By Max Stier and Douglas Conant
The board room and the Oval Office are more alike than you think. Corporate takeovers are high-wire acts requiring detailed preparation, an understanding of company cultures and organization, first-rate leaders and a mandate to create added value for stakeholders. Even in the best of circumstances, mergers and acquisitions frequently fail or fall short of expectations. The same dynamics apply to the transfer of power from one presidential administration to the next – the largest, most complex and consequential takeover of any organization on the planet that will formally take place when a new U.S. president is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2017.