Interim Executives: A Key Role in Modern Management

While there has been a lot of press about interim executives appointed to head large or public corporations, interim executives play a major role for small businesses. Interims often do a better job than the formerly appointed executive.

There are many types of interim executive roles

·       To do a very specific job, perhaps a  startup, turnaround or sale,

·       Provisional appointments that may lead to a full-time position,

·       Developing and implementing a business succession plan, and

·       others are simply filling a hole.

What sort of person do you want as an interim executive? Good interims are flexible and responsive; they are fast-learners with a broad range of skills; and they are high-energy people, able to put in long hours when needed.

Some of the softer features of what makes a successful interim executive often get overlooked when drawing up the profile for the type of person you want.

What makes interim executives successful? Three things stood out.

·       First, they were focused on getting things done; on making the trains run on time.

·       To remove roadblocks to important initiatives and to bring stakeholders in line to support it.

·       They spent time finding the resources to staff.

·       They broker conversations between warring factions.

·       And allaying the concerns of unhappy customers.

 

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