In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the CEO and founder of M&A Science, Kison Patel. M&A Science solves M&A industry issues using science. According to M&A Science’s website, traditional M&A processes are highly inefficient and antiquated. The industry operates in silos, and everyone has their own approach. Deals fail to deliver anticipated value because important deal processes, such as diligence and integration, are being poorly conducted and without proven techniques for success. The industry needs a platform to share knowledge and identify proven techniques. Teams execute better when they have a science-based approach to follow. M&A’s typical clients are 8-figure market cap companies that conduct three or more acquisitions a year. They also work with investment banks and corporations. Mergers and acquisitions have changed over the last few years, and tools and intel has certainly improved, but this doesn’t fix the lack of standardization and siloing commonly associated with the space. Josh and Kison explore the last five years of the industry’s evolution. The strategies used are very finance focused and it takes tactical integration to merge companies successfully. The biggest shift Kison has observed is that you need to use a people focused M&A approach to drive success. This pushes collaboration and teamwork between both organizations, and when you’re only focused on the finance side, there’s so much team value lost. The first step to approaching a merger or acquisition with a people focused mindset is to know what steps it will take to achieve results and share that with the appropriate teams. Executives need to be encouraged to participate beyond the close. Understanding the values of a company and a team is also important. Both organizations need to be respected for their approaches to create value, so understanding that can also unlock a deeper leadership understanding. This can help to bridge the gap between company values and operating standards. When both teams approach things with a collaborative mindset, solutions reveal themselves much faster. If you want to create a culture of responsiveness, you have to put people first and execute integration plans with both teams involved and respecting one another’s differences. Making sure that acquisitions are successful for your employees across the board is integral for both efficiency and effectiveness. Put people first when operating in the mergers and acquisitions space instead of leading with transactional, financial ambitions. Dedicate the merger to making sure teams and missions are aligned and you’re more likely to see true success.Want to learn more? Check out M&A Science’s website at https://www.mascience.com/.  Check out M&A Science on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/mascience/. Check out Kison Patel on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kisonpatel/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.