Is an interim manager the solution?

As said by Winston Churchill, never waste a good crisis…

It is often said that in business, things are slow to change. However, in order to survive and thrive in the most challenging of times, you need speed, adaptability and resiliency. And in times of crisis, there is more latitude to drive dramatic shifts in strategy and unprecedented operational changes. While we are still in a state of uncertainty, organisations are now starting to make more long-term decisions and implement programmes of change to enable them to operate into the future.

With such transformative thinking and action happening right now, could an Interim Manager be the solution to driving change in your business?

Essentially an Interim Manager is a temporary management role that typically needs to be filled quickly, usually in response to transition or change within an organisation that requires leadership and/or knowledge that doesn’t currently exist. The Interim Manager may fill the role for up to 18 months or longer depending on the need. They are not an Acting Manager, in that the role itself is temporary and required to fulfil a specific need or cause within an organisation, such as initiating a new project or forming a newly created team.

While your senior leadership team are ideally positioned to work on a strategic reset, the biggest barrier to overcome is typically implementation of strategy. That is where an Interim Manager provides the most value. They are hired with a fixed goal/project/assignment in mind and take accountability for implementation. As part of the recruitment process and because the need is so clearly identified, you are looking for a very specific skill set and background experience – a candidate that will bring new opinions and fresh thinking to your business that will likely challenge your thinking. This is a candidate that has been in a similar situation many times before and has experienced both success and failure – it is this critical knowledge that they will bring to your business. Because of this level of experience, an Interim Manager will need less time onboarding and will effectively hit the ground running.

Candidates who are willing to take on this type of role also have a different mindset and are not looking at the opportunity as career building within your organisation, instead they are focussed on outcomes. That is not to say that this person will lack empathy and leadership skills bit rather the best candidates for an Interim Manager role are likely to be highly engaging and capable of quickly establishing rapport and building trust with colleagues and the wider team.

Sourcing the right Interim Manager in a timely manner is key. A top-level executive search and recruitment consultancy will help you find the right person for the role. They will be able to quickly understand the need and identify the competencies required in the right candidate. Plus, they have access to wide networks of contacts and talent.

Decipher Group are at the cutting edge of innovative recruitment solutions. We are nimble, quick to adapt and have our finger on the pulse of upcoming recruitment trends.

Do you need to think differently about resourcing within your organisation?

Decipher Group specialise in the recruitment of management, executive and governance professionals for New Zealand businesses. We also provide a suite of talent advisory, succession planning and organisational design services. We’d love to chat.

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