Culture fit can be figured out during the sale process.
principle — attributed to Joanna Stone Herman
Stone Herman's discipline around culture fit is operational. Multiple meetings between buyer and seller during the process give both sides a feel for whether the buyer is the right one. The seller is interviewing the buyer just as much as the buyer is interviewing the seller. Done right, both sides should feel that they have come to a larger version of themselves. The reframe matters because culture-fit conversations are often deferred until after the deal closes, when corrections are expensive. Stone Herman's discipline pulls them forward into the sale process itself, while there is still time to walk away. The discipline produces deals that work because the cultures actually fit, not deals that close because the financial terms forced through despite the misalignment.
For M&A advisors, acquiring CEOs, and selling founders thinking about how to evaluate cultural compatibility before signing. The principle is most useful as a frame against the temptation to defer culture conversations to integration planning.
culture-fit, buyer-seller-meetings, interview-both-ways, larger-version