you can and do things you want to even if not asked.

7. AnonymousAugust 17,2025 at 4:41PM UTC

   Well - 1 there is no merger of equals. Companies like to say that to make their employees feel good and feel safe so they won’t up and abandon ship -

   before you even remotely go above their head you need to know where they stand in the company and if / how they are connected. If they are well connected with the important players - going above their head will only get that target put on your back faster. They will lie to you and tell you it’s ok to bring up your concerns. But know in reality it isn’t and your best strategy is to keep your head down and look for new work.

   if they aren’t well connected then YOU need to network to take that place. Once you’re in that place then you can bring up your concerns.

   these days it’s never about what you know or your capabilities - it’s 100% who you know. Taking the time to know this and position yourself right will help you long run. Even if it’s not at this company. Good luck