Accenture found that just 27% of M&A deals resulted in both operating margin improvement and revenue growth. Looking at what drove the success of these transactions, we found that company leaders do two things in the short term that help in the long term. First, leaders created a long-term blueprint for the intended synergies and the new operating model prior to closing the deal. Second, a financially savvy executive remained involved post-close to ensure the company achieved the expected financial value from that blueprint.