2012 Hall of Fame: David Harding - Small Start, Big Aspirations

"We've gotten fairly good at it," he says. "Many times, there is a lack of communication to employees on both sides after an acquisition, so they have a lot of fear. We have an acronym for fear—false expectations that appear real. The more you communicate with them, the better.

"The second thing is, we make decisions fast. We move employees into our building right away and decide who we're going to keep very quickly. The quicker you do things, the better it is for staff members because it alleviates fear."