I've played a large role in 3 exits and found that transparency has always been the best policy. I would make sure you spend individual time with each exec to make sure they are completely comfortable.

In one of my exits we let the whole company of 40 people know very early on that we were taking the company to market. We set up a incentive plan to ensure everyone was aligned and working towards growing value.

At smaller companies the team will pick up on acquisitions very quickly: asking your team to answer prepare certain reports, answering due diligence questions, strange visitors, etc. It is better for you to control the narrative then let the rumor mill spin out of control.