Case Study: Delap maintains employee trust through leadership transition with A.wordsmith

Delap aligns leadership transition across 19 years of culture with A.wordsmith

Delap, one of Oregon’s largest accounting firms, faced the challenge of managing a sensitive executive leadership transition. The deeply respected CEO was stepping down after 19 years, and the firm was concerned about potential emotional reactions, confusion, and speculation from both employees and clients. They engaged A.wordsmith to design a compassionate internal and external communications strategy to instill confidence and optimism about the firm's future.

A.wordsmith implemented a multi-pronged solution that included developing transparent and authentic messaging, equipping key stakeholders with detailed talking points, and fostering open dialogue. This strategy preemptively controlled the message to prevent rumors and allowed leadership to clearly articulate the transition's benefits. As a result, A.wordsmith helped Delap successfully reassure employees that its people-first culture and strategic vision were stronger than ever.

Delap